(Editor’s Note: This review appears in the May 2013 issue of eHorror Magazine)

In reviewing such a highly publicized film as ‘Evil Dead,’ the 2013 remake of the 1981 cult horror classic, one cannot help but make a comparison between new and old. Horror remakes are, after all, notoriously bad. Filmmakers so often think modern technology will make horror films better, but more often the opposite is true. Take, for example, the computer graphic-heavy remake of John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing,’ which was a far cry popularity-wise from its predecessor. Granted, John Carpenter’s film was itself a remake of the 1951 classic, ‘The Thing From Another World,’ but what made it so good was that in the 80s, practical special effects had reached a pinnacle. That was what made the 1982 version of ‘The Thing’ so good, and what made the 1981 version of ‘Evil Dead’ so damn good.

The 2013 ‘Evil Dead’ has much to live up to; the original is a cult classic of the highest regard among fans, and it spawned two equally revered sequels. What made the original a classic was its leading man, Bruce Campbell, whose good-looks and over-the-top acting would have made him a first-class celebrity in the fifties, but which were slightly out of place in the eighties in anything but B-rated horror. It was Campbell, plus the explosively gory effects, that made ‘Evil Dead’ a film that is now considered a timeless comic horror.

2013’s ‘Evil Dead’ is anything but a comic horror, having taken on a much darker tone. The film’s tagline, boldly stated in an enormous ad campaign, is, “The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience.” In terms of the tagline, the film falls short; in terms of everything else, it is horror perfection.

One filmgoer, Jon Smith of College Park, MD, said before the film started, “You need to start your review like this: ‘Where the fuck is Bruce Campbell?’” The obvious: Bruce Campbell is not the star of this film. ‘Evil Dead’ fans will have to come to terms with that fact. In this case, the outrage turns to surprise, then to horror ecstasy as it becomes apparent that this film is wonderful, even without Bruce Campbell (although it helps to know that both Campbell and Sam Raimi, the writer/director of the first film, were both on board as producers for this film.)

Where the original film and the remake part ways is that except for the use of the usual horror film clichés, the remake is in no way a comic horror, having taken a much darker tone this time aorund. The comedy of the original film was really more of an accident, the combination of Campbell’s enthusiastic mugging and a low budget. Except for a few one-liners here and there, there’s almost nothing funny about the new ‘Dead’ (unless one of the main characters slipping on a hacked off piece of his friend’s cheek and smashing into a toilet tickles your funny bone—no judgment if you answer yes.) The film’s bold tagline is, “The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience.” In terms of the tagline, the film falls short; in terms of everything else, it is horror perfection.

The director of the new film, Fede Alvarez, pays homage to the original in small ways, keeping the setting almost identical, and throwing in a few detailed treats that only ‘Evil Dead’ die-hards will notice. He pays homage to the original in a major way by keeping entirely to practical special effects, with nary a computer graphic to be found. For horror buffs who remember the rise of gore horror in the seventies and eighties, this is a horror filmmaking touch of mastery, and it makes this film rise above so many other remakes.

‘Evil Dead’ has very little to offer in terms of story: a group of friends goes to a cabin in the woods to help their friend kick her drug habit. While there, one of them discovers, and reads aloud from, a book of ancient evil, which releases said evil. The cabin-in-the-woods concept has become very overdone by now, and has been skewered both successfully and unsuccessfully (Joss Whedon, I’m looking at you) many times. ‘Evil Dead’ is forgiven, however, because it was the original film that started the cabin-in-the-woods cliché in the first place. The overall story sounds simple, and it is. One would think the easiest way to combat the evil is to do what is scrawled in bold letters across the first pages of the book, and do not read aloud from the book. Well, it wouldn’t be a horror movie in that case; it would be a drug film.

The casting is typically uninspired for a horror flick like this, with the exception of Jane Levy as Mia, who pulls off a strangely entrancing and creepy performance beneath the demonic abuse and layers of prosthetics. Lou Taylor Pucci, as Eric, the group asshole skeptic and releaser of ancient evil, is fun to watch as he takes horrific injury after horrific injury, including aforementioned cheek-meat slip and toilet-dive.

The real star of this film is the intense gore, which will turn many viewers awat. Another filmgoer, Nick Raatz of Columbia, MD, squirmed visibly throughout the film, and said afterwards, “That made me uncomfortable.” Uncomfortable is an understatement, as the razorblade-licking, ling-hacking, and tendon-ripping ensue. The film is entirely shameless in its violence, but the wild and unlikely gore is what helps this film retain some of the campy tone of the original. When one of the characters gets her hand stuck beneath a fallen vehicle, she simply tears off the offending limb and moves on, pain, blood loss, and shock having no apparent affect.

There are no surprises in the new ‘Evil Dead,’ and that is for the best. There isn’t much that needs to be changed in a cult classic, and to attempt a remake of this one is a highly ballsy move. Yet, with the backing of the original star and director, the move pays off. ‘Evil Dead’ is not for the weak of stomach, but it is for the hardcore horror fans who will appreciate the nod to the gory horror films of decades past.