4/5 stars
Even for a remake of a beloved cult classic, Evil Dead has a pretty tough gig; it has to live up to both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s inimitable 1981 original and last year’s The Cabin In The Woods, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s smart, sassy deconstruction of the horror genre which used The Evil Dead as its style model. Luckily, fans can now lower their Kandarian daggers; Evil Dead 2.0 has turned out as an impish, intense and occasionally nostalgic reboot/semi-sequel to the originals which successfully combines the disembodied soul of the Raimi films with a fresh new voice.
The film has a familiar set-up, as the only five twentysomethings in America who don’t own mobile phones shack up in an isolated cabin. There’s a twist here though; in-keeping with this incarnation’s more sombre tone, the young things are here not for partying but to rehabilitate drug addict Mia (Jane Levy). The group dynamic here is also less than jovial but still effective, as old wounds and seething resentments between the characters abound. After one of them opts for some iffy reading material, it doesn’t take long for the red stuff to start splattering about generously. Initially, though, it seems like director Fede Alvarez has missed the mark: The first few scares are based around witless clichés (scary lightning, a flickering lightbulb and the bathroom mirror all get ticked off) and the first bouts of gore are almost too insidious to match Raimi’s cartoonish sensibilities. It’s both a delight and a relief when things perk up considerably thanks to Levy’s demon-possessed antagonist. Levy (best known for sitcom Suburgatory) brings an OTT energy to her performance and a careful balance of the ridiculous and the genuinely frightening (seen in choice lines like “I can smell your filthy soul!”) which reminds you that you’re watching an Evil Dead movie.
While it may lack the schlocky charm of the originals, this new Evil Dead has plenty of nods for fans to get a kick out of (be sure to stay after the credits for a very groovy cameo) as well as enough personality to make it stand out from the crowd of modern horror films.
Sean Hayes