Review: Evil Dead

6th November 2014

By Peter “Pops” Killip.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: five friends head out to a remote cabin in the woods, an evil force attacks them and the group have to fight for their survival……You don’t have to be an Evil Dead superfan to know the script on this one. Since it’s been 30+ years after the original low budget shocker was released and started troubling “Video Nasty” lists and 2 sequels later, hopes weren’t sky high for this outing truth be told.

THEN CAME THE TRAILER……Gone was what we’d come to expect from the Dead films, the slapstick gore, the chiselled jaw of Campbell and the shoddy low budget charm of it all. In it’s place was some truly bloody horrific money shots (akin to some of the darker asian cinema i’ve had the “pleasure” of viewing) and the focus clearly on the horror of the situation.

A lot of people HATED it. I loved it. One of the things that initially put me off was the idea of it being a reboot/remake for the twitter generation. The idea of some bearded hipster reading from the “Kindle of the Dead” and the like. Sadly the Northern Quarter Bartender looking Hipster is still there but apart from an interesting but seemingly throwaway sub-plot with addiction, there isn’t that much to pander to modern horror audiences. Also, it’s (whisper it) not a remake/reboot either, think of it as a different tale or chapter in the Book of the Dead, it’ll pay dividends.

There are still the tips of the hat to the previous films, everytime someone picks up a chainsaw or shotgun I was on the verge of performing a one man mexican wave. True to form for an Evil Dead film, it certainly doesn’t hold back on the claret, arms/legs/faces and tongues all see the cutting room floor, this is what i wanted, call it ott, call it schlock, call it grand guignol, after seeing a 12a certificate Die Hard film recently, seeing a franchise film live up to it’s promise in such fashion gave me a happy. Some contemporary horrors seem to feel the need to fall back on parody and self referential humour, almost apologetic about it’s shortcomings. This one revels in it.

Characterisation? Don’t be soft. Plot? See above. We go to these films for the bloody minded spectacle and if this manages to bring fresh eyes to the Evil dead films then fucking ay, pull up a chair. No, that’s too close…..there you go. Anyway, is it as the poster claims “The Most terrifying film You’ll ever see”? Erm, not so much. Were ANY of the others that scary though?

It’s not a game changer by any stretch but if this proves that this type of horror is still relevant in the mass of Home Invasion/Found Footage clones that have flooded the genre then fuck it, I’m in.

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