Most remakes are unnecessary and never live up to the original, but there are a few that come along that somehow capture the same essence. In 2013 the team behind the cult classic Evil Dead trilogy, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell got behind a remake of the classic film that started it all with director Fede Alverez taking the helm before he unleased Don’t Breathe and Alien Romulus on audiences.

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Evil Dead follows five twenty-something friends who become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.

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With Campbell not returning as Ash I was leery on giving this film a chance, but I was so glad I did at the time of its release. It takes everything excellent about the original film and amps it up to a way more intense and disturbing level. While the campy nature of the original films is part of what makes them work, this film goes all in with a serious tone and gritty visual to lean into the world of the deadites like never before.

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The film pulls no punches and brings insanity at every corner. By comparison it is a better horror film, but a lot of that has to do with the modern effects and budget that it had to step things up. Alverez vision took it to a new place that brings the world of the deadites and book of the dead to terrifying new heights while respecting the original and pays homage to it in numerous ways.

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