EVIL DEAD REMAKE GETS A PLOT

Things I like about this production....

- Raimi is turning a hungry newcomer of a director loose on this.

- There will be no new Ash Williams.  Trying to replace Bruce is impossible, so I'm glad they aren't even attempting it.

- It is "supposed" to be a down & dirty low budget production.

- It will be full-on horror and not try to imitate the gonzo aspects of the sequels (which would not be a good idea).

Things that worry me....

- Modern horror's over-reliance on CGI.  This should be practical FX all the way.  The cast should be made up of (good) unknowns, with the majority of whatever budget they have going towards the FX.  If they wanna use CGI, save it for creepy night skies.  Basically, use it in the same way Raimi used projection in the original.

- Ghost House Pictures.  They certainly don't have a good overall track record.

This has a chance to be something special.  Most of the remakes we have been given over the past decade have been pieces of shit.  A few have been middling efforts.  Even fewer have been outright good films (Texas Chainsaw, Dawn of the Dead, The Crazies, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha).  I really hope this falls into the latter category.  The opportunity is there.  Let's just hope that Fede Alvarez seizes it, runs beyond the limits with it, and isn't fucked with.  Otherwise.........why bother?

EDIT - I hope they keep the POV insanity intact.  With the advancements that have been made in handheld technology, you could go really nuts with it.  Just don't shaky-cam that shit though.

I'd love to see more exploitation of the Snorri-cam. I mean, you have to have the POV of the "Evil Force" in the film, but I wonder if Alvarez will ape Raimi's original camera styles or just do his own thing. I'd actually hope for a nice mixture.

I also hope they give Alvarez free reign to do what he wants on the production. If he can make a balls-out horror film, then it will be worth it.

Neglected to mention The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha remakes. Those are really solid, and up there with The Crazies and Dawn Of The Dead. I wonder if Aja was up for the directing gig at some point?

I like that idea.  And if she's a full on meth head then that's more than enough to make her look and act possessed.  It's not entirely dissimilar to people not realising that the shambling figures in Shaun of the Dead weren't post club wasters but actually zombies.

It has to be something different than just college kids vs evil, that's been done to death (pun not intended) and if this is going to stand on it's own two feet, as all involved seem to want, then it can't just ape the original.

As S.D. above though I really really hope it's all practical, especially squibs and blood (and pus) packs.  While I'm not a huge hater of CGI, I absolutely despise CGI blood spurt.  That alone was enough to make me stop watching Spartacus after the first episode and really spoiled Centurion for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rene (Mr.Eko) 

I wonder if Aja was up for the directing gig at some point?

I doubt it.  Raimi seemed adamant about finding a "newbie" for it, outside of apparently offering it to Chan-wook Park a few years back.

Besides, Aja is still remaked out the wazoo.  He's directed three already, is producing two more (Madman & Maniac), and potentially directing yet another (Pet Sematary) while he pulls together funding for Cobra: The Space Pirate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Bain 

I like that idea.  And if she's a full on meth head then that's more than enough to make her look and act possessed.  It's not entirely dissimilar to people not realising that the shambling figures in Shaun of the Dead weren't post club wasters but actually zombies.

 

It has to be something different than just college kids vs evil, that's been done to death (pun not intended) and if this is going to stand on it's own two feet, as all involved seem to want, then it can't just ape the original.

 

As S.D. above though I really really hope it's all practical, especially squibs and blood (and pus) packs.  While I'm not a huge hater of CGI, I absolutely despise CGI blood spurt.  That alone was enough to make me stop watching Spartacus after the first episode and really spoiled Centurion for me.

Just wanted to say  if you stopped watching Spartacus after the first episode, you missed out. CGI blood was distracting definitely, but holy shit did that series get amazing by the end (and the prequel's even better). In my opinion, the ultimate bro soap opera.

As for the plot reveal, eh, not really swayed one way or the other. Pretty much any movie can sound meh when boiled down to a sentence or to, I'll at least wait for a trailer before throwing this under the bus.

... and hopefully said remake will be buried in said plot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rene (Mr.Eko) 

Neglected to mention The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha remakes. Those are really solid, and up there with The Crazies and Dawn Of The Dead. I wonder if Aja was up for the directing gig at some point?

About as solid as Types 1-3 on the Bristol Stool Chart.

Anyway. It sounds different enough to be it's own movie, leaving branding as the only reason to justify the title. Nothing new, it's just so baldly transparent. If they're not going for the comedy, that's too bad, because the idea of a junkie flipping out and acting like a Deadite puts a smile on my face just typing it.

SD mirrors my thoughts on how this could turn into a positive and negative.

That being said I just don't have a good feeling on this at all.

This is a sad day or Evil Dead fans. I'm going to put in Evil Dead 2 and forget any of this ever happened.

If Raimi's not directingn then what's the point?  That was one of the best things about the first two...his direction was like another character in the film, an intricate part of its charm.  And I sure as fuck don't want the new director trying to mimic Riami...*shudders*

And the new plot isn't bad, it just doesn't belong in an Evil Dead film.

Getting a very Terminator 3 vibe from this.  A film that tries to look, sound and act like the first two that had a creator intricate to its core success, but just comes off as a bad imitation by less than ideal hands.

How many recent remakes have actually been good? Dawn of the Dead, Fright Night, Ocean's 11 and I'll even count Friday the 13th; the rest have been lame and not big hits. I guess remakes don't cost a lot, so they're a safe bet. As of now I have no desire to see the new Evil Dead. Now if Jensen Ackles is the lead, I might change my mind.

Yeah, but even that angle has been done to death. LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS, DEVIL'S DEN, THE DOGHOUSE just to name a few recent ones.

I don't need a new premise here. Or evn (especially) a remake. I'd just prefer a sequel to DRAG ME TO HELL with a visit to a cabin as an homage to EVIL DEAD. Maybe a Chin cameo. And directed by Raimi please.

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Originally Posted by DARKMITE8 

I'd just prefer a sequel to DRAG ME TO HELL with a visit to a cabin as an homage to EVIL DEAD. Maybe a Chin cameo. And directed by Raimi please.

Justin Long's friends take him up to that family cabin to cheer him up after the death of his fiancee......................

Glad I'm not the only one who caught Raimi's little tease to the fans at the end of that one.

I don't agree with the idea that the CRAZIES REMAKE was anywhere close to a good film, much less on the level of THE HILLS HAVE EYES REMAKE (one of my favorite horror films of all time), but I don't see a reason this has to be terrible, and I wish this movie the best. As long as they're taking the basic concept and going in a different direction, I don't see a problem. Sounds like a good set up for some spooky happenings!

Now that I think of it Justin Long would make an EXCELLENT Bruce Campbell 2.0.  Shame they aren't going that way.

There's always a chance!  Maybe Justin Long developed a drug addiction after his girl was dragged to hell?

Yeah, that won't happen.  Might be cool if it did though.  The best way to exploit the whole "kicking the drug habit" would be for the addict to be the lone survivor...........and then be mistakenly locked up for murdering his friends.  After all, who would believe what really happened?