An Anomalously Worthwhile Remake

Rating: 7/10 (3 November 2013)

This remake was warranted.
God, something about that phrase feels so blasphemous. It's definitely not something I'd ever expected to say after a film, but in this case it somehow feels appropriate. The original Evil Dead is obviously a seminal, classic horror film that can never be truly replicated. But it becomes apparent from the outset that this movie isn't attempting to reproduce what came before. It comes off more as an homage than anything else – a celebration of the first film in all of its ridiculousness and glorious excess. And although this remake doesn't manage to successfully capture the unique, fun-loving tone of the original, it certainly captures all of the ridiculousness and the excess.
Oh the excess. As I mentioned before, I feel that this is one of those rare remakes that doesn't feel like a useless rehash with no purpose for existing other than to fill some wallets while emptying others. As great as the original film is, it's undeniably dated visually. And since so much of the entertainment of the movie hinges on the absurd levels of gore and all-around-nastiness, the dated visuals definitely hinder the film from being as effective today as it was when it was released. The remake fully rectifies this and then some. This has got to be one of the most visually impressive horror films ever made, especially considering there's barely a shred of CGI to be found. If this movie proves anything, it's that there's no real substitute for great make-up and prosthetics in horror. CGI can be a very tricky thing to pull off in this genre and it often ends up making things that were meant to look scary actually look goofy and artificial. I can wholeheartedly say that everything that is intended to appear scary in this movie definitely looks the part. As far as I'm concerned, this is the absolute best that possessed people have ever looked on screen. They'd be downright gorgeous if they weren't so repulsive.
Sadly though, the rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to the stunning visuals. Although the lead actress gives a very strong performance, none of the other actors (or their characters) are nearly as compelling. Also, something about the pacing of the film felt a bit off to me. The divisions between the scenes where you knew something scary was about to happen and the "safe" scenes where there was a lull in the action were a little too transparent. It was essentially always obvious when you should get ready for the next scare and when you could take a breather, which made the suspense of the film feel disjointed. Instead of slowly and relentlessly ratcheting up the tension like the original, the remake feels more like a string of self-contained gruesome scenes parceled up and divided by packing material. The tone of the film also feels a little conflicted. It definitely tries to take a more serious, straight-horror approach for much of its duration but additionally sprinkles in comedic elements reminiscent of the original. These two approaches don't complement each other that well and feel slightly at odds.
Despite its shortcomings, Evil Dead is definitely an anomaly- it's a remake that's actually worth watching for fans of the original film. The inconsistent tone, limp characters and disjointed pacing hold it back from being an excellent film, but none of these pitfalls prevent the film from being a ton of fun and the make-up/effects are second to none. I had a great time watching it and I'd expect most fans of the original would as well.