Dead on arrival

Rating: 2/10 (25 March 2013)

Why why why why why did I get excited for this film? Why do I keep doing this to myself? A horror remake with modern gore effects and a fresh take on the best the eighties have to offer. It has to be a winner right? WRONG! This is the latest in a long line of horror remakes that just fails in almost every dept. Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Halloween. Elm street. Omen. Hills Have Eyes. I Spit On Your Grave. The Fog. Fight Night. Friday 13th. Amityville. I kid you not, i paid to see them all. Lined up for pre screenings or opening midnight showings. Always excited. Always disappointed afterwards. In many cases, I was more gutted than the slasher victims on screen. The only two remakes that were decent was The Thing prequel and The Crazies.
At least Evil Dead didn't skimp on the blood and guts. There was plenty. But it did not have an effect. Too much of something may as well be none at all for the impact on the viewer.
My biggest gripe is it just wasn't scary. I was pumped when I saw the promo posters saying it was the scariest film ever. But it wasn't even the scariest film I have seen this week. The cast tried, but they were either too drab and lifeless when alive or overacting and too animated when dead. Happy medium reached NOT! All in all, they would have been better off leaving the original film as is, to show what a great low budget horror film should look like. now when teenagers hear of the horror film 'Evil Dead', they will think of this pile of trash instead of a verified classic.