We have arrived in the creepiest of months and with that I have embarked on my creepiest of film line ups. All through this October I will be reviewing exclusively horror films and franchises, and we kick the month off with a Franchise Friday looking at ‘Evil Dead’. This a franchise where I have seen the majority of the films already, with the 2013 remake being the only one I ma yet to see, so I know what I am getting into and I know its great. Although, it has been a long time since I last saw the original three films so maybe my opinion will change. Let’s see, shall we?
The Evil Dead (1981)
This film looks and feels like it was made by a group of friends on a budget which is equivalent to that of a ham sandwich and a pint of Fosters, and that is because it is a film made by a group of friends on a budget that is equivalent to that of a ham sandwich and a pint of Fosters. And yet, the end result is much more along the lines of a sandwich and lager of much higher quality (I don’t exact know what I’m talking about, but Fosters is effectively piss water). Yes, there are some elements of the film that are not great. It quite often looks really cheap and the acting is less than stellar, although to be fair it is no worse than a lot of the acting in other horror films around the same time. The basic narrative is also not exactly unique with the film being based around a group of college students going to a cabin in the woods only for all hell to break loose. But the film is so much more than your standard cabin in the woods horror. It is so damn creative with its makeup and gore effects and remains a standout for the genre in that regard. There is a scene towards the end where the film goes stop motion with its gore and, although looking a little dated, remains brilliant visually. The film is also super creative in how it is shot. Raimi goes all out experimenting with interesting shots with the super quick POV shots being a staple, which is no better than in the final shot which genuinely superb. The film is also a ton of fun. Excessive? Yes, but that is why the film is so great. It does not shy away from the gore and is not afraid to get ludicrous at times. The film is definitely a horror film, but the ridiculousness of it means that it can also be funny (which is important for where the franchise went after this film) and it is so much fun to watch. However, this excess does go a little to far for one scene and I would be remiss to not mention it. Yes, I’m talking about the tree rape scene. This scene is brutal and not shy in what it shows you. In a film full of excess, this scene takes it too far in my opinion. I’m not entirely opposed to a scene like this being in the film, although I don’t think it actually needs it and the way they it is shot Is almost cruel and is a blemish on the film. Despite this the film does remain a ton of fun and has a certain charm to it that many not many other horror films have. It is no surprise it became a cult classic and spawned a series which is just as loved despite a large change in tone. Speaking of…
Evil Dead II (1987)
So, I watched both these films for the first time a couple years ago. I watched them back to back and at that time I enjoyed the first one more. Upon second watch I can’t believe how wrong I was. That isn’t to say that re-watching this film has made me dislike the first film, but holy mother of god ‘Evil Dead II’ is so much damn fun. First thing to mention is that this film isn’t so much a straight-up sequel as it is a pseudo sequel. That is because it effectively re-writes the first film in the opening few minutes. Instead of being a group of teens in the cabin it is just Ash and his girlfriend, but the rest of what happened in the first film stays true. Well, except that Ash is almost a completely different character in this film. He goes from being a dweeb in that first film to being a full-on action star with one liners, and it works so well for the tone the film goes for. These small changes make the film feel like it is a second attempt at making the film Sam Raimi had initially envisaged, and he knocks it out the park. For starters, the film looks a hundred times better. Not necessarily just in the quality of the visuals, but also the competency of how it is shot and the special effects. It is overall a much better film on a technical level, without losing the low budget charm of the first film. The biggest change this film makes is that it goes from the first film being focused on being a horror to this film being very much a horror-comedy. And it is one of the best around in that particular sub-genre. I laughed out loud on so many occasions during this film and it is due to the creativity of the filmmakers and a wonderful performance by Bruce Campbell as Ash who is a comedic genius. The film effectively dissolves into slapstick and I love it. There is also an entire sequence in the film which is basically a Tom and Jerry sketch, with Ash being Jerry and Tom being his demon possessed hand. This sequence is followed by the best moment in the film where the cabin and all the inanimate objects come to laugh and start manically laughing, leading Ash to join in. This sequence is brilliantly shot, incredibly creative, with brilliant special effects and manages to be both creepy and funny at the same time. Also, this film is not shy on blood and the excessive use of it is so ridiculous that it becomes funny. The film does lull a little bit during the middle, but it is mostly a frenetic, hilarious, and endlessly fun film which takes all the positives of the first film and build on them brilliantly. It also sets up the third film right at the end which is both a great little twist from a line set up earlier in the film and a great ending from a comedic standpoint. From what I remember the third film is the weakest of the original three, but maybe that will have changed.
Army of Darkness (1992)
So, I still feel this is the weakest of the three films, but I have to say I enjoyed it more second time around. It is easily the most ridiculous of the three films from its plot alone. I mean, how can a film series that started as a cabin in the woods style horror film become a series that, due to time travel, is set in medieval times, because that’s what this film is. Ash is sent back to 1300AD to save a medieval city from being overrun by the Deadites (the spirits of the series). Because of this the film has easily the biggest scale of the trilogy, including a full-on medieval battle at the films climax, and I don’t know if this is a strength. All the scenes involving the plot and the medieval people interacting with Ash are fun, but they are the weaker parts of the film. The film really shines when it goes back into the smaller, more enclosed, ‘Evil Dead’ style scenes. The comedic, slap-stick elements of the prior film are back in full force and are just as creative and well executed. Again, there are several moments in this film where I was laughing out loud, and it is again down to the brilliant slapstick of Bruce Campbell. He is so good in the role of Ash at being both a bumbling, comedic fool and a genuinely believable, if over the top, action hero. One thing this film doesn’t have that the other films do is a copious amount of blood. There is one scene early doors which uses a comedic amount of blood, but then this element of the film is put right on the back burner. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I did miss it deep down. Despite being the most plot heavy of the trilogy it is the least interesting, mostly because I’m not really watching these films for plot. I’m watching it for the creative, slap-stick horror stylings of Sam Raimi and while this film does deliver that it is not executed as well as ‘Evil Dead II’. Now we have come to the end of the films in this franchise that I have seen prior to this Franchise Friday, with the only film remaining being the 2013 remake. I’ve heard quite positive things and I’ve been meaning to watch the film since it came out, so I am excited. Don’t let me down movie!
Evil Dead (2013)
Well I have to admit it did let me down a little, but not for reasons I can be annoyed at. And I say this because this is a very solid horror film of a certain sub-genre, but that certain sub-genre is not one I particularly care for. This is a very well-made gory film, and when I saw gory, I mean gratuitous and often difficult to watch levels of gore. This film is not afraid to b violent and show you in this violence in explicit detail, often times making me wince or want to turn away from the screen. Unfortunately, I don’t particularly care for films like that. I don’t actively dislike them, but they don’t do anything for me on an emotional level. Yes, I wince and don’t want to look at the screen, but this is more of a physical reaction to seeing something disgusting rather than a feeling of fear. So, while it very much succeeds in this area and I’m sure people who enjoy that sub-genre will lap it up it just doesn’t do much for me. But there is a lot about this film I like, especially in how it treats the films that came before it. This film is more of a re-boot than a re-make as it has a completely different set of characters with completely different motivations. In the original film it was your classic young people out in a cabin for a fun weekend. This film has our group at the cabin as a solidarity weekend for their friend, Mia, who is trying to kick her drug habit. This also leads to a fun narrative plot point where her friends think she is just suffering from severe withdrawals when shit starts to go down, which gives a different dynamic to the tone of the film. And as you can probably guess from that plot summary this film has a much darker tone then the other three films in the franchise, which I am not opposed to necessarily. The film is also very successful in paying homage to the original two films of the franchise while never going overboard or using those films as a crutch to stand on. And what I liked most about the film was some of the film’s visuals. There are some great shots in this film with some genuinely creepy ones which really add to the atmosphere of the film. But the best shot comes right at the end of the film. I won’t spoil it here, but I will just say that it is holy shit levels of awesome. It genuinely made me consider bumping this up in rating on Letterboxd, I loved it that much. So yeah, this is the worst of the franchise for me, but that is mainly because f the style of film it decided to be. In terms of being successful as a film of that ilk there is a little negative, I can say about it.
So, we have come to the end of my first Franchise Friday of October and in doing so have kicked off my month of horror films. Overall, this was a very solid first franchise to choose with every film being enjoyable, and with the first two being great. I would be very surprised if I watched a franchise as good as this throughout the rest of the month. What am I saying, I have already planned out what franchise I am going to watch, I know I won’t watch a franchise as good as this, or at least as consistent as this. So, stay tuned this October to get your horror fix. I’ll be getting more I’ve my fair share.