Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci, Elizabeth Blackmore
Director: Fede Alvarez
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: July 16, 2013
Run Time: 91 minutes
Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
When it comes to remakes, they are always endless debates about the originals and how they shouldn’t be touched. The original “Evil Dead” is one of my favorite horror films and introduced me to the marvel of Bruce Campbell. When I heard that there was going to be an “Evil Dead” remake, I was extremely nervous since I feared, like everyone else, that they would ruin it. Well, goddamn, I will just say that I was absolutely blown away. You know that the original is the original and that is that but this new reboot really packs a major punch. What makes this great is that it has the blessing of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, which makes this all the sweeter. If you are a hardcore fan of the original stay through the credits for a little surprise. Damn, the credit this film is a crazy ride and a ton of fun!
The film is fast, angry and fucking intense. I do not think that I had one nail left on my fingers after viewing this film. I watched this film with my wife in the kitchen and she was scared just listening to the film’s events from the other room. I thought that Fede Alvarez did an absolutely amazing job on this and I can’t see where he takes this franchise next. I read his report from WonderCon that he is planning to link the original series with Ash with the reboot’s lead Mia in a third “Evil Dead” after his planned “Evil Dead 2” and Sam Raimi’s supposed sequel of “Army of Darkness”. All I have to say is “Groovy”!
Official Premise: A secluded cabin. An ancient curse. An unrelenting evil. Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell reunite to present a genuinely terrifying re-imagining of their original horror masterpiece. Five young friends have found the mysterious and fiercely powerful Book of the Dead. Unable to resist its temptation, they release a violent demon on a blood-thirsty quest to possess them all. Who will be left to fight for their survival and defeat this unearthly force of murderous carnage?
Sony delivered this film with an amazing 1080p transfer. The color red is particularly used a lot in this film 😉 When you think the gore couldn’t get any more intense…it does! Even being a horrorhound myself, I found myself looking away a little as well. So damn, they really did a great job there. I even read that this was trimmed a little to avoid NC-17, so I could only imagine where it was taken from. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is another thing of beauty. Roque Baños’ score is easily one of my favorite horror scores…ever! It literally had me on the edge of my chair.
Along with the Blu-ray, there is also a Digital HD Ultraviolet copy included. The rest of the special features are pretty amazing. There is an audio commentary with actors Jane Levy, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Jessica Lucas; director Fede Alvarez; and writer Rodo Sayagues. It is pretty awesome for any fan of the film. There are four featurettes including “Directing the Dead” showcases Fede Alvarez’s taking on this daunting task. “Evil Dead the Reboot” has a chat with Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell, Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues, Jane Levy, and J.R. Young discuss the original film and the remake. “Making Life Difficult” has Jane Levy and Fede Alvarez chats about the difficult role. “Unleashing the Evil Force” looks at the new Book of the Dead. Lastly “Being Mia” has Jane Levy doing a video diary about her character.