Evil Dead

Hey dudes.

As you may have already noticed, I've started yet another blog. There's nothing wrong with the last one but since I have come across an amazing opportunity to write some reviews for Cary Citizen , I figured I'd start a new one that could be linked in those reviews that's slightly less casual. So, from now on expect to find all movie related thoughts here. 

First up, Evil Dead. 

I did not have extremely high expectations going into to this movie. At best, I hoped for something fun with some really gory and awesome practical effects. And to be fair, the effects really are amazing. Almost completely devoid of anything CG, the movie goes out of its way to prove that practical is the way to go when it comes to horror. Aside from those amazing effects though, this remake has almost zero tension and not one genuinely good scare.  

I hate to be that guy, too. That "But the original is always better" guy. But man, The Evil Dead rules. I've met countless fans of that movie over the years, and the most interesting thing about them is that everyone loves the original for different reasons. Some love it because they believe it's so bad it's good and some love it because they believe it's genuinely scary. To be honest, I don't get the 'so bad it's good' argument. I mean, the original just WORKS. Yes, it's cheap. And yes, it's oh so 80s. But it also has two ridiculously young and talented talents working harder than ever before to create something truly special; Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. When I first watched The Evil Dead, I screamed and squirmed and had to look away from the screen multiple times. And I loved every second of it. 

With it's remake though, I never had to take my eyes off the screen. Talk about disappointing. 

Again, the effects are awesome, but that's the only effort the movie puts in. Every character is bland and makes terrible choices. Now, I know you can't have a cabin in the woods movie like this without at least one person making terrible choices but after a movie like (ahem) The Cabin in the Woods satirized the cliches of horror so well and so lovingly it would seem that filmmakers would take note and at least put an ounce of motivation behind those choices. In the original, I completely bought the way the demons are unleashed. Raimi builds some curiosity and suspense around the moment that the entire movie rests on, and he kills it. In the remake though, one guy just reads a book that almost literally screams "DON'T READ THIS BOOK!". 

And you know, I could easily forgive such moments if any of the characters were remotely likeable or slightly charismatic. But instead all we get are potential victims. I realize there is only one Bruce Campbell, and the film is wise to completely avoid recreating the character of Ash, but the movie could have at least given me someone to root for. 

The biggest fault of the film has to be its complete lack of any scares or even tense moments. Instead of building tension and earning any payoff, first time director Fede Alvarez decides that going for the obvious 'Gotcha!' moment multiple times was the best way to go, resulting in a boring and tedious horror film. 

I was entirely ready to at least have some fun with Evil Dead. I didn't mind just sitting back and enjoying the gore, but there is literally nothing else going for this movie. 

One last thing, the dialogue over the closing credits and the tag that follows are especially frustrating. On their own, they are ridiculously cool, but paired with the movie that proceeds them it just seems like the filmmakers are making promises they can't keep, or at least live up to.