Evil Dead
Tagline: The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience.
It’s not often that you see a review of a remake whose opening words are “The rare remake that likely will be enjoyed most by diehard fans of its predecessor.” But that’s Variety‘s line and they’re sticking to it. And it augurs well for director Fede Alvarez’s reboot of Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult horror flick Evil Dead (As does the fact that Raimi’s production company,Ghost House, is behind the new version as well).
The plot remains basically the same: five twentysomethings holed up in a remote cabin discover a Book of the Dead, and use it to bring to life the dormant demons living nearby — after which all hell literally breaks loose. Will any of the young stars survive? And can the movie live up to the promise of its tagline?
If the vast majority of the reviews are anything to go by, it may live up to the hype. The Hollywood Reporter added its approval to Variety‘s: “From the initial attack … to the literal rainstorm of blood that accompanies the climax, Evil Dead delivers satisfyingly disgusting effects that serve an ever-accelerating action pace.” Screen International is similarly enthused, noting that “it’s a solid, effective, even imaginative job mounted with thought and care, delivering enough grand guignol shocks to satisfy a contemporary multiplex crowd on a weekend night.”