Evil Dead (2013 film)

Did You Know?

• Bruce Campbell appears uncredited in the post-credits scene as Ash Williams.
• Bob Dorian and Ellen Sandweiss reprise their roles from the original film through archival recordings.
• The extended cut runs 96 minutes compared to the 91-minute theatrical cut.

Plot

A young woman is captured and held in a cabin cellar while an old woman recites incantations from a book in Welsh. The woman reveals demonic possession, and her father Harold sets her ablaze and shoots her. Later, David, his girlfriend Natalie, and their dog Grandpa arrive at the cabin, reuniting with David's half-sister Mia and friends Eric and Olivia. They plan to help Mia overcome heroin addiction.

David finds the cellar littered with rotting animal corpses, a shotgun, and a book called the Naturom Demonto. Eric reads an incantation, awakening a malevolent force. Mia sees a demonic doppelgänger, crashes Eric's car, and is sexually assaulted by vines before becoming possessed. David finds Grandpa dead and Mia scalding herself.

Olivia becomes possessed, mutilates her face, and stabs Eric before he kills her. Mia lures Natalie to the cellar, bites her hand, and slices her own tongue. Eric explains the Taker of Souls must claim five souls to unleash the Abomination; to stop Mia, they must purify her by live burial, dismemberment, or burning. Natalie's wound becomes possessed; she attacks with a nail gun, but David shoots off her arm, and she bleeds to death.

Production

Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues co-wrote the script, which Diablo Cody revised to Americanize the dialogue. Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert G. Tapert produced the film. Raimi and Campbell had planned a remake for years, but in 2009 Campbell said it was 'going nowhere' due to negative fan reaction. In April 2011, Campbell announced the remake was happening, and the film was officially announced that July. Shiloh Fernandez was cast as David; Lily Collins initially had the lead female role but dropped out, replaced by Jane Levy. Lou Taylor Pucci, Elizabeth Blackmore, and Jessica Lucas joined later. Álvarez confirmed the film uses no CGI except for touch-ups, relying on practical effects and illusion tricks.

Release

TriStar Pictures released Evil Dead theatrically in the United States on April 5, 2013, with Sony Pictures handling other markets. The film premiered at SXSW on March 8, 2013. It first received an NC-17 rating, prompting cuts for an R rating. The music by Roque Baños was released by La-La Land Records on April 9, 2013. DVD and Blu-ray releases followed on July 16, 2013. An extended version with an alternative ending aired on Channel 4 in the UK on January 25, 2015. Sony Pictures released an Unrated Cut on Blu-ray on October 23, 2018. Shout! Factory released a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 27, 2022.

Reception

Evil Dead grossed $25.8 million in its opening weekend, finishing first at the box office, and earned $97.5 million worldwide against a $17 million budget. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 64% approval rating based on 203 reviews, with a consensus calling it 'brutal terror, gory scares, and gleefully bloody violence.' Metacritic gave a weighted average of 57 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews. CinemaScore audiences gave a grade of C+.

Evan Dickson of Bloody Disgusting gave 4/5 stars, calling it 'amazingly gory and fun.' Chris Tilly of IGN gave 9/10, calling it 'terrifying, exhilarating and relentlessly entertaining.' John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter said it would win over original fans. HorrorTalk gave four stars, calling it 'the most unrelenting and bloody horror film from a major studio in a long time.'

Emma Simmonds of The List noted it builds to something gorily bravura. Matt Singer called it 'an assault on the senses' that outdoes the original in gore. Richard Roeper gave one star out of four, criticizing unoriginality and reliance on gore for cheap scares.