[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

It's cool. I've already decided I will never watch another Bayformers movie again, so there is no point in really arguing about this anymore. I don't care if AoE is The Empire Strikes Back of the Bayformers movies, I am done. I'd rather watch a good movie like A Clockwork Orange, Alien, or The Shawshank Redemption instead.

I'm cool with that, bro. Any the who, I rewatched Evil Dead on Bluray.

I'm someone who really, really likes The Evil Dead, in my mind it's better than Evil Dead II. Mostly remembered, wrongly, as a comedy The Evil Dead is the only part of the trilogy to be a straight horror film and is the product of love and talent, not money, which leaves something truly special. It's the kind of film that satisfies film nerds, fantasy fans and horror fans alike which is why I'm disappointed it got pretty much completely overshadowed by Evil Dead II over the years.

So yeah, Evil Dead had a lot to live up to for me. I watched it in the cinemas and I didn't like it a whole lot but with the remake fresh in my mind I rewatched The Evil Dead again and it both highlighted some flaws in The Evil Dead I'd never really noticed before and also gave me a new found appreciation for what Evil Dead was trying to do, even if it is mostly unsuccessful. This is the first time though I've sat down to review the film again since reviewing it after watching it in theatres, and my feelings remain largely the same.

There are four parts to Evil Dead's narrative and the only one that is explored in any meaningful way is the worst direction for the film. I just don't see the point of constantly teasing us a better film if you have no intention of doing anything with it, this whole film feels like several rough drafts slapped together like they assume that if you stick scraps together it'll just magically become a cohesive whole. Not only is the ending of naked chicks coming out of the ground while the sky bleeds monumentally stupid but you'll be too worn out by the end to care how stupid it all is. Are we meant to be having fun?

Huge sections of the movie put all their weight on the assumption we actually care about any of these characters even though it rushes through the character beats - just like it does the narrative - to give us more gore. Are you really surprised then that large sections of this film fall flat on their face? If you want the audience to care you have to make them care, the audience aren't a charity, we don't work for free. By the end no character gets any real closure and so the audience gets very little closure either.

Yet the thing is, it actually really works in context in a really weird way. The film couldn't have pulled off the same sense of chaos, confusion and panic if the movie had slowed down to explore the characters any more more than it already does. This is a ridiculously intense movie with the kind of energy rarely seen in horror to the point where there really is no more room for characters and plot without the risk of bloating the movie. So yes, having a tighter, more focused, narrative would have made this a better narrative film but it clearly wouldn't have served what Alvarez was trying to do with his film. I'm just personally not sure if Alvarez is the best person to decide that - or maybe I'm just disheartened - as an initially interesting film almost becomes boring as it dissolves into a special effects showcase with as much depth as a shower.

Special effectswise Evil Dead is possibly one of the best films ever made, made entirely with camera trickery and practical effects (well they touched it all up with CG) it does put The Evil Dead to shame. The Evil Dead's effects have aged mostly horribly but remained beloved because of the small budget that forced Raimi to do really crazy and inventive things. As much as I want to rally that approach to filmmaking, I also can't help but deny that after seeing this I now firmly believe that as far as talent goes, money goes farther. The violence feels so real in this you can practically smell it, sure it's very stylised and cartoony but man do you feel those hits.

This level of quality doesn't stop there, either. The detail that has gone into the sets, and the atmosphere, Evil Dead is just a bit of a show off honestly, a bit of a flirt and I can't help but love it for it. It puts practically every horror remake of the last decade to shame. Luckily then we've got a stunning Bluray transfer too which is rich and detailed, it's a showcase of Aaron Morton's unconventional but gorgeous shooting style which does the general production design real justice.

Overall they could have just cashed in on the name and put in zero effort, like pretty much every other horror remake of the last decade, but they didn't, they actually wanted to make something that could stand on its own and in some ways it really gives the original a run for its money. I really appreciate Evil Dead, maybe more than I actually like it and I believe Evil Dead deserves to be watched at least once, even if I think The Evil Dead will be the film you'll fall in love with more.