For every original film Hollywood puts out, there seems to be about a dozen remakes or reboots released along with it and it has moviegoers divided. The ridiculous but interesting notion that the film industry is running out of ideas has been discussed for a long time now; in 2014 nine out of the top ten grossing films were either sequels, remakes or adaptations. With that in mind, we’ve decided to have a look at one of the most iconic horror films of all time that inevitably spawned two sequels, a TV show and, of course, a remake: The Evil Dead.
Arguably the greatest ‘cabin in the woods’ film there is (depending on how you view its sequel), Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead is one of the most influential of its genre, revered for its low-budget grisly effects, its innovative camera work and its distinct black humour – surely a modern-day remake could never live up to it? Read on to find out.
Performances
Original: Everything about the original The Evil Dead screams ‘camp’, including the performances of its five cast members. The acting is almost laughable save for the wonder that is Bruce Campbell, but given that his character Ash is one of the core reasons for the film’s iconic status the other performances don’t seem to matter as much; if anything, they enhance the film’s wonderfully bizarre atmosphere.
Remake: The performances in Evil Dead aren’t much to boast about either, though Jane Levy does try her damnedest with having to portray the frightened recovering drug addict Mia who later becomes possessed. Unfortunately the film decided to go with a more serious tone than its predecessor, so the acting therefore comes across as more bland and groan-worthy rather than laughable within the grizzly atmosphere.
Winner: If even for Ash alone, The Evil Dead takes the win for this round.
Visual Style
Original: The film’s low budget is extremely evident with its dated effects, but even so this ultimately adds to its charm and the gore is still undeniably shocking. Raimi has a hell of a time playing around with camera angles, creating a constant impression of an evil presence within and around the cabin; the demon POV shots are especially inspired.
Remake: Thanks to a higher budget and new technology the effects in Evil Dead are far more improved and the gore factor is unsurprisingly through the roof – which, with a title like that, is the least you could hope for. This also makes for a darker tone, which in turns makes for some fantastically gritty cinematography. The film also pays homage to Raimi’s renowned camera work without directly copying, which is a nice touch.
Winner: While The Evil Dead still looks as creepy as it feels, the remake ultimately proves the benefits of a bigger budget and takes this round.
Story
Original: The original story is straightforward almost to a fault and has little to no character development, but thankfully none of this matters one bit while you’re actually watching it. The simplicity of it is what makes it work: nothing is forced, the pacing is perfect and it even manages to subvert a few cliches. Ash is a brilliant ‘everyman’ character who carries the film effortlessly while also acting as a stand-in for the audience, trying to simultaneously make sense of and escape from the mysterious horrors happening around him.
Remake: Evil Dead is one of the better remakes out there purely for the fact it isn’t a carbon copy of the original. It gives more development and backstory to its characters and informs the audience more about the infamous book; sadly, however, these changes don’t pay off very well. Any character development is wasted and the relationships between them, though stronger than they were in the original, simply end up feeling forced. Adding more background to the “evil dead” in question also takes away most of the mystery which in turn takes away the overall scare-factor that makes the original hold up so well today.
Winner: Though the remake has a more interesting and solid story than the majority of recent horrors, it just can’t beat the beautiful simplicity of the original.
That makes the overall winner The Evil Dead, and who’s really surprised? It’s a unique experience dealing with a terrifying subject that still manages to be thoroughly enjoyable no matter how many times you rewatch it. The remake, while unnecessary, certainly has its merits and is well worth the watch, but Sam Raimi’s cult trip into hell is one that simply can’t be beat – except perhaps by the sequel.
Groovy.
Words by Samantha King