Like most old school horror fans I cringed when it was announced there was going to be a remake of The Evil Dead. "Yet another iconic, classic series being dragged over the coals!" I thought. Then something happened. They released an R-rated trailer. Producers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell promised to not piss off their fans. Early talk was mostly positive. I was now officially on board. This makes writing about the 2013 version of the franchise both easy and difficult. Easy because it outclasses a lot of the "re-imagingings" that have been popping up and difficult because I had to disconnect myself from the original so I could take debuting director Fede Alvarez's flick on its own terms. Taken as a stand-alone horror flick, Evil Dead delivers the goods and is ballsier than most Hollywood genre efforts, once I looked at the legacy of what came before it, it obviously faltered in my eyes. So, yeah, mixed feelings abound, but I won't deny it was an entertaining time that brought (almost) all the gore promised in those early trailers.

If you've seen the others in the series, you know the set up. It's the woods of Michigan and David (Shiloh Fernandez) and some friends have brought his wild card sister Mia (Jane Levy) to an old, rundown family cabin in the middle of nowhere in order to have an intervention and try and kick Mia's drug habit. It seems like it's going to be a weekend of withdrawal, on-edge attitude shifts, and patience. And it would've been until they decided to explore the cellar under the cabin and find an ancient book wrapped in barbed-wire and a thick garbage bag. Looks like said book is a dark powered type of spell book (or "The Necromonicon", even though it's never referred to as such) and, paired with the fact a possessed girl was burnt alive in the cellar years prior, when hipster-like Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) reads an incantation aloud, evil makes a triumphant return by taking over Mia's body and proceeding to gorily tear everyone apart. This leads to plentiful mayhem on the way to a finale that contains a pretty ingenious twist - even if it feels a little bit cheesy.

Given that Raimi's 1981 flick had such a basic story; it's pretty hard not to keep plotting to a minimal. We do get to quickly learn about our characters but we're all just waiting for them to be eviscerated. The premise, while old hat, is as reliable as ever and there's a reason it was parodied in last year's The Cabin in the Woods - it's simple, yet fun. Fans of the series will appreciate Alvarez's various nods to the originals as he sparingly uses Raimi's famous "Demon cam" and does new variations on the tree rape and possessed hand moments us fans hold in such high regard. But he also delivers the blood-spraying goods in other creative ways and doesn't really flinch away from it. Judging from the tongue cutting scene, it does seem some cuts have been made since the trailer, but they're sure to be restored in an "Unrated" home video release. Even a seasoned gorehound like myself was impressed with the grue on display and, even more so, by the fact it was mostly practical effects.

As Mia, Levy gets to screech, contort herself, and channel the Devil. She does a really good job going from a troubled drug addict to a demonic chick who'd love nothing more than swallowing your soul. Her character goes through the wringer but does get redemption eventually. Fernandez is sort of thrust into the "Ash" mold for most of the flick and makes for a perfectly fine (almost) hero. However, it's definitely worth mentioning just how much Pucci gets his ass kicked here. Despite modern society's evident hatred for "hipsters", you can't help but feel bad for the guy after he's taken multiple beatings. He's literally treated like a piñata and I dug how, due to this fact; his character lets out strangled hysterical laughter after being smacked around by a crowbar.

So, the big questions. Is this "The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience" like the posters boast? No, there's really nothing scary here. Will hardcore fans of the series be angry? Another no. Thanks to the involvement of the franchise's creators 2013's Evil Dead does what it needs to do. It stays true to the spirit of its inspiration and delivers the bloody goods. Sure, it might feel unnecessary most of the time, but I was still entertained and generally happy with the results, though I'm still trying to figure out why Diablo Cody (Juno) is credited on IMDB for co-writing (she's not listed in the actual film's credits) since there's nary a slice of the sarcastic humour she's known for. Be sure to stay for the end of the credits. (Chris Hartley, 4/16/13)

Directed By: Fede Alvarez.
Written By: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues.

Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas.