Evil Dead.
Is it really April 6th already? It only seemed just a moment ago when the trailer for Evil Dead debuted on the internet causing horror enthusiasts everywhere to collectively take a deep breath and pray for the best. I never thought the day would come and yet here I am, suffering from a belly full of over salted popcorn, attempting to wipe clean the blood stained lens of my mind’s eye. The original Evil Dead, which was produced way back in 1981, has been revered as a cult classic since its release. The movie introduced the capacity for horror films to be simultaneously dark, gritty, and quite often hilarious throughout its entire length despite its modest budget. The beauty behind its craft was that it accomplished these feats without making any compromises to the genre. It was an over the top satisfying experience start to finish, providing enough gore and dismembered limbs that could only really be appreciated by the hardcore viewer. The joy came from its excess. The film knew when to pull its punches when its display of violence was beginning to be just a little too silly and when to lay it on with enough force as to keep you interested and emotionally invested to the carnage unfolding on screen.
Walking into the theater on a Friday night, I felt uneasy with the possibility of being ill-prepared for what I was about to watch. Having been a horror fan since a child I wanted this movie to succeed in all the ways that the original did but I feared the worse. The horror genre has been through a lot since the original Evil Dead. We’ve all sat through numerous and often times dull hyper violent films such as Hostile and Saw without blinking an eye as our appetites for the grotesque and violent have become harder to satisfy. The remake of “The Hills have Eyes” for example was successful in beating the audience down with its vision of the macabre but it wasn’t exactly enjoyable. There is a point when films become so dark that they begin to become more of an exercise in visual torture. For those of you who have seen “Schindler’s List” will intuitively understand that a film about such a dark moment in human history can simultaneously entertain you with all the charismatic charm of a Bond film while still keeping you on edge for the heartbreak the next scene may contain. The only other horror film that I can recall in recent memory that attempted to be somewhat enjoyable was the cartoonish “Drag me to Hell” but it was still a little bit too tamed for the enthusiasts looking to see something a little more gritty.
Well I can safely say without a doubt that this film is certainly a stand out achievement for the horror genre to embrace. Coupling the original film’s brutal nature with a believable back story of an addict in recovery, the film not only inspires the primal elation one experiences when witnessing such horrifying scenarios but expands the films emotional context without being too cheesy. Jane Levy puts on a great show as a jaded heroin addict who has been brought to the woods by her brother and friends as an attempt to intervene in her self-destructive tendencies. Although her essence is the embodiment of sadness, she still possess that internal angst and rage that ultimately makes her human form more interesting and her alter ego demon form that much more frightening. The rest of the cast is fleshed out nicely (although Shiloh Fernandez’s supposedly significant other in the film seemed like a waste of space) providing the film with enough of foundation so that we do not mistake their intentions. We can feel the uneasiness as Shiloh steps out of his car in front of the cabin and greets his old childhood friends
who he has neglected for an extended period of time. We can see the brother/sister relationship that is in complete disarray as Shiloh hands his struggling sister a necklace symbolic of strength and perseverance as she returns the favor with a look of skepticism. And when Jessica Lucas, a practicing nurse, informs Shiloh that his sister was died from an overdose and had to be resuscitated with a defibrillator we know that death is not only lurking around the corner but already stationed in their hearts.
When the film starts to fire on all cylinders the action doesn’t let up until the film’s blood splattering re-envisioned end. Scene after the scene the violence escalates exponentially in such a way that is artful and often times magnetic as it holds your gaze despite your best efforts to look away. Lou Pucci, who plays the book worm hippy type, is the film’s main draw for comedic elements as this film solidifies him as one of the most abused character to ever appear on screen. The amount of times this man was stabbed, beaten, fatally wounded, shot, and set on fire surely belongs somewhere in the Guinness World Records. It may sound like I am some sort of sadist for saying such things but I can assure you the film presents his hardships in such a way that is quite entertaining, especially in hindsight. There really isn’t else to say besides the obvious; if you a fan of horror and a good time, this movie is definitely worth a watch. Evil Dead is concise in its execution but leaves enough space for the viewer to still crack a smile to remind them that it’s all in good fun. Also, make sure you stay after the credits!