Whether we wanted it or not, I think we all knew that one day we'd get a remake of Evil Dead. Fans shunned and hated the idea, but once the first footage was released many changed their tunes. I tried to stay neutral about the whole thing; knowing that it'll obviously not top the original, but could very well end up being a solid horror flick. It seems that even the studio and filmmakers (including Sam Raimi himself) were confident enough to hype up the film, especially the marketing campaign claiming it'll be the "most terrifying film you'll ever experience" among other things.

Then early reviews came in that were all positive, adding even more to the hype. Was this remake really as good as many claimed it to be? I was determined to find out for myself by catching a midnight showing. I steered clear of clips and additional videos for the film and tried hard to not buy into all the hype. Going in with mediocre expectations, I came out entertained to an extent, but ultimately disappointed. It's a mixed bag, because as fun as this remake was, on top of being unintentionally funny, it brought nothing new to the table and will probably go down as one of the most hyped up horror film in years.

All the promises of "no CGI" was abolished after seeing several scenes where it was used to touch up certain aspects, but that should've been expected anyway, so I won't knock it for that. I will, however, have to comment on the marketing campaign, claiming it to be "terrifying". Maybe if you're new to the genre you may find the film scary, but the audience I was with obviously thought otherwise, as they laughed at several scenes throughout the film, which I honestly don't think were meant to be laughed at. Instead of getting chills or cries of terror, I heard chuckles and laughter, leading to a lot of scenes seeming unintentionally funny. While I personally found many aspects amusing, I didn't really find anything scary nor funny.

Though it failed in the scares department, they at least succeeded in the makeup and effects. There's one thing that was expected from this remake and that's lots of blood and gore and they definitely delivered here, almost to excess, especially towards the end. However, when it came to the look of the Deadites I still prefer the old look as opposed to this more Exorcist/possession-type they went for. Sadly, I felt like I cared more about the characters in the original than I did here, as these people seemed like nothing more than lifeless hosts. One example is with one female character that shows up later as a Deadite to give our remaining survivors trouble, where I almost forgot who that person was for a second since she was barely in the film to begin with.

I think that's just another huge negative aspect for me--not only were there no likable characters, but none of them had the charisma or charm as Bruce did with the Ash character. Obviously there was no way anyone would even come close to what Bruce gave us in the original films, but that's a large element in what made the previous flicks so great. Without such a heroic character to root for, you're just left with these bland people that you could really care less about.

As for the story--as expected, not much has changed. Aside from the reasoning behind why they're actually at the cabin (and certain guidelines in the book), everything else pretty much remains the same. In fact, the movie itself really doesn't deliver anything we haven't already seen or were already expecting, which adds a bit to my disappointment. As much as I tried to go in with few expectations, I at least hoped to find some creativity behind some of these scenes. Even the dialogue was bad to some extent. All negative aside, I still had fun with it. There's solid pacing, loads of gore, nods to the original, and some sweet practical effects. As a standalone horror film it's good, while as a remake it's somewhat disappointing (especially given all the hype), but ultimately it's a fun watch.

Evil Dead isn't the "terrifying" movie that it claims to be (in fact it'll probably go down as one of the most hyped up horror films in years), but it is definitely fun, gory, and simple. It doesn't really add anything new to the table, but it manages a solid pace and I had a good time with it. As a remake it's rather disappointing, but as a standalone it's not entirely bad, it just depends on how you wanna look at it. Either way, if you're just expecting loads of gore and great practical effects then you'll likely leave happy.