Evil Dead. You get it or you don't.

A few comments on Evil Dead

No, I'm not going to review this film. I simply have a few things to say.

You are either going to get this movie or not. I believe most fans of the franchise will enjoy the remake of the classic low budget indie-flick of Sam and Bruce. I've read a few disparaging reviews on this film and honestly I don't know if they got it at all.

Let's be honest, the original Evil Dead was a basic, very low budget gorefest. The story was fantastical and shallow, the scares were obvious, the makeup was horrid. They even remade the film and named it Evil Dead 2. And Army of Darkness? Uber-campy, cheese horror at its finest. And yet, I still love each film and remain a big fan of Rami and Campbell to this day. Much in part to reading the book by Bruce Campbell, "If Chins Could Kill."

That being said, I went into the new remake of the Evil Dead with an open mind. I was also tired of people asking me if it was "funny like the first one." THE FIRST ONE WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A COMEDY! Sure it was meant to offer a touch of humor, but it was meant to scare, not generate a barrel of laughs. To those that have reviewed the film as a simple gore-fest with no story and horrible acted lines, you just don't get the point of the Evil Dead, or possibly horror films in general.

I found the Evil Dead to be a great way to bring what the original film had intended, back to life. The initial story of Mia being the subject of a sort of intervention made sense. It offered a reason for them to be there. I also thought the pre-story of the girl being dispatched as a demon gave a bit of reasoning behind the cabin and the evil that remained. In fact, much of the plot in the first half gave a lot of back story to the characters and setting that the original lacked or glossed over.

Homages to the original abounded, especially for those that read the book by Campbell and have enjoyed stories of what happened during the filming of the original. They wanted the original to be incredibly bloody. It was. They wanted it to rain blood down the screen. Well it actually did in the remake. Want to see the "Classic?" It's in there. If you don't know what the "Classic" is, then you don't get it. Camera angles often gave a nod to Rami, while touches of humor and story points all seemed to tip a hat to the efforts of the original cast and crew who were simply young adults trying to make a horror movie in the worst possible circumstances.

I even enjoyed the twist ending and overall change of the story. For some reason it didn't bother me. The Evil Dead was a great remake in my opinion  Rami and Campbell approved  it offers the all the gore and more of the original, an expanded story, scares, evil, suspense, and tops it off with even more blood. All in good fun. There was never much of a story, so don't go searching for it. Rami and Campbell even get the last word for those that were begging for a Campbell cameo. You'll get it if you stay past the credits.

So give it a rest you Evil Dead nay-sayers. Take it for what it is and enjoy the honest re-interpretation. It's a worthy addition to anyone's Evil Dead collection. And besides, this movie was endorsed by the original makers. So your argument is invalid. Groovy.

Leave your two cents below. I'd love to get your view of the film.

-- Wayne
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