Not as groovy without Ash Williams, is it? Expecting to talk of Evil Dead without mentioning the shift in tone the original trilogy provided is difficult. Bruce Campbell rose and rose through that trio of features like no other, cementing an incredible collection of horror-clad, comedy-induced experiences that moved further and further away from the gory glory that first started it. An inevitable reboot brings it closer to the conventional chills that the low-budget experience of the first missed out on. Miniscule productions get creative, something missing from the Fede Álvarez-directed return of the Book of the Dead and all its redefined horrors.
Jump scares and heightened drama through foggy surroundings and musical intonations to tell an audience how to feel give Evil Dead a lack of presence. Its grisly and bloodied moments, its cloth bags and wooden frames feel too similar to the reruns of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Wolf Creek than anything supernatural. A not-so-likeable cast featured in the first film but audiences were won over by the implication of horror coming through particularly quickly, the shady and simple desires of heading out to an abandoned cabin clear as day. Evil Dead hits those same notes but its discomfort comes from the need to have realism in its representation of gore, not from its kills. Even with elements of possession and ghostly intent, there is still the hope that the almost simple status of a group of friends falling to pieces is enough. It is when implemented right.
Evil Dead never gets the hang of it though. Its set pieces and the momentum that carries it from each are too jilted from the gore it hopes to provide. Dumb decisions are the trouble for this one, a piece that gets the spirit of panic and adaptation correct but the way of linking them up features very little thought. Lou Taylor Pucci and Jessica Lucas feel the brunt of that approach as Álvarez uses some nice moments of shadowy oblivion to taunt the cast. But it is their futility in building up these characters as trailblazers or interesting that cuts the momentum from Evil Dead. Shiloh Fernandez is the clear model for the Campbell-lead successor but it gets nowhere as it follows beat for beat the original script, although tries to nod itself silly with references to the features it so openly riffs from.
Jane Levy is thankfully on hand to provide that poster with some bloodied context. Even then her chainsaw-wielding, gory glory is unconvincing not because her performance is poor but because Evil Dead expects itself to improve on the same notes as the original. Comparisons to the source material were always expected, but those that built that original project gave the update their seal of approval. A lack of creativity where it matters most is the final nail in the cellar door of this cabin-clad run of gory turns. Holding notes of vaguely entertaining horror, some brutal dismemberments and an active pursuit of creativity in the face of a poor era for the genre, Evil Dead was elevated by bleary-eyed nostalgia vermin turning their attention to a toothless rendition that hits the same beats of the original, just without the heart.
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