EVIL DEAD, 2013 A.D. (A Look at the Teaser/Trailer)
By Jerry Saravia
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I am not inviting this girl to a birthday party
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When I first heard of a remake of "The Evil Dead," the quintessential Sam Raimi horror flick from 1983 (depending which year you saw the film in theaters), I simply shook my head. Why on earth is Raimi and Bruce Campbell, on board as producer, making a remake to a low-budget shocker that got approval from horror novelist Stephen King back in the day? So a teaser trailer became public and, not to sound repetitive, I thought to myself - I will watch the teaser but not comment on it. After all, I sound like a broken record that got smashed by an elephant's foot who just saw the latest "Blob" remake by Rob Zombie that never was, especially after commenting on my displeasure of a new "Superman" origin flick, a new "Carrie," and so on. Horror remakes have become so complacent that it makes me sick - anyone here clamoring for a so-called sequel to "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in 3-D when Tobe Hooper already did his own sequel in 1986?
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| Bruce Campbell as Ash |
So I watched this teaser with dread. I must say, I was surprised. This "Evil Dead" redux is hardcore all the way, very intense and in-your-face. Restraint is hardly in the "Evil Dead" lexicon - this is purely violent and grotesque, as it should be. The images look terrifying (one evil spirit seems to cut open its own tongue). It has got the trademarks of the "Evil Dead" franchise, but there is no clearly no Ash. In fact, the human characters appear rather blah overall. That is the single ingredient missing from the teaser - an actor of Bruce Campbell's stature. Bruce made the franchise - his Ash character was a larger-than-life character who was initially afraid of the evil spirits until he decided to lose his fear and paranoia, strap on a chainsaw to his amputated hand, and fight to the death! Name another actor who is as goofy, sensitive, charming, romantic and convincingly heroic as the unlikely hero played by Bruce Campbell. The series eventually metamorphosized into a Three Stooges stunt, but that stunt was balanced with goofy gore and an unseen menace in the woods that threatened to crush anything in its path. And Campbell made it all tolerable with his Mount Rushmore face made of granite that seemed to be too big for the silver screen. That is part of the franchises's charm and inspiration.
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| Jane Levy |
I love the concept of "Evil Dead" and its sequels, and I do look forward to this remake (
Remake review). Raimi and Campbell might have some surprises in store that we are not privy to yet. It looks sickening, intense and graphic, but it is lacking in any tangible humanity (an actress named Jane Levy, from TV's "Suburgatory," is in the cast but she is someone I know nothing about). The director is an Uruguayan (my home country) named Fede Alvarez who caused a shockwave with his fantastic "Panic Attack!" footage that got linked to a Kanye West blog (which means if this film is a success, he can thank Kanye for leading the way). I'll give "Evil Dead" a shot but I sure do miss Bruce Campbell. Word is that "Evil Dead 4" might become a reality until after this remake is unleashed in theaters. Can we cross Ash's fingers from his amputated hand?
