One of the best horror films I have seen in a long time. You best buckle up; the ride is absolutely insane!

Rating: 9/10 (30 August 2013)

I was seriously appalled to learn that one of my favorite horror films of all time (Evil Dead) was being remade. There was nothing but abhorrent disdain for the months leading up to it. Even the trailer didn't get me pumped. I refused to go to the theater to support a "remake" let alone one of my favorite Horror films. Then some major buzz for this film commenced. It was really mixed. My interest began to rise a little bit; not much, but a little bit. I waited a few weeks once this was released on DVD before finally pulling the trigger. Well; I have now seen it and I can officially say. It's been a LONG time since I've had this much fun with a horror film; holy hell! Right from the intense and somewhat disturbing opening I started to get the feeling in my gut that everything was going to be OK. Like always; my gut didn't fail me. I admit that this is a remake, but I would also consider this a love letter to the original. It has some very sly winks to the original that are expertly done. The suspense here is top notch and had me on the edge of my seat throughout the film, along with a few boo scares as well. The character development isn't the greatest; I would have loved for it to go deeper between Mia (Jane Levy) and David (Shiloh Fernandez) but I was too busy having a blast to let it bother me. I was able to care about the characters more than the original though. Aside from Ash; I never really boogied to any of the other characters very much. Here I had at least three characters that I wanted to live, and that is something I can honestly not say about the original. What about the violence? Let's just say it gets downright nasty
Being rated R certainly helped this bad boy; I'm not gonna spoil all of the red surprises you'll see in this film, as it gets pretty wild, but here is a few examples. A girl cuts her face off with a shard of glass; there is a succinct scene that involves lesbianism, but you sure as hell won't be turned on by it, that's for sure It's a wickedly twisted scene. It's one of the goriest films I have ever seen, and it arguably might just be nastier than the original. It made me flinch a few times, and I have a very strong stomach. There is also a couple of tributes to Evil Dead II; yes, sir. Fede Alvarez did his homework, and he is clearly a fan of the Evil Dead series. Jane Levy makes for a perfect heroine. She is sympathetic, vulnerable, and a cutie to boot. She goes through hell and back, and I couldn't have been more impressed by her. I also loved the added twist with her being a drug addict. It added a bit more turmoil and emotion. Shiloh Fernandez was solid, if a bit whiny at times. I dug the connection between him and Mia (Levy) and he came through for the most part. Lou Taylor Pucci plays Scottie's role in the original, and he is way more likable and courageous. He had some great scenes, and I loved him; Jessica Lucas (Olivia) plays the most unsympathetic character in the film, and I wanted to back hand her one at times. She did well with what she had to do. Elizabeth Blackmore (Natalie) has one memorable scene. I won't spoil it
Final Thoughts: Is it as good as the original? Not quite, but I loved this film. It's not very often I feel so pumped after watching a Horror Movie, but Evil Dead did just that. It never stops! It doesn't give you time to breathe at times. Its haywire, it's insane, it's shocking; it's everything a Horror movie should be! You won't think of it as a "remake" at least if you're smart, you won't. I can't praise this movie enough. The people that trash this film in my opinion should not be watching Horror movies anymore. I was bitter too when Evil Dead was remade, but I ended up having a lot of fun. Don't be put it off by it like I was, and don't over hype yourself either. Go in to the movie like you would anything else. Bring on Evil Dead II! Hell; if the rumors are true. Combine both series to make a cross over for Army Of Darkness II (or Evil Dead IV; whatever you wanna call it!)
9/10