A new trailer for the much-anticipated remake to the 1981 cult horror flick ‘The Evil Dead’ has officially spawned on the Internet a few days ago. When news of the beloved Sam Raimi classic was being remade, skepticism was high and reasonably so considering most of today’s horror remakes tend to be terribly soulless cash grabs (exceptions include 2004 ‘Dawn of the Dead’ remake). However what lends the production of this remake some credibility is that Raimi, Robert Tapert, and star of the original Bruce Campbell are producing. Not only that, but Raimi also co-wrote the script and personally chose first-time director Fede Alvarez to helm the production. Obviously the question of whether the film is good or not will be determined upon it’s release, but it is encouraging that at least some care is being given to this production.
The original 1981 film is famous for launching the careers of director Raimi (who went on the direct the Spiderman trilogy) and cult film actor Campbell, who have collaborated several times over the years. Today the film is considered a horror masterpiece for it’s crazy surrealist atmosphere, Raimi’s signature kinetic cinematography, black humor, and it’s no-holds use of blood and gore. The film’s protagonist Ash Williams has become a cult icon and the film has received much praise for its originality. The film has also spawned two sequels (‘Evil Dead 2’ and ‘Army of Darkness’), video games and a comic book franchise. Needless to say, this remake has quite a legacy to uphold.
After watching the trailer, it is hard to argue that the remake does seem to hold some promise. It features a lot of the familiar ‘Evil Dead’ elements such as the demon book, the chainsaw, a creepy forest with a very dirty swamp setting to boost, and lots of over-the-top gore effects. In the space of just two minutes their are plenty of shockingly grotesque images shown such as blood vomiting, a laughing decapitated head, and a girl cutting her tongue in half with a rusty knife. Along with subtle creepy moments such as the ‘we are going to get you’ song, this remake seems very much in keeping with the un-compromisingly intense atmosphere of the original although it almost seems devoid of the original’s black humor. The remake will surely be disturbing and not for the faint at heart.
‘The Evil Dead’ will hit theaters on April 12th.
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