Evil Dead - C

Rated R, 91 minutes

"Evil Dead" remake conjures up humorless movie demons

The low-budget 1981 Sam Raimi classic horror film "The Evil Dead" gets the remake treatment with this new version, simply titled "Evil Dead." Unlike the original film, which was a campy horror film, this takes itself far too seriously though there are a few chillingly gory scenes. Five friends (Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas and Elizabeth Blakemore) become held up in a remote cabin when they discover a deadly book that unwittingly awakens a dormant demonic presence living in the nearby woods. Soon after, the demons possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival. Whereas the original "Evil Dead" was more high camp, this version is far more serious and resembles more the typical, ultra-violent slasher films of today. Raimi, who co-produces along with original star Bruce Campbell (he cameos over the credits, the only worthy aspect of this film), hand chose newcomer Fede Alvarez to direct his feature debut; with a modest budget, the film is admittedly entertaining in some respects, with a handful of serviceable gross-out scares, but otherwise is just another slasher flick. Had this version left in the campy humor, it would've far better, given that's the main reason the first film worked so well (not to mention having Campbell, who's also sorely missed but too old now to play a central character). Of the relatively unknown bland cast, "Subugatory's" Levy and Taylor Pucci are the most memorable, but this would've worked much better with some comedy. All in all, "Evil Dead" is a notch above others in this genre given it's decent source material, but it lacks the humor and laughs and replaces it with an exceeding amount of gore and violence. If you like this sort of thing, have at it, but otherwise this is one to skip.

Wes's Grade: C