A gory festival of fun and horror

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2013)

First of all, it saddens me to see so many people giving this movie one star based almost entirely on comparisons to the original. Scrolling seven pages, I have not seen one legitimately fair review. If anyone reading this has ever seen the kind of trash movie that actually qualifies for a 1 star you will KNOW that this is not even close to that.
Now let's get into it. This movie is quite entertaining.
Writing/Plot: You have the basic premise that we've all become familiar with. Five friends take a trip up to a run down cabin in the woods, someone reads from a cursed book and (pardon the pun) all hell breaks loose as the group tries their best to survive. While this is "technically" a remake (or a reboot I'm not sure what they want to do with this) it is not an exact retelling of the classic movies with updated visuals. There is no Ash, and there is no comedy. It is strongly reminiscent in its events, but it does have its differences.
-For all the people complaining about plot holes, lame writing and generic story, if you are a fan of horror this should be of no surprise. Horror's are RARELY known for their Oscar winning scripts. Stupid decisions and conveniently placed dangers are part and parcel for this genre and in this film aren't even distracting (I didn't notice or care, I was having too much fun). You should know automatically what you are in for the second you decide to watch this movie. In that aspect it is excellent. The story we all know, and if you are an Evil Dead fan, you will be even more familiar with it, that's not to say it's all a rehash though. There are some twists to give a fresh breath to even the old fans.
Scare Factor: This movie doesn't have a lot of psychological scares, it's much too in-your-face for that. It does build up a bit of tension early on before the "S" hits the fan which is nice and it does have a few "jump" scares. However, this movie as you will know if you've seen the trailer relies much on gore. It's a shock value movie which is just plain fun. This will really test how much you can take. The use of live props over CGI also really adds something quite enjoyable to the ride.
Acting: It's good. Works with the movie just fine. Anyone who complains about it is just looking for reasons to hate. (for bad acting see Mark Whalberg in The Happening)
Score: Excellent for the movie, eerie then 180's to terrifying. Worth a purchase on its own.
Overall: Don't compare this to the originals. It's not meant to be funny. It's got the plot, but it attempts to be it's own film, and successfully so. If you want Bruce Campbell hilarity, go watch the original. That's not what this is, it's a dark retelling of a classic story. If you are a horror fan, you know what the genre is, what to expect, and you'll have great fun with this. If you aren't, what are you doing here?