Nearly perfect.

Rating: 9/10 (16 September 2016)

Sam Raimi is one of those directors that will forever be known for one thing. And that one thing just happens to be the first thing that he ever made. 'The Evil Dead' movies. So when you hear that he is back with another horror movie after so long, it's hard not to get excited about it. Unfortunately, I heard about it seven years late. Yes, this film has been out since 2009 and only now am I seeing it. Better late than never right? But I am exceedingly glad that I saw this film. Why? Because this is the best horror, comedy, parody movie that I have seen in quite a while. It has the campy visuals you'd expect from Raimi but never has he had more of a grasp on the genre.
That's because he knows the genre so well. Watching this movie with friends ascents exactly why. Through the whole film, all you're trying to do is call the next thing that is going to happen. When the next jump scare will be or what the plot twist is. And you may be able to call certain things, of course, but the film is constantly trying to make you think you know what is going to happen next.
It knows exactly when there "should" be a jumpscare and instead positions the scare right where you'd expect but it doesn't jump you. It may slowly lean forward into the light and then attacks. Which creates real tension. When you get jump scared what happens? You jump out of your seat and then laugh at yourself, right? When that happens all sense of tension is immediately gone.
While this movie certainly jumps you it actually does it with the monster. And when that happens you get startled but now you're even more scared of what could happen. This film does a great job of using real jump scares and not those silly false scares. Plus, the jumps actually occur in the films universe. It isn't trying to scare you, it's trying to scare the characters. And that plays so much better for a horror film.
But outside of being effectively frightening, what does it do? It's funny. Even though it's an effective horror it's also an effective gross-out comedy. Where a ladies head might head get hit and her eyeballs fly into a characters face. This is what Raimi does so well. He is a master of balancing tones. He effortlessly switches between humor and horror within seconds and it never feels out of place. ​ Which can be a nearly impossible task. But he knows what he's doing with this genre. He knows exactly how the camera should move, exactly what lighting to use, and how this story should play out. Which proceeds in a breathtakingly simple way. Within twenty minutes we have our characters motive established, the villain's role built, and the scares are already coming.
Raimi knows that less is more for horror films. And with a few lines and even fewer scenes, we know and care about what is happening. We know why choices are made, why things are happening, and it flows beautifully. Every scene, regardless of how it feels in the moment, pushes the story forward. It never stops and has a scary scene and then moves on. It has those in the moment.
It shows you that this girl is under constant turmoil everywhere she goes. At work, in her car, in her house, everywhere. There is hardly a moment when she isn't, and that helps sell why she is so incredibly nervous everywhere she goes. She is consistently looking over her shoulder, praying nothing happens to her. And that really helps you relate to her struggle. It's easy to get on board with her.
And when she starts to crumble under the pressure you want her to raise above it. But, unfortunately for us, the movie knows this too. And just when you think you know where the film is going, it pulls the rug out from under you and rolls the credits. For most this will be very frustrating. Because it refuses to play out the way it "should". It pretends that it will for a little bit but refuses to do what you'd expect.
It's really one of the greatest horror movies out there. Everything in front of and behind the camera comes together to make a nearly flawless film. It's tense, hilarious, beautiful to look at, intelligent, and most of all, a blast to watch. Nearly every element of the film, down to the soundtrack, just works. And yes, it can be hard on your first watch because of how different it is, but trust me when I say that it just keeps getting better the more you watch it.