Kristoffer Hayward
Staff Writer

Deliciously gory and not for the faint of heart, “Evil Dead” stands as a testament to classic horror films and the original as well.
Instead of a hopeful Ashley Williams taking his friends to the woods and falling into every cheesy folly a horror character can fall into, as in the original, it’s a young man with his sister and two friends.
David [Shiloh Fernandez] wants to help his sister by staging a secluded cabin trip as the setting of extreme detox. When the standard fare of creepy and scary happens, it’s waved off as the ramblings of a junkie in withdrawal.
For those out there who remember the first “Evil Dead”, the protagonist has changed and the guests are in the cabin number five instead of four. Other than that, it’s still a creepy cabin in decrepit woods; it still has no important digression, and it still features a creepily possessed girl chained in the basement, making vulgar threats.
Without spoiling anything the trailer hasn’t shown, the story keeps all the little things that made the first “Evil Dead” a cult classic. People who loved the original will find the same enjoyment out of the remake and people who come into the movie with none of the prior knowledge will still find plenty to love and squirm about.
Original lead actor Bruce Campbell directed this gem and he brings the same grizzly magic that the earlier version had. The rather short ninety minute film isn’t quite a remake and it isn’t quite a completely unrelated story. Rather, it acts like a retelling of an old myth.
There’s still a mysterious book, dangerous woods, heavy storms, a gift and a chainsaw, but even a fan of “Army of Darkness” will find themselves surprised by the new twists and turns.
Remember to stay after the credits for a little extra head-scratcher; it’s groovy.