A so-so redo of the classic

Rating: 5/10 (7 April 2013)

Five 20-somethings go to a cabin in the woods to help their friend Mia (Jane Levy) go cold turkey from drugs. They are Mia, her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), his gf Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore), friend Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and her bf Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci). Naturally they find the Book of the Dead, open it and Eric reads aloud the incarnation to resurrect the demons. They possess Mia first and make it clear that they're all gonna die.
I remember seeing the original back in 1981 in a small theatre in Boston. I remember being scared silly by the over the top graphic gore, gruesome makeup, creepy music and the gallons of fake blood that was used. It was unrated (no one under 17 admitted)made on no budget and caught everybody by surprise by becoming a huge hit (although most critics tore it apart). This can't duplicate it but they try. They use practical non-CGI effects which helps. They pour on the blood and gore (how this got an R rating is beyond me). There are quite a few very scary moments--especially when an undead girl goes after her bf. But, all in all, it was just OK. With the sole exception of Levy the acting is pretty bad with Fernandez being the worst. He's a handsome man but totally blank. People do incredibly stupid things a lot--especially Eric. The story gets stupider and stupider and makes absolutely no sense by the end. If you're just seeing this for gore you'll love it. Otherwise you might not. I can truthfully only give it a 5.