Hugs not drugs. Or reading books about sinister magic.

Rating: 7/10 (22 March 2020)

"Evil Dead" is a 2013 horror film directed by Fede Alvarez starring Jane Levy and Shiloh Fernandez. Given the current global pandemic and the recommended measure to avoid human contact I thought it was time to check out a film about a group of friends who practice social distancing. Or kind of. They might summon the most evil forces of ancient magic, but therefore don't contract a dangerous virus. Alright, let's put the jokes aside. The people who know me also know that I consider the original Sam Raimi flick as one of the greatest horror films of all time and even adore the sequels, just for it's sheer amount pioneering filmmaking and groundbreaking kind of horror it deals with. It's always an absolute pleasure to rewatch it over and over again and it always amazes as if I was watching it for the very first time again. Reading the previous sentences probably gave you a small glimpse of my endless love for this low budget movie and probably leaves you thinking "Oh, what's his opinion on this heavily discussed remake then?". Before watching it, I also wondered what it would turn out like. Surprisingly, it's not even as horrendous as I thought. At least in terms of quality, I mean. What mostly surprised me in a positive way is how the film elaborated a whole new premise that at the same time honours the original flick tremendously. The reinterpretation now deals with a group of friends who try to help their mutual friend to get off drugs and become clean again. The location and general story remain the same, but there's a whole new character constellation that has rough edges and unresolved conflicts that slowly begin to uncover. Except for Natalie each and everyone is at least explored a little and plays a more or less significant role in this story, but the main focus lies on the bond between the siblings Mia and David who still haven't fully recovered from a shared family tragedy. It might not sound like much, but it's so pleasant to see protagonists with personalities and values they believe in. Makes it so much easier to care about them in the process. At least does this count for the two siblings. The others are pushed back in the background too much in the process, but considering that it was sorta predictable makes it tolerable in some way. Furthermore, the premise makes the character development more convincing, as they only slowly begin to believe that what is happening to Mia isn't only hallucinations resulting from her drug abuse. Gives it more of a realistic touch to it, you know? Makes it only credible that they firstly try to explain things reasonably before accepting that sinister forces haunt them. Next to this, the story changed its primary focus tremendously. That's probably the only issue I have with this film. While the original packed me on a deep level and is an atmospheric thrill from the moment on the Ash's car arrives at the cabin, the remake obviously concentrates on the effects and disregards to elaborate the feeling of massive threat. I don't want to say that I wasn't scared at all, but I was missing the infamous atmosphere that made the original so outstanding. Thus I was less terrified than I originally expected. Therefore it has shown that's it's an absolutely brutal splatter instead.
Oh boy, those effects were definitely bloody and absolutely gruesome. Most of them had me exclaim some words that are too inappropriate to mention here, but believe, it was so realistic it felt like I was experiencing it myself. What also attracted my interest was to see that this film is obviously a major influence for "Resident Evil 7", practically even more than the original flick. I love this game, just saying. The film might offer some corny lines of dialogue, but fortunately offered enough surprising twists to let me ignore them. In the original it was clear after the first incident that Ashley would survive, but seeing that Mia would be the lone survivor after previously having been possessed was a decent twist. To be honest, Jane Levy's performance is the secret highlight of this film, as she literally shows her whole emotional range. And yes, it's also mentionable that she absolutely nailed to convey the feeling of terror only with her facial expressions, especially her eyes. The story goes on with another few pleasant surprises and some welcome homages to the Raimi films and in the end even unfolds the maximum of gore horror that was absolutely stunning to witness. Another surprise I totally didn't expect was that everything even worked as one big metaphor for drug addiction, coming down from it and facing one's demons. Mia walking towards the sunrise after leaving all behind, simply appeased the poet in me. All in all, this is a well made readaptation of a beloved classic that manages to successfully create something on its own and at the same time honours its source material. It's an absolutely gory experience with a few new aspects that result from a different but not terrible approach to become the one infamously grotesque film of its respective generation. Considering that it's heavily cut in mainstream stores and rarely available as an uncut version, makes me think that it has more or less reached its goal. It's far away from being the original film, but I'm bold enough to say that it at least deserves to be called ... groovy! I mean, Ash approves in the end, why wouldn't I?