For a look at the Red Band Trailer for this movie, click here.

This remake of the classic horror film The Evil Dead is quite possibly the most terrifying movie I personally have ever watched. I know well enough how much of a cult classic the original was back in 1981, and how hugely popular the other two to follow were, but this one is different. This movie made me shut it off before even the halfway point. Now, mind you, I did watch the movie alone in my room with my headphones on in the middle of a thunderstorm, but that’s besides the point. I still had to shut it off and watch it later when the sun was out.

The story revolves around a group of 5 young adults and a dog going to a really old cottage deep in the forest for a weekend. The main man David arrives at the cabin with his girlfriend and his dog. They are met by his younger sister Mia and her two friends Eric and Olivia. They are all there for the purpose of helping/forcing Mia to get over a Heroin addiction that has almost already claimed her life in an overdose before. The idea is that since the withdrawal is so strong for Mia, isolating herself from the rest of the world for the weekend would give her a better chance at beating the first hump of withdrawal symptoms.

While this happens, Eric finds a really old demonic looking book that is wrapped in barbed wire. Like the total idiot that he is, he opens the book and decides to read OUT LOUD from the book. Obviously this awakens some seriously evil shit, it takes hold of Mia in her weakened state, and the rest of the group assumes that she’s just going through withdrawal until it’s too late.

This movie is a horror film gemstone in many ways. The producers boasted before its release that there were extremely little to no computer generated effects used in the movie, and that everything you see was either a real set piece, or part of the brilliant make up team they had. When you see the movie, it’s almost impossible to believe. This movie is not for the faint of heart. I don’t just mean if you don’t like horror don’t watch this. I’m saying even if you LOVE horror movies, still be careful watching this movie. It stays true to its original in the ways that it scares. Blood, guts, bones, limbs, vomit, everything you could think of that is nasty is somehow utilized in this film.

On top of all of that, the camera work in this movie is top notch as well. Even without all the gore used throughout the film, the movie is able to achieve an incredible level of suspense and pacing to keep the unrelenting pressure on even in scenes with no gore. It keeps the feeling that something evil is ALWAYS there. As far as Horror films go, I give this one a 9.5/10 for having every element of the genre present at its peak form. The only thing holding my judgement back from a perfect 10 is that in many parts the acting is bad to the point of cringeworthy, but let’s face it, we’re not watching it for that.