Movie Review: Evil Dead

This weekend I decided to take a small break from my schoolwork and check out the new film Evil Dead.

My opinion is a little mixed.

First the good - the special effects are pretty darn amazing; by staying away from computer generated effects the imagery looks raw, and honestly, much more realistic.  Also it's very gruesome, so maybe not a film for the kids or the faint hearted.  The acting is well done, and a special notice goes to lead Jane Levy as she brings a really great vulnerability to the role.

All right, the questionable - there is a Bruce Campbell cameo, but it's pretty strange.  I'm a huge fan of him, but I wish they had found a more constructive way to put him in the film.

Finally the bad - this movie sort of felt unnecessary.  Last year the film The Cabin in the Woods, covered much of the same territory, and even without the official Evil Dead name to it, it just made a terrific kids at the spooky cabin film.  This movie does everything it needs to do, but in the end, The Evil Dead did all of this back in 1981.

I don't think I'll add this to my DVD collection, but if my local library gets it I may check it out to see the behind the scenes stuff and check out the commentary.

Things I've Noticed: When I was 35, It was a very good year...

I’m turning thirty-six on Saturday, so as I sit here typing I’m thinking of all the stuff I’ve done in the last 367 days, and overall I’ve done pretty well.

 

I’ve kept up with my blogging; three posts a week every week (over three years now) and although some of them could have been pretty short, they have all continued to let me gush about my favourite genres, and reading and life in general.

 

I’ve completed my first third of Library School (which I bragged about here)

 

I examined the trend of re-imagining in Horror cinema

 

I got to go to the Alberta Library Conference.

 

I found my favourite Horror Comedy of the last seven years (since Shawn of the Dead)

 

I got to spend the day before their birthday with both of my kids for the first time in six years.

 

I found my favourite Horror video-game since Resident Evil 2 back in 1998

 

And most importantly I got to spend another year married to the nicest lady I’ve ever met.

 

Man, if 35 was this awesome – I can’t wait to see 36!

Genre Character of the Week: Oliver Yates

Last weekend I finally got around to seeing the 1982 movie Cat People (a remake of the 1942 original), which my wife has been shocked that I, a guy who loves monster movies, had never gotten around to seeing.  Interestingly for me, although the movie definitely focuses on the were-cat creatures (whoops - sorry for the mild 30-year-old spoiler) played by Malcolm McDowell and Nastassja Kinski (who were both great in the film, btw), the character of Oliver Yates, played by (John Heard), was the stand out, and this weeks genre character.

Oliver is a zoo curator - basically the guy behind the purchasing, selling and handling of the animals in the New Orleans zoo, when he meets a strange girl named Irena.  What starts as a strange romance actually ends up as a terrifying, all-consuming relationship for him.  What I like about Oliver (and this definitely comes down to the actor) is how well the audience can see how quickly he is drawn into the world of this strange, mystifying girl.

The movie is pretty graphic, both in terms of violence and sex, and although it doesn't have the classic status of the 1942 original, it may be (although it was twenty years too early for the trend) and remaining of the original, wherein we look at the story from a different point of view and maybe understand the monsters a little more.

Wrapping up the Reimagining

So here we are, one month and ten horror reimaginings later and what have we learned? In the simplest of statements:

Most of these films are not worth your time, I watched them so you don't have to.

I guess if I had to rank then in order of watchability it would go as follows

Reimaginings that I would consider good movies

1. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

2. Fright Night (2011)

3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Reimaginings that may appeal to horror fans

4. Halloween (2007)

5. Last House on the Left (2009)

6. The Thing (2011)

7. Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Reimaginings that are not worth your time

8. Prom Night (2008)

9. Friday the 13th (2009)

10. Halloween II (2009)

In the end, can I say watching these films was worth my time? I guess. It gave me lots to talk to all of you about, and now when I hear a thirteen-year-old explain to me how awesome that new Friday the 13th film was, I can shake my head and smile.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!