Evil Dead (2013) Dir: Fede Álvarez
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This 2013 re-imagining of the iconic Sam Raimi franchise was, until I watched Evil Dead Rise (2023), the only film from said-franchise that I had seen. I would have it known, however, that I do intend on going back and watching the original three films this year.
Director Fede Álvarez makes sure to go as gorey and gruesome as he can, in what is a grisly and explicit horror.
Over the 92 minute runtime, the film fits in an obscene amount of violence and horror, including a number of extremely graphic scenes which will have the weaker-stomached audience members queasy.
Producers Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Robert G. Tapert, the producers of the original trilogy, made sure their franchise was continued well with this fourth installment.
Whilst, yes, the violent horror aspects are a huge part of the film, there is a solid enough narrative behind it, with a couple of intriguing, if not fully fleshed out, subplots.
Visually speaking, this is also one of the better horrors I've seen, especially from the last 20 years. Some of the shots in the third act in particular are brilliant for any genre, let alone horror. I would also credit the soundtrack as another strength, which is varied, dramatic and sinister.
Jane Levy has two vastly differing roles to play as the film's protagonist, and, in my view at least, she nails it. I was enthralled by her performance, with the juxtaposition of her character work coming through very clearly and to great effect.
Shiloh Fernandez plays the film's other protagonist, and while he may be a little more run-of-the-mill in his performance, I would certainly not discredit him of the clear work he puts into this role. He won me over definitively with his third act performance, which I thought was great.
I'll also mention the other members of the supporting cast, whom all had some pretty decent scenes; Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore, and Lou Taylor Pucci.
Overall, this is a really good piece of modern horror, and while I cannot compare to the original trilogy, I can certainly say that this will stand up to any horror movie from the last couple of decades quite firmly. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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