The campiness of the original cannot be replicated with CGI

Rating: 7/10 (3 November 2013)

Part of what made the original so great were the dated - but (because of their cheesiness) - genuinely evocative disturbing special effects and gore. In Evil Dead (2013), we have a dream team of a cast that feels somewhat underused. Underused because people who can really act shouldn't be in an Evil Dead movie. If Fede Alvarez was going to do a very serious take on the subject matter of Evil Dead, then it would have worked. But the tonal inconsistencies between moments of ridiculous splatter, a CGI tree rape, black comedy, and a genuine drama about a heroin addict just don't hold together for me. If you're going to do it grim, do it grim. If you're going to do it cheesy, do it cheesy. Mixing both is mixing oil with water, negatively affecting both. That being said, something also to note is the deaths. While the original was unflinchingly graphic with its death scenes (take an eye gouging, head rolling, head exploding, etc. etc.) this remake's death scenes aren't too graphic. A possessed person's head gets squashed, but there's too little seen to actually make it fully affecting. A film like this, with the reputation of "being the most terrifying film experience" in its particular genre of horror, shouldn't shy away from such things. Granted, we may have the censors to thank for this. There are some highlights. The actress who plays Mia does a solid job. I wish the movie could have been as interesting as her performance, because minus the bloodshed her character's spiritual journey from victim to victor is quite inspiring. All in all, see it if you're a fan of the original. Just for fun, compare the two. One thing's for certain, if you're a virgin to the horror genre - this will be quite affecting. If you're experienced, this will be sadly below your expectations.