Closer to the original material than people are willing to admit

Rating: 7/10 (5 April 2013)

I'm a moderate fan of the original film, and went into this with fairly elevated expectations due to the stellar trailers and advertisements. While it didn't quite live up to my expectations, I can't exactly complain about it either. This 2013 re-telling has Mia (Jane Levy) going up to the family cabin with her brother (Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend (Elizabeth Blackmore), and friends Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) and Olivia (Jessica Lucas), in an attempt to detox and rid herself of her life-threatening heroin addiction. After coming across the remnants of some sort of ritual in the basement, they discover a skin-bound book full of illustrations and incantations. Eric, an English teacher, makes a wrong move by decoding them, and unleashing a terrible evil in the woods.
Fans of the original film are predisposed to hating this simply because it's a slick high- budget remake to Raimi's original punk filmmaking classic, but director Fede Alverez re- interprets the framework of the original film and ties things together in an unexpected bloodbath.
While there is an apparent lack of suspense, it's worth noting that the original film didn't particularly care for that tenet either. In many ways, this remake is closer to the original film that people would like to think, at least in terms of characters and logistics— as I mentioned, suspense takes backseat; the characters in this film aren't terribly realized (and they weren't in Raimi's film either, I don't care what you say); not much is explicated as to what the "book of the dead" really is; and, as with the original, it turns into little more than an absolute gorefest about halfway through. The main differences in this remake involve some character tweaking and variation of events when the group begins to be taken over by the demons. We still get admirable re-imaginings of classic scenes, which is always welcome.
I'd also like to applaud the actors in the film; all of them turn in solid performances, but Jane Levy and Lou Taylor Pucci really shine here. Levy, relatively a newcomer, has some surprising turns when going from ill drug addict to demonic monster, and Lou Taylor Pucci is believable and likable as the smart guy who takes a significant beating. I was particularly surprised by both of their performances.
I also have to give huge props to the special effects in the film, which were reportedly entirely done without CGI; assuming this was true, they pulled off quite a feat. The violence in this film looks shockingly real, and what is shown on screen is completely unrestrained. People who like gross-out horror will get plenty here.
Overall, this was a fun cinema experience for me. People will endlessly discuss the film's shortcomings in relation to Raimi's original film, but I really think the truth is that this remake has more in common with the original than hardcore fans are willing to admit. 1981's "Evil Dead" was not a bloodless suspense film, nor was it a character study or a measured thriller— it was an obnoxious, gory, devilish romp, and this remake is a 21st century rendition of that exact formula. 7/10.