10°c Light rain
16°c Variable cloudiness
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Remake of 1981 cult classic, Evil Dead, plays at South by Southwest festival to adoring crowd
AUSTIN, Texas - Plans to remake the 1981 cult horror film "Evil Dead" may have brought some initial skepticism, but with the original filmmakers behind the scenes and a fresh-faced director and cast to inject youthful enthusiasm, the South by Southwest festival crowd welcomed the reboot with open arms.
Sam Raimi, who directed the original, and Bruce Campbell, who starred in it, produced the new "Evil Dead." Fede Alvarez, a Uruguayan directing his first feature-length film, oversaw a small cast with Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci and Elizabeth Blackmore.
The film reimagines the plot of the first Evil Dead but replaced the original five college students on vacation with five high school friends reuniting to help one of them kick a drug addiction. When they find the "Book of the Dead" in their cabin, a demon emerges to possess the students one by one until only one remains.
Gone is the iconic hero Ash, played by Campbell, with Alvarez taking a more ensemble approach that gives Levy and Fernandez equal time.
The mix of fire hose blood spray, psychological terror and black humour, though remain true to the campy original that boiled the horror movie genre down to its essence. Robert Tapert, who produced the original and the remake, said Evil Dead was intended for drive-in movies and crowded theatres, but most fans only discovered it on VHS or DVD years later.
"You need to see this with other people, where you can yell and scream. There needs to be a party atmosphere," he said, in explaining his desire to update it. Festival-goers at South by Southwest played right along, cheering, screaming and laughing in all of the right places.
Alvarez said Campbell recruited him to take on the project after years or rumours that he, Raimi and Tapert were planning to remake the low-budget, indie masterpiece t that launched their careers. Alvarez insisted on making the film without computer generated images, instead taking 70 nights to film it using many of the old-school special effects that Raimi used 30 years ago.
"A good movie is about showing real stuff, if you see something fake you wake up from the movie dream," he said. "The other reason was to make the movie timeless. Today's CGI looks great, but five years from now, you say, 'God, what was I thinking?'"
Levy, who stars in the television series "Suburgatory," called the weeks spent in special prosthetics and covered in slimy fluids "torture."
"It was a really long shoot and it felt like it went on forever," she said.
Raimi screened his low-budget 1981 film at the Cannes Film Festival and eventually signed a distribution deal, however the extreme violence and gore initially earned the film an X rating and it still carries an NC-17. The $375,000 movie grossed $2.4 million at the box office, but launched Raimi's career. He made two sequels with Campbell playing Ash, "The Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness." The film also spun off a video game, comic book and musical.
Raimi later directed Hollywood blockbusters including the first three "Spider Man" films, "The Gift" and the recently released "Oz The Great and Powerful."
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 5 articles for today)
Jodi Arias to address jurors in penalty phase of murder trial as panel considers life or death
2:10 AM 0
Poll
Most Popular World
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Thousands of military sex abuse victims seek disability, health care after leaving service
- Tornado leads CBS to pull season-ending episode of 'Mike & Molly'
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- Tornado flattens buildings near Oklahoma City
- Sean Penn urges US to pressure Bolivia to free American businessman held nearly 2 years
- Gay man killed on street in New York
- Tornado warnings spanning Midwest, from Texas to Illinois, in wake of deadly Oklahoma twister
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Phone cracked? Cool
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- Jurors find Jodi Arias eligible for death penalty after murder conviction in boyfriend killing
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Boston Marathon runners who couldn't finish because of blasts can return in 2014
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- As Boston mourns, suspected brothers' radicalism comes into focus
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Parents of Boston suspect say he travelled to Russia to visit relatives, sleep a lot
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Man charged after overnight feast in closed Kentucky supermarket
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Lawyer: Saudi man travelling with pressure cooker didn't know device used in Boston bombings
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- U.S. envoy punted; Russia alleges spying
- 16 tornadoes wallop North Texas, 6 dead; Habitat homes among many devastated in 1 subdivision
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Bill to alter rules of succession before Kate gives birth nears completion as Lords approve
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
- IBM makes movie about a little boy - a very little boy - by pushing molecules around
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.