The original Evil Dead is a classic haunted house tale - kids go where they shouldn't, evil incantations are read, poltergeists emerge. But what sets it apart from other such stories is the sheer passion with which it is executed.
Simply put, the film is dripping with love towards the craft of moviemaking - the 20-year olds who made this threw everything and the kitchen sink in, spent months huddling in a cold cabin, practically bathed in fake blood and that love and raw talent paid off. It's a gorgeous little horror film, full of fantastically old-fashioned atmosphere. Fog is ever-present. Sound effects and cinematography sell the presence of an ancient evil within the perfectly chosen autumn forest. The eccentric mixture of electronic and classical music does a terrific job of enhancing the mood.
Watching The Evil Dead is an experience, a campfire story brought to life. In a nihilistic fashion, it focuses the audience's attention on every gruelling stab, every piercing howl of death. Until the credits roll, there is no safety, no break. Director Sam Raimi aimed to make the scariest film yet and whilst that may be up for debate, one cannot deny that purpose is felt within the film. These demons exist to do nothing, but torment the heroes and the audience.
You may occasionally feel the film's age and limited budget, but at no point does it stand in the way of its nerve and ferocity. A true high point in horror and indie filmmaking history, and a wonderful example of how pure ambition can win out against all odds.
If the first Evil Dead was an exercise in horror, then Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn is an exercise in insanity. Bruce Campbell reprises his role as the sole survivor of the previous film, now trapped alone for a second night of torture. His performance certainly reflects it - the stunned, melancholy Ash of the previous film has given way to an exaggerated, maniacal parody of his former personality. That first act, where Ash is entirely alone and lunatic, is for me the highlight of the whole thing. Campbell is utterly captivating with his cartoonish energy, doing battle with phantoms and his own possessed hand.
That isn't to say the rest of the film is boring for one second, but it's Campbell's solo performance that people will remember coming away from this. As a whole, the film is a warped, more absurd take on the original, with plot twists and shocker moments galore. The budget is substantially bigger, but it serves Raimi's imagination, which is just as creative as in the making of the first film, if not more. At this point, however, the aim is no longer to scare, but rather to simply have fun and indulge in some blood(read: red water)-soaked, action-adventure glory.
Army Of Darkness(also known as Bruce Campbell Vs Army Of Darkness and originally titled The Medieval Dead) completes the franchise's transition into slapstick comedy. In this entry, the series finally moves away from the iconic cabin and throws a seriously pissed off Ash into 1300 AD to deal with "primitive screwheads".
A modern man in the past is an old cliche, but as always, Raimi and Campbell just throw themselves into the idea. The Middle Ages as depicted here are very much those you could see in the 1950s historical pictures that they must've grown up with - vibrant colors, obvious backdrops and cardboard castles. Indeed, the film is a tribute to the era of Ray Harryhausen, and employ similar old-fashioned special effects to bring its skeleton army to life.
Ash Williams, once an everyman, has now become an arrogant, womanizing braggart with a James Bond level of inexplicable charisma over women. It seems that the less he fears the demons, the more hilariously pathetic they are and since Ash by this point indulges in blowing holes into anyone with so much as a bad skin condition, the eponymous Army of Darkness is more of an Army of Dimwits. But with so much personality! I adore the villains in this movie. Any skeleton army that has skeleton drummers and skeleton fluteplayers has to be worth something. It's a boisterous, silly film, but I have a huge soft spot for it.
I would call Evil Dead an exemplary remake. It recaptures everything that made the original film a success, pays homage to past glories, but has its own exciting twists as well. The approach used by the director wasn't "how do we cash in on a name?" but "what if Evil Dead was made in the 21st century?". That might seem obvious, but it really isn't. A lot of remakes are just boring, unimaginative retreads. But here, Fede Alvarez clearly put some real thought into how to bring the ethos of the first film to life in a totally different era. The horror genre has greatly evolved since Sam Raimi's time, and so has its audience. Expectations have changed, because so many films have come and gone in-between. So everything has to be ramped up. The gore, the vulgarity, the storytelling. It has to be shocking for the here and now, not for the 1980s. The intelligence of Alvarez (and his cast and crew) in realising this is admirable.
As much as I adore Bruce Campbell and his legendary charisma, I don't think anyone can deny that Jane Levy completely outranks him in genuine acting capability. The terror is mainly palpable thanks to her performance, both as the villain and hero. It's only a shame that we see so little of her! I'm not surprised fans have been begging for the Mia character to return. She's the most iconic part of the film. I also really enjoyed Lou Taylor Pucci's performance as the sardonic Eric. He was the only other character with any real personality. This is probably the main downside of the film when compared to the first. The characters aren't nearly as memorable (Mia is, of course, but she's absent for large portions of the film)!
I'm also not sure this film has the rewatchability of the first. It's an exercise in complete terror - which I realise is the intent - but the original had a very dark sense of humour and also a campiness to it thanks to the low budget, which alleviated the tension. This Evil Dead is so ramped up that you can't really catch your breath. I consider it more respectable than lovable.
Evil Dead Rise has an endearing family dynamic at its heart and executes the franchise's signature tropes competently, but feels lacklustre in comparison with its groundbreaking predecessors. It's a film that is ok with being 'just another one'. Doing its thing, having a bit of fun, moving on.
I should mention that being a lazy Evil Dead movie still means being a fine horror flick. There's a lovely amount of carnage and cruel gallows humour, the villainous Deadite (portrayed by Alyssa Sutherland) is wonderfully devious, and I rooted strongly for the leads. The characters in general are very likable in this, possibly the best overall group in the franchise. The film only falls short as an entry in an otherwise innovative and insanely wacky series.
Perhaps the most memorable aspect of Rise is its director's bizarre attempt to tie the entire series together into one coherent narrative (similar to the later Daniel Craig James Bonds). Suddenly, the joke books from Army of Darkness are a major threat? The ones that stretched Bruce Campbell's face into a Looney Toon? Uh-huh...
No comments:
Post a Comment