Evil Dead (2013) - Fede Alverez

Okay, so this movie is really hard for me to put into words. When I first heard about the possibility of there being another addition to the Evil Dead franchise. I couldn't wait. I wanted to see it ASAP. When I found out that it was going to be a remake I was pretty disturbed. How could someone come in and trample all over what Sam Raimi had done? Then after seeing it and hearing all of the background. I realized that Evil Dead was amazing. It was really good. Not a remake in itself but a more of a re-quel. A remake and a sequel. This movie acts as a reboot for the series but it is also officially Evil Dead 4.

David, Eric, Mia, Olivia, and Natalie all travel to a cabin out in the woods to help Mia kick her habits. While at this mysterious cabin they run into the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis aka. The Book of the Dead. While Mia goes through withdrawals the young adults unknowingly unleash demons. Blood thirsty demons that like to play deadly games. The plot points remain the same as the original but the characters are different. Everything else has been updated including the gore, which is pretty gruesome.

This movie makes great use of duct tape. It's in nearly every scene. These little details are littered throughout the movie. It's chalk full of Easter eggs that pay homage to the classic. The acting isn't horrible and the changes that are made are just fine. The filmmaker knows just what the audience is thinking and leaves you wondering how this actually fits into the Deadite spectrum. Is Ash Williams still out there? Somewhere? In a cave? Maybe.

I can stomach most of the new characters. Except for Jessica Lucas her character was a B. The new main character, Mia, is pretty interesting. She is a drug addict who becomes possessed by the Deadites after she falls victim to the woods. You know what I mean. Eric, the dorky blonde guy that acts as a human pincushion and punching bag. I felt bad for him. A good deal of the movie felt like the Passion of Eric. The other characters play out roles like the ones in the prior films.

I loved this movie. I went into it totally against it. However, early in I thawed. I watched it for the first time at a drive-in. They don't have many of those anymore. Even there, the movie was terrifying. Great update and really intriguing. I highly recommend.

Director: Fede Alverez

Starring: Jane Levy, Lou Taylor Pucci, Shiloh Fernandez, Bruce Campbell
Country: USA

Style: Demonic Possession Survival Horror

Did ya know...

If you take the first letters of the main characters David, Eric, Mia, Olivia and Natalie, the letters spell out DEMON.
In the scene where the broken necklace is found outside of the cabin, it can be seen resting in the shape of a skull, just like in the original.
Mia is seen sitting on THE 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 in the beginning of the movie.

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...

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Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head. I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....

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Le Manoir du Diable (1896) - George Melies

According to Wikipedia in August of 2011, Le Manoir du diable by Georges Melies is the first horror movie. Well, actually its a short film (about three minuets or so) but film was really hard to come by in that time so this counts as a film to me. The plot of the film is basic, you have your hero being tormented by demonic things in a crazy castle room... However, that plot isn't what brought the crowds. The thing that drove the popularity of these films was the fact that you were seeing motion on screen. I suggest going and seeing Hugo. That film is spectacular. It answered so many questions that I had. It really sets the scene and the tone. The film has strong christian overtones and actually ends with Christianity prevailing over the "tides of darkness". I provided a link at the bottom of this review for anyone that would like to see this pioneer in Horror Film. The movie uses very, very early "movie magic" that is an abundance of smoke and m...

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