Monday night was a resounding success! Before I get into ‘review mode’ I just want to thank everyone again for their patience for getting into the venue. Amazingly, we managed to get every single person (both ticket holders + rush line) INSIDE. As well, it was a great disappointment to have found out just a few minutes before the screening that Fede Alvarez was not able to make it. I am glad however, that a q&a still ensued with the prosthetics director Patrick Baxter, who also managed to get Fede on the phone! Ultimately, it was somewhat of a makeshift q&a, but a highly enjoyable one. The fans that came out are truly the best people – and I’m so happy that many of them (or YOU dear reader) expressed interest in our INDIE HORROR NIGHT this Thursday as well! Stay tuned for a more info on Thursday’s screening… there’s a sweet surprise in store for attendees.
Okay, so on with the review. I feel like it’s important to note that I had few expectations going into the film. Last night was also my first time seeing it, and I tried my best to avoid lengthy trailers. Knowing that it was a remake of Sam Raimi’s classic – The Evil Dead – certainly made me weary. It’s difficult to do a remake that both gives credit to it’s predecessor and attempts to do something new with the material without straying too far off course. I am delighted, actually, and surprised that Evil Dead managed to do so. Though it is not without flaws, the film is a beast all its own and should be read as not really as a remake, but a gore-infused, thematic rehashing of the original.
You know the story, do I have to reiterate? Five friends are holed up in a cabin and a demon possesses every god damn one of ’em. Given the familiarity of a very common plot structure, Alvarez managed surprisingly well in creating tension. Long shots were quickly intercut with short close-ups of the ensuing action and as the speed in editing escalated, so did tensions in the audience. Indeed, the editing is in-line with the original, but where there are similarities there are also stark differences. Audiences looking for the humor and camp of the 1981 original will be mildly disappointed. The film does have funny moments but when they appear they seem unintentional. Unfortunately for the time it appears in, Evil Dead is a tad too cliché in representation; viewers who are well-versed in contemporary horror have surely seen it all.
In terms of characters, the five we encounter are stockpile horror tropes fans have come to expect: the ‘dark’ girl, heroic jock, weird (maybe stoned? maybe Jesus?) hippie, hot chick, and ditzy girlfriend. Check, check and check. However, the primary female figure, Mia, played by a convincing Jane Levy, is really interesting in a subversive sense. She is a dark character even before her possession, and although moments of melodrama act as interludes in her overall horrific performance, she is ultimately believable in her role. The other four players in the text provide some good laughs with their over-the-top one-liners spoken in utter seriousness. Those moments, however, were an advantage to an eager crowd that easily laughed at these deliberately bad lines for it was really the gore that kept them going.
Admittedly, my favourite element of Evil Dead was the makeup. Patrick Baxter went into extreme detail in the ensuing q&a regarded the on-screen special effects that made the film unique. Undeniably, if the film was full of CGI-enhanced effects, it would be severely dated. I really enjoyed the time and effort put into some of these extra gorey scenes – and I could tell the receptive crowd did too. I’m inclined to believe that even gore-haters could appreciate the work that went into the aesthetics beyond what is initially seen as disturbing. Some key gore moments for me were: cheek-cutting, pulling a needle out of an eye, tongue slicing with exacto knife (as seen in trailer), a whole lot of nail gun action, and of course, an expectedly impressive chainsaw kill. The gore was drawn-out, every nuanced detail was shown in extreme close-ups, disallowing viewers to entirely remove themselves from an immersive gore extravaganza. Little relief was provided; once someone was gruesomely knocked off, another character would endure something equally awful. It was an overwhelming corporeal experience – body horror to the extreme. Nonetheless, these moments were beautifully done, and were totally a nod to the original in it’s usage of traditional special effects.
Fans of The Evil Dead may be pleased to note that there are many subtle Easter Eggs throughout the film from the original (besides, you know, the entire film). An astute observer maybe catch some quick moments, like utilizing the cars from the original film in the same order they were shown. Similar moments throughout the film were certainly an acknowledgment to the fans, and honestly I couldn’t catch them all myself but it’s nice to know Alvarez is highly aware of his audience. It is without a doubt that making Evil Dead was a risky endeavor, but ultimately Alvarez succeeded in creating a highly grotesque testament to The Evil Dead.
Did I find Evil Dead scary? No. Does it matter? Not really, especially considering my fright-threshold. My experience is singular, as many a patron in the theatre on Monday night admitted they were scared. So if it’s gore and easy jumps you’re seeking, you’ll find it in Alvarez’s film. I’ll admit I was only jumping because the person seated behind me was literally kicking my seat every time the music heightened. See it, and let me know what you think! Evil Dead is certainly polarizing to audiences that are new to the EVIL DEAD franchise and the hardcore fanboys of the original. However so, the movie is a fun one that is necessary to see IN A THEATRE. The thrills and scares won’t be any more exciting when you’re at home, alone and watching on a laptop. Don’t do that. You’d be setting yourself up for failure.
Be sure to stay for the credits…trust me, it’s worth it.
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