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EVIL DEAD
EVIL DEAD-United States-2013

Jane Levy as MIa

Shiloh Fernandez as David

Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric

Jessica Lucas as Olivia
Directed by Fede Alvarez
Screenplay by Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues
Based on the 1981 screenplay by Sam Raimi
Let’s make no mistake about it: the original 1981 The Evil Dead is still the champ. That being said, does this mean that Evil Dead is a horrible remake that should have never been given the green light? Absolutely not; Evil Dead is a ferocious, gory and jump-inducing film that, after a rather boring first quarter of the first act, more than holds its own against its predecessor. It’s one of those horror movies that I’ve bragged about in past reviews; the kind that restores my faith in the horror genre. Trust me, after the last atrocity I reviewed I needed that faith restored in a bad way.
For the most part, Evil Dead is a carbon copy of the original. Five friends arrive at a cabin in the woods (hey, wouldn’t that make a great title for a horror movie?) for a little rest and relaxation. David (Shiloh Fernandez, Red Riding Hood, Deadgirl), Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci, Carriers, Horsemen), Mia (Jane Levy, Suburgatory), Olivia (Jessica Lucas, Cloverfield) and Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore, Burning Man) are your typical twenty-something group; handsome, pretty and smart and with their own set of demons in the form of Mia’s addictions. Before Evil Dead can turn into a very special episode of Intervention the smell of burning hair, dead cats in the attic and the discovery of a certain book best left unread make life a literal living hell for our crazy kids. Blood, gore, shotguns, nail guns, carving knives, and shards of glass, premature burial and bodily dismemberment are all a part of the fun. I said Evil Dead is for the most part a carbon copy of the original. Just as Bruce Campbell carved a name for himself in the annals of bad-assery (it’s a word, honest), a character in Evil Dead makes their bid for entry in the Demon Killing Hall of Fame. I’m not going to say who; I will just say that I was pleasantly surprised.
Evil Dead may go down in cinematic history as one of the most respectful remakes of a classic horror film. In fact, if The Evil Dead had never been made then Evil Dead might very well have been that classic horror film one day. Or, maybe not; what matters is that the filmmakers behind Evil Dead can be proud of their baby.
TRIVIA
If you take the first letters of the main characters David, Eric, Mia, Olivia and Natalie, the letters spell out DEMON.
In one scene there are cards spread out on the table. The cards are laid out in the order that Cheryl reads them in the original.
In the scene where the broken necklace is found outside of the cabin, it can be seen resting in the shape of a skull, just like in the original.
The illustration of the Abomination in the Naturom Demonto is based on the poster artwork for the original Evil Dead film.
Related articles
- Exclusive Video: Fede Alvarez and Jane Levy on the New Evil Dead (MAJOR SPOILERS!) (dreadcentral.com)
- Exclusive Modern Masters of Horror Interview Series – Fede Alvarez on Evil Dead (dreadcentral.com)
- New Evil Dead Infographic Breaks Down the Carnage Between the Original and the Remake (dreadcentral.com)
- Evil Dead is the movie we’ve been waiting for, just a bit cleaner. (independentcinema.wordpress.com)
- Evil Dead (2013) Review (hmzfilm.wordpress.com)
- Review: Evil Dead (2013) (monsterzeronj.wordpress.com)
- Evil Dead (2013) (dawningcreates.com)
- Evil Dead (2013) Review (allthingsentertainment94.wordpress.com)
- 5 Reasons You Should See Evil Dead at the Grosvenor (acinemadownalane.wordpress.com)
- Watch Sam Raimi’s ‘Within the Woods’, the Precursor to ‘The Evil Dead’ (slashfilm.com)
Raimi, Argento, Aronofsky: What’s Their Best Film?
It’s a Friday afternoon and normally I would be watching a movie and blogging on it. But, with a new job comes new hours and therefore I have to work. So, before I depart for my place of employment I wanted to get a quick post in just to let everyone know that I am still alive and still blogging. Those of you who have read my previous “What’s Their Best Film?” installments know the drill. I name three directors and you tell me what their very best film is, in your opinion. Those of you who are first time readers I urge you to read the previous sentence as I do not like to repeat myself. I love to hear comments from each and every one of you and I try to reply to each and every one. So, without further ado let’s get this show on the road.
IT’S MURDER!-1977
THE EVIL DEAD-1981
CRIMEWAVE-1985
EVIL DEAD II-1987
DARKMAN-1990
ARMY OF DARKNESS-1992
A SIMPLE PLAN-1998
FOR LOVE OF THE GAME-1999
THE GIFT-2000
SPIDER-MAN-2002
SPIDER-MAN 2-2004
SPIDER-MAN 3-2007
DRAG ME TO HELL-2009
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE-1970
FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET-1971
LE CINQUE GIORNATE-1973
DEEP RED-1975
SUSPIRIA-1977
INFERNO-1980
TENEBRE-1982
PHENOMENA-1985
OPERA-1987
TWO EVIL EYES (Co-Directed with George Romera. Argento directed “THE BLACK CAT“)-1990
TRAUMA-1993
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA-1998
SLEEPLESS-2001
THE CARD PLAYER-2004
DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK (TV MOVIE)-2005
MOTHER OF TEARS-2007
GIALLO-2009
DRACULA 3-D-2012
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
DARREN ARONOFSKY
PI-1998
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM-2000
THE FOUNTAIN-2006
THE WRESTLER-2008
BLACK SWAN-2010
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Don’t be strangers; I want to hear from you. Take care and stay scared!!
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- Sam Raimi Says the ‘The Evil Dead’ Remake Will Be Rated R (Or Worse) (screenrant.com)
- Unused Sam Raimi SPIDER-MAN Trailer shows Web-Shooters (geektyrant.com)
- ‘Noah’ First Look: New Photo Reveals The Inside Of The Ark (screencrave.com)
- Sam Raimi Says THE EVIL DEAD Remake Will Definitely Be R-Rated and is “So Bloody It Will Make Your Head Spin,” Plus an Update on the POLTERGEIST Remake (collider.com)
- First Sneak Peek at What’s Inside the Ark of Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ (aceshowbiz.com)
- First Look: Russell Crowe as Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ (slashfilm.com)
- First Look at Russell Crowe in Darren Aronofsky’s NOAH (collider.com)
- Portman Offered Lead Role In Noah Oppenheim’s Jackie (emileeid.com)
- Congratulations to Aronofsky and Fincher (somecamerunning.typepad.com)
SCREAM QUEEN OF THE MONTH-SEPTEMBER 2012-RACHEL WEISZ
SCREAM QUEEN OF THE MONTH-SEPTEMBER 2012-RACHEL WEISZ
She was a black haired beauty with big dark eyes…Bob Seger
A longtime favorite, the beautiful Miss Weisz has starred in “Dream House” with her husband Daniel Craig, the first two installments of “The Mummy” franchise with Brendan Fraser, “Constantine” with Keanu Reeves and “The Lovely Bones“, directed by Peter Jackson. In addition she has starred in films as diverse as “Stealing Beauty“, “Runaway Jury“, her Academy Award winning turn in “The Constant Gardener” and “The Deep Blue Sea” with Tom Hiddleston. Her latest film is the Sam Raimi vehicle “Oz: The Great and Powerful“, a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz”. It is with great pleasure that I welcome the lovely Rachel Weisz as Scream Queen of the Month for September 2012.
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- Rachel Weisz turns action star for new Bourne film (canada.com)
- Rachel Weisz – Crush of the Day (1340thefan.com)
- Love It or Hate It? Rachel Weisz’s Bloomin’ Look (bellasugar.com)
- Is The Honeymoon Over For Rachel Weisz And Daniel Craig? (perezhilton.com)
- Rachel Weisz – Rachel Weisz Trusts Daniel Craig Around Women (contactmusic.com)
- Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz: A Seriously Stylish Couple (fabsugar.com)
- Rachel Weisz – Rachel Weisz’s Bourne Legacy Difficulty (contactmusic.com)
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES-United States/United Kingdom-2012
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer
Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Based on characters created by Bob Kane
I had no intention of even writing about “The Dark Knight Rises.” For the most part I review horror films and I leave the reviews of the mainstream films in the hands of others who are perfectly capable of the task. Does this mean I hated the film? It most certainly does not. “The Dark Knight Rises” is a superbly written, acted and directed motion picture and it is a fitting end to a trilogy that began in 2005 with “Batman Begins” and which continued with “The Dark Knight” in 2008. It is a rare film that can be viewed as an individual effort and be enjoyed and still be regarded as part of something way bigger. From the very start, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan had an epic story that they wanted to tell and they never lost sight of that vision.
I tried to pinpoint the theme of this film, but I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then, as luck would have it and I was glancing over the trivia for the movie I noticed that Christopher Nolan had said that the theme of “Batman Begins” was fear, “The Dark Knight” was about chaos, and finally “The Dark Knight Rises” was about pain. When I read that, I thought back over the events of the movie and realized that that was exactly what this film is about. There is pain all through this movie; the pain of loss, physical pain and finally the pain of betrayal.
But there is a pain that overshadows this film because of one man’s cowardly actions. I am of course talking about the horrific events of the shooting that occurred in Aurora, Colorado during the midnight premiere of the film. 12 people dead and 59 injured because of the rage of one idiot. I refuse to mention this piece of shit’s name for the simple fact that he does not deserve that recognition. People work hard for the right to enjoy themselves, whether it is at a baseball game, a vacation or just going to a movie with friends and family. No one should ever have to suffer the way these people and their loved ones have suffered. For that the only thing I can do is say that I am truly sorry.
Finally, as I pulled up to the theater I expected to see a crowd lined up and waiting to see the film; but that was not the case. I asked the ticket taker if the events in Colorado had put a damper on attendance and sadly he said that they had. I also know that there have been a lot of people saying that the release of the film should have been moved to a later date. I am sorry, but I disagree. To do this would be to admit that the man responsible had won. He has won nothing and is a complete coward. Oh, and don’t try to tell me he’s crazy. His act was completely premeditated. I know there will be people who disagree with me and that is perfectly fine; but this is one moment when the show must go on.
Thank you.
TRIVIA
Christopher Nolan is the first director to complete a full trilogy of Batman films, but the second to direct a full trilogy of films on one superhero (after Sam Raimi completed his Spider-Man films).
One of the reasons why Christopher Nolan cast Tom Hardy as Bane was because of his performance in the film RocknRolla. Hardy stated that he thought he was cast because of his role in Bronson. He arrived on set only to learn that Nolan has never even seen Bronson.
Anne Hathaway, who plays Catwoman, had been cast as Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2010, which at that time was under Sam Raimi’s direction as “Spider-Man 4″ and was going to feature the Vulture and Black Cat.
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- ‘Dark Knight Rises’: 10 Things You Should Know Before Watching the Film (PHOTOS) (celebuzz.com)
- people really like ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (wwtdd.com)
- The Dark Knight Rises (wetalkaboutmovies.com)
- Over 15 New High-Resolution Images from THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (collider.com)
- Thoughts on “The Dark Knight Rises” (kylesmithonline.com)
- Hype rises over The Dark Knight’s final installment (vancouversun.com)
- Christopher and Jonathan Nolan Talk About How Charles Dickens Shaped ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (slashfilm.com)
- New Trailer Takes Us Through Christopher Nolan’s Entire DARK KNIGHT Trilogy (collider.com)
- Christopher Nolan insists size matters for The Dark Knight Rises (o.canada.com)
- Watch, Pass, or Rent Video Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises (popsugar.com)
- Is ‘the Dark Knight Rises’ Immune From Criticism? (contactmusic.com)
- The Reviews Are In … (huffingtonpost.com)
- Film Review: The Dark Knight Rises (filmophilia.com)
- The Dark Knight Rises Stars Get Stylish For Their London Premiere (popsugar.com)
- ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Spoilers: David S. Goyer Talks Movie Ending (screenrant.com)
- Early Buzz: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Delivers On Lofty Expectations (slashfilm.com)
- Tom and Anne Prep For a Big Weekend as The Dark Knight Rises Hits Theaters (popsugar.com)
- Christopher and Jonathan Nolan Explain How A TALE OF TWO CITIES Influenced THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (collider.com)
- Christian Bale Spent ‘An Awful Long Time’ With The ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Script (splashpage.mtv.com)
- ‘Dark Knight Rises’: A guest review by Neal Adams (herocomplex.latimes.com)
- Joseph Gordon-levitt – Joseph Gordon-levitt: Fans Will See Hathaway Differently After Dark Knight Rises (contactmusic.com)
- ‘Dark Knight Rises’ premiere: Watch Hathaway, Bale live (herocomplex.latimes.com)
THE QUICK AND THE DEAD
THE QUICK AND THE DEAD-United States-1995

Sharon Stone as Ellen

Gene Hackman as Herod

Russell Crowe as Cort

Leonardo DiCaprio as Kid
Directed by Sam Raimi
Written by Simon Moore
A lone woman rides into the town of Redemption and enters a quick draw competition. Her sole reason is icy cold revenge against the town’s ruthless land baron; the man responsible for the brutal murder of her father years ago. That is the entire plot of “The Quick and the Dead” in a nutshell. However, before you think I’ve gone off the deep end in reviewing a western for a horror film blog, allow me to explain. First of all, let us take note of the cast. There is a who’s who of sci-fi and horror alumni in the reels of this oat opera. There’s Lance Henriksen of “Aliens”, “The Terminator” and “ Pumpkinhead” fame, Keith David from John Carpenter‘s masterpiece “The Thing”, Tobin Bell from the” Saw” series, Roberts Blossom from “Deranged” and “Christine” and Mark Boone Junior from “Se7en” and “Memento”. That’s enough genre talent to make your own horror film with.
Now let’s look at the lead cast; all of whom have either starred in great films prior to The Quick and the Dead, or have gone on to stardom since then. Sharon Stone (“Casino”, “Basic Instinct”) is great in her role as Ellen, the woman set on revenge against her father’s killer. In that duster and those leather pants, six guns by her side and a swagger in her hips she is Annie Oakley cum Jim Morrison as she blasts her way to the inevitable showdown. I will argue that next to “Casino” this is her finest hour as an actress. Equally brilliant is Gene Hackman as Herod, the town leader against whom she seeks retribution. Hackman is a master at playing villains of this caliber, and while some may argue that it’s merely a re-hash of his performance in “Unforgiven”, I say so what? No one plays a role like this quite the way Hackman does and I don’t think anyone ever will. Then of course we have Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio; both of whom have gone on to major stardom with their films “Gladiator” and “A Beautiful Mind” (Crowe); and “Titanic” and “Inception” (DiCaprio). In “The Quick and the Dead” their roles are smaller, but no less important.
Finally, we come to director Sam Raimi. Yes, that Sam Raimi. The man who made a star out of a guy named Bruce Campbell. The man who made us believe a man could swing from a web and look cool as hell doing it. The man who dragged us to hell and beat the hell out of our senses with The Evil Dead and the great sequels that followed. The Quick and the Dead has the Raimi stamp all over it. If you don’t believe me then compare the camera tricks in the film to the ones from his horror films. Especially awesome is the ‘bullet through the head’ cam. Yes sir, this is Raimi’s baby all the way.
I’ve watched “The Quick and the Dead” at least once a year since its release in 1995. Every time I watch it I come away from it with the feeling of having been entertained for the ninety or so minutes that I’ve invested my time in it. The film impresses me with the fact that it features a strong female lead in a genre that has long been dominated by men.
So there you have it; “The Quick and the Dead”. A western film with its feet dipped in the horror gene pool and all wrapped up in a neat little package with the Sam Raimi seal of authenticity. Isn’t it adorable?
Okay, scratch the ‘adorable crack’. That was a little bit too Perez Hilton.
TRIVIA
Sharon Stone hand-picked ‘Russell Crowe (I)’ to be in this film. The studio was initially unsure about this choice because Crowe was a complete unknown to the American audience.
Sharon Stone was so insistent that Leonardo DiCaprio appear in the film that she paid his salary personally.
Bruce Campbell had a cameo appearance during a wedding scene, but the scene was cut. Campbell says Sam Raimi created that scene for the specific reason of giving Pat Hingle something more substantial to do and was never intended to be in the movie in the first place. Campbell was also visiting the set on his day off when Raimi drafted him to play a skid-row character in several background shots. Although all of Campbell’s appearances ended up on the cutting room floor, he is still listed high up in the credits.
For obvious reasons, this is the only Sam Raimi film to date (2002) where his trademark beige 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 doesn’t appear in its original form. However, according to Bruce Campbell, the car makes an appearance in the form of a wagon’s chassis. He claims the car was disassembled and the chassis was used for the wagon.
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- “DreamWorks Buys Radical Comic ‘Earp: Saints For Sinners’ For Sam Raimi” and related posts (deadline.com)
- Production Begins on THE EVIL DEAD Remake (collider.com)
- Sam Raimi to Direct Futuristic Western EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS (collider.com)
- The Demon Is Unleashed In Trailer For Sam Raimi Produced THE POSSESSION (thepeoplesmovies.com)
- Film: Newswire: Sam Raimi suing people who are not Sam Raimi who say they’re making Evil Dead 4 (avclub.com)
- Shocker – Sam Raimi Suing Over Rights to Make Evil Dead 4 (dreadcentral.com)
- Raimi producing ‘Poltergeist’ remake (upi.com)
- EVIL DEAD Remake Starts Production! (geektyrant.com)
- There here……. again. Poltergeist returns under Raimi (geeksyndicate.wordpress.com)
- Sam Raimi’s ‘The Possession’ Trailer (techfleece.com)
- Sam Raimi Attached To Direct ‘Earp: Saints For Sinners’ (splashpage.mtv.com)
- Movie Trailer Round-up! (themonsterpopcorn.com)
- ‘Evil Dead’ Snared In Sequel Lawsuits As Sam Raimi Reboot Begins Filming (deadline.com)
- Dancing With The Stars – The Quick and the Dead (televisionwithoutpity.com)
- Dream: High Plains Drifter (hitchhikeamerica.wordpress.com)
- Trailer for the Sam Raimi Produced Horror Film THE POSSESSION (geektyrant.com)
- EVIL DEAD Sequel Trying To Be Made Without Sam Raimi… Raimi Sues (geektyrant.com)
- Sam Raimi Attached to Direct Alternate Wyatt Earp Story in ‘Earp: Saints for Sinners’ (slashfilm.com)
- The Cabin in the Woods (2012) (moviesfilmsandflix.com)
- Sam Raimi Trades a Few ‘Saints for Sinners’ (cinematical.com)
EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN
EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN-United States-1987
For all intents and purposes Evil Dead II is a direct remake of the original The Evil Dead. The story is the same, the setting is the same and it even features Bruce Campbell as Ash in a repeat performance. In fact, I even considered posting the same review from the first film. So what’s the big idea about this film? Why does it stand out against the original which is a great film in the first place? Well, that is what I am here to tell you.
Do you remember I said that the first Evil Dead was like a forest fire and that if you get in its way you’ll be left trampled underfoot and burned to a crisp? Well, it’s not like that at all with Evil Dead II. It’s more like there are two forest fires, one on your left and one on your right and they are coming at you with all the speed and flame that they can muster. You run straight ahead but there’s a train coming. You turn around to run the other way and BEEP! HONK! you get SPLATTERED by a semi! Yeah, that’s why Evil Dead II is even better than the first.
Oh, yeah, one more thing. It’s got Bruce Campbell in it and he’s got a chainsaw for a hand. Groovy, hail to the king, baby. Hail to the King.
TRIVIA
One of the books on the can that traps Ash’s possessed hand is Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms“.
Related articles
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- Drag Me to Hell (jmountswritteninblood.com)
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- Sam Raimi to remake The Evil Dead (independent.co.uk)
- Bruce Campbell Joins Twitter and Confirms the ‘Evil Dead’ Remake (moviefone.com)
THE EVIL DEAD
THE EVIL DEAD-United States-1981
Written and Directed by Sam Raimi
The very first word that comes to my mind regarding Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead is masterpiece. Stephen King described it as ‘the most ferociously original horror film of the year’ at the time of its release and nothing could be closer to the truth about this movie. There is ferocity to this film that a hundred other horror films could only have wet dreams about. It starts off slow and picks up speed like a forest fire. Get in its way and you will be burned to a crisp and trampled underfoot and left in a pool of your own boiling blood and gore.
The Evil Dead possesses one of the most threadbare plots that I have ever seen in a film. Five friends venture to a remote cabin where they find The Book of the Dead and a tape recording of demonic incantations. They read the book and play the tapes and all hell breaks loose. One by one they are all taken over by flesh possessing demons. All but Ash, that is; he’s the final girl of the film. He’s the one who has all the fun chopping off limbs, decapitating, poking his thumbs into eyeballs and listening as his now demonic girlfriend chants ‘We’re gonna get you’ over and over and over again. It seems the only way you can beat these evil dead baddies is through total bodily dismemberment. Oh, what a joy!
I watch The Evil Dead at least twice a year. It helps to remind me just what a horror film should be made up. Three parts fun, three parts fear and three parts blood and gore with a simple uncluttered plot. If you haven’t seen it, what the hell are you waiting for, a written invitation? Geez!
Trivia
Related articles
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- Bruce Campbell Talks Evil Dead Remake (dreadcentral.com)
- Bruce Campbell Says That Ash is NOT in ‘The Evil Dead’ Remake (moviefone.com)
- Drag Me to Hell (jmountswritteninblood.com)
DRAG ME TO HELL
DRAG ME TO HELL-United States-2009

- Lorna Raver as Sylvia Ganush
Trivia
Ellen Page was cast as Christine, but dropped out to star in Whip It (2009).
Sam Raimi’s friend Bruce Campbell, who appeared in some fashion in every other film Raimi directed, turned down a role because he was busy with his TV show “Burn Notice” (2007).
The license plate of Sylvia Ganush’s car is 99951. When it is turned upside-down, it reads IS666.





















































































