Fede, you've done us proud

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2014)

In all fairness, director Fede Alvarez has come through successfully on remaking this 81 cult horror, that sees a group of young campers, possessed by evil spirits from that notorious book that should never been opened. With another attractive cast, who deliver realistic performances, especially the heroin addict sister, the film too is beautifully shot in the cold misty woods of New Zealand, and this works wonderfully, cinematically, I might add. This was the biggest thing, I must say, that really impressed me. I must admit I was disappointed at one aspect, as I thought it would be full on throughout, much like Evil Dead 2, (my oldie favourite) where everything just goes crazy and you can't think straight, but there's enough blood shed in this to satisfy you gore lovers. The highlight is the girlfriend cutting off her own arm with a chainsaw scene, with the boyfriend (Fernandez) asking "Are you okay?" There are some nice touches of humour here I liked that worked better here, than the original, and the slipping on the tongue scene was inventive. What was good was the catalyst of the story, the reason for them all being there in the woods, as to comfort the young heroin addict girl, one, her brother who's managed to show up here, hot girlfriend and all. Shiloh Fernandez's character irked me some, while not even managing to make his mother's funeral, months prior. How he become the hero near the end, and braved up, I liked. Though of course with not the greatest script that I've actually read part of, here's a well shot remaking of a notorious horror, that of course, can't surpass the original, but comes pretty close. But in this present, it's a guilty pleasure on another chain, it's chilling opening, brilliant, not letting us forget how frightening and evil the original is. And like this remake, among others, these are what mostly opt for. Great end credit sequence, with an afterword from Bruce Campbell.