Author's Note - Remakes

Remakes are a touchy subject for many people. There are several that feel like they are nothing more than an excuse to cash in on a recognizable title without even trying to make a decent movie. Michael Bay is guilty of this with his attempts to reboot both the “Friday the 13^th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchises.

Some remakes feel like the cast actually respect the original and just want to have fun making their version; these are fine because they feel more like plays whereas nothing new is usually added but some characters are fleshed out more or are played out with a different style. Some of these films actually use the original novel as source material more so than the original film production.

Then there are the very few where the cast, director and actors, are taking the original idea and are adapting their own interpretations. This approach works at times but can easily backfire as well. Just because your passion for the film and your ideas in how to fix it or make it better might not actually be the best for the project or the legacy of the original film.

While preparing for this theme, I’ve noticed that the opinions of people who saw the original versions versus those who are now just old enough see the remakes makes a large difference. Younger viewers are more accustomed to seeing CGI in almost everything, expect more violence and realistic gore than films from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and want to see cast members that they are familiar with. Keeping these notes in mind, I will try to write my reviews as neutral as possible.

Evil Dead (1981)

It’s the one and only….errr, I mean the original “Evil Dead”! Before there was “Evil Dead 2” there was a creepy, low budget movie filmed by a group of friends from the Detroit area including that included Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, and Sam Raimi, who had just turned 20 when filming began. This was a group of young kids who had no real idea what they were doing out in the wood of Morristown, Tennessee. When it was released in theaters, it quickly became a favorite in the UK but was branded as too violent and banned in some countries. Although it’s a cult and mainstream favorite now, it might have disappeared and gathered dust on the rental shelf if Stephen King hadn’t gave it his approval by calling it one of his favorite movies at the time of its release.

“Evil Dead” is about five college aged friends driving out to a cabin in the woods for a nice spring break getaway. Along for the trip are Scotty and Shelly, Ash and Linda, and Ash’s sister Cheryl. At the cabin they find a tape recorder and an ancient book that was left behind by the last people there. They listen to the recording and by doing so, they release and summon a host of demons. One of the girls, Cheryl, goes out into the woods and it attacked by a tree and that happens to be possessed by the demons. She manages to escape and tries to tell the others what happened. No one believes her but her brother Ash decided to drive her back into town; on the way to town they find that they are trapped in the woods because the a bridge that they crossed earlier is now destroyed. Back at the cabin, the demons begin to possess the group of friends one by one. First Cheryl becomes possessed and is locked in the cellar. Next Shelly becomes possessed and is killed by Scotty after she tries to attack him. Linda is next to fall victim to the demon’s power. Soon Scotty is possessed as well, leaving Ash in a room full of demons. He is forced to defend himself when he is attacked, killing his friends in order to stay alive.

Favorite moment – So many to choose from! Some of the most memorable moments include Linda sitting on the floor while she is possessed, just giggling even when Ash begins to punch her repeatedly in the face. Another is the way that Shelly’s body is quivering after Scotty chops her up with an axe. Another is when Ash beheads Linda with a shovel. 

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

“Evil Dead 2” is a unique movie to say the least. It’s more of a reboot than a sequel; the first portion of the film goes over some of the same story points that the first film was about before going on to new material. “Evil Dead 2” is also unique because it includes some very dark comic moments throughout the film but still remains a horror movie. Most of the horror movies I have seen fail whenever they try to change the mood more than once.

The movie is about a couple who go to a cabin in the woods for a romantic weekend. In the cabin they find a tape recorder and when it’s played a professor of sorts is heard explaining his research about the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, also known as the Book of the Dead. After the tape is played Ash’s girlfriend becomes possessed. He is forced to kill her and shortly after becomes possessed as well. He recovers when the sun comes out and he returns to the cabin after seeing that he is trapped in the forest. The movie continues with new the material which includes laughing inanimate objects, more possessions, more people coming to the cabin, and a creepy demonic hand.

Note - The Book of the Dead has a different name in the original Evil Dead and it's recent remake. In those films it's known as Naturon Demonto. I wonder why there was a change between the films...

Favorite moment – I have to be predictable and say that my favorite moment of “Evil Dead 2” is when Ash’s hand becomes possessed and smashes plate after plate against his head before noticing a knife and dragging his body towards it.