One of the best horror movies in a long time

Rating: 9/10 (8 March 2013)

I attended a premiere tonight here in Austin, TX for a film I've been anticipating for a long time. Normally I despise remakes (excpetion: 2011's The Thing,) but Evil Dead, this 2013 version directed and co-written by Fede Alvarez and with Sam Rami and Bruce Campbell as two of the film's producers, blew my mind. Now it not on a par with the original, and it is definitely not "the most terrifying film you will ever experience," but damn... still, it was, with out a doubt, the scariest movie I have seen in a long time. And I watch a LOT of horror movies. Pop-up after pop-up and twist after twist, it is absolutely relentless.
Despite its brilliance, as with any film there are flaws. The opening scene doesn't do the rest of the movie justice, I don't know to me it didn't seem to fit in too well. And some of the dialogue is slightly cheesy. However, those bits of cheesiness are made up for with surprising performances from all of the cast. But overall, it is fantastic. Once it gets going, it doesn't slow down. On the contrary, it only seems to pick up. As a film buff, one thing that I found awesome was the absence of CGI. In fact, all the effects are man-done, going old school with it. I had never heard of Fede Alvarez until today, but he is an impressive director and I have high expectations for him. Evil Dead does not disappoint, and has plenty of homage to the original trilogy (Evil Dead fans prepare to get ready!. A must-see film; just remember, it's NOT the original. "It's not a remake; it's a rebirth." He couldn't be more right.