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Since The Exorcist stunned audiences all those years ago, movies about demonic possession have fascinated viewers worldwide.
The hit cult classic The Evil Dead, released in 1981, has also remained near and dear to horror fanatics’ hearts to this day.
Although its been on my must-watch list since I could say the word ‘demon’ I had never bothered to watch it … could be because secretly my heart stops at the thought of possessions.
I may be branded an ‘idiot’ to have skipped Sam Raimi’s original to have watched the recent remake, but honestly, I suffer from many sleepless nights verifying that the creature lurking in the shadows was just my imagination playing tricks.
The first line of the synopsis reads: ‘Five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin’ - what could be more terrifying than the overdone cabin-in-the-woods genre? Note to teenagers: stay away from the woods!
The film is not only made with a wink to the 1981 version, it’s also probably the goriest, most nauseating, bloodiest horror movie since, well, I assume, The Evil Dead.
Five friends travel to the middle of nowhere to help Mia (Levy) with her drug addiction, hoping she survives ‘cold turkey’.
She makes a pact with her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and friends, that she isn’t leaving until she’s clean.
When they walk into the cabin they realise someone has broken in and it reeks of a deadly stench. They find a door that takes them to a basement where they find dead cats hanging from the ceiling. Of course, this must be nothing to be terrified of; they just get rid of them in the trash.
However, Eric (Taylor Pucci), an old friend and now science teacher, finds a mysterious book in the basement that is bound by chicken wire and he unwittingly reads a passage from it that awakes a merciless demon … cue the bloodletting.
The evil force grabs hold of Mia’s soul and she begins to show crazy signs, the group turn on her and blame everything on her withdrawal symptoms.
However, when this evil entity begins to infect the other members of the group individually, everything changes.
David and Eric try to find a way to beat the demon at his own game.
The film is filled with gruesome and grotesque amputations that make viewers feel weak in the knees.
Not only does newcomer director Fede Alvarez make it a point to detail the pulled tendons, muscles and broken bones but he also strays away from computer-generation imagery whenever he can, making a more realistic approach with the use of prosthetics. This made it more gruesome and actually left me in pain, holding tightly onto my limbs.
The movie is extremely fast-paced and all the events that occur are original, gross and extremely tense. It’s what you would expect from a horror movie.
The only thing the movie lacked was character development. I understand that with many characters tending to die before the ending that some may argue that a back story is a waste of time and not essential, but I needed to feel a little sympathy. At one point I was routing for the demon to kick butt because I couldn’t stand the victim.
Surprisingly, Pucci’s character added many moments of humour throughout. He was the perfect choice of actor as his overall look added to the comedic relief that was needed to give racing hearts a rest. He stole every scene he was in.
Levy, who is known for her role on the TV show Suburgatory, has definitely made a name for herself after her role as Mia. She definitely delivered as the leading lady, but Fernandez does not live up to the role of a hero.
I did hear a few whistles in the theatre when he came on screen, but I’m afraid his acting skills does not live up to his appearance – he should have been replaced by Pucci.
Evil Dead is a movie that actually lives up to all expectations. This stomach-turner is a gift to all horror fans.
