A Surprisingly Enjoyable Return To The Original Cabin In The Woods

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2013)

It had to happen eventually. A remake of the beloved cult-classic "Evil Dead" has always been around the corner and on the tips of everyone's tongue. Almost as if Hollywood reached into the dark, dank recesses of its basement and uncovered its own Necronomicon, the "Evil Dead" remake has always been lying in wait, dormant and ready to surface at any given moment. Just as nearly every iconic '70s and '80s splatter flick got madeover during the mid-'00s remake boom, we all knew this one was going to be let out of the basement, for better or for worse. Thankfully, it's (mostly) for the better.
Whereas remakes of "A Nightmare On Elm Street" and "Halloween" have suffered being interpreted by folks who had nothing to do with the source material, this updated "Evil Dead" benefits from having the involvement of original director/writer Sam Raimi, producer Robert Tapert and, of course, the indispensable and iconic Bruce Campbell, who parlayed the original's success into a long and (mostly) fulfilling b-film career. Director Fede Alvarez makes his feature-film debut, working with a fresh-faced young cast that includes "Suburgatory" star Jane Levy as the film's inevitable "Scream Queen," cast in sharp juxtaposition to Campbell's hapless and hopeless hero in Raimi's original. There's a genuine care and craft that went into this film and it shows in both its simple yet engaging plot, it's buffet of bloody goodness and its unassuming yet unrelenting style. If any recent remake deserves to hang its coat next to its original, it is certainly this one.
While the basic premise of the film remains pretty much true to the original, there are a few creative liberties that were taken that actually work in the film's favor. Rather than being a care-free group of college friends looking for a good time, the crew that populates this cabin in the woods are doing so in an effort to help their friend (Levy) kick a nasty drug-habit. A musty and unpleasant odor leads to an investigation into the basement where the Necronomicon lays wrapped in a trash bag and barbed-wire, proving too tempting for one of the guests to refuse. Faster than you can say "We'll swallow your soul!" the Book of the Dead turns a would-be detox into an all-out bloodbath. Achieved with mostly practical effects, this "Evil Dead" is a symphony of dismemberment and decay, true to the spirit of Raimi's original. Hardcore horror fans will appreciate, if nothing else, the film's giddiness in regards to its goriness. Just when you think the film has gone too far, it goes even further.
While the film delivers all of the goods one would expect from a true splatter flick, it comes up a bit empty on the character front. While the original didn't so much to expand its characters, it also didn't ask us to invest in their personal problems like this version does. Aside from a few lines sputtered here and there about, there is very little in the way of character development. In its brief 80 +/- minute span, one can't help but feel that the film could have taken a little more time out of the schedule to flesh out the demon fodder a bit. This little nitpick aside, the film is still entertaining from front to back and pays more than its fair share of fan service (stay tuned beyond the credits for a groovy cameo). Even as a stand-alone film, it delivers the goods meaning that those who enjoyed the original "Evil Dead" trilogy in their youth can enjoy just as much as the teens who are only just now discovering the genre. As far as modern remakes, you could do much, much worse.