Gore-filled horror remake entertains but can't top original.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Extreme, over-the-top gore, including gallons of dripping, spraying, vomiting, and raining blood; fighting; bashing with hard objects; slicing and stabbing; shooting (with both nail guns and regular guns); burning alive; severed limbs; and being scalded with hot water. Dead cats and a dead dog are shown. The infamous "tree rape" scene from the original movie is repeated here (a tree's branches violate a female character), but it's slightly less graphic.
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The movie's main character is a young adult drug addict who's trying to kick her habit. She dumps a packet of what appears to be heroin down a well as she vows to quit. She's never shown taking drugs, but she does suffer DTs during the course of the movie. She's also seen smoking a cigarette in one scene.
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Much of the language is seen in print, in the "book of the dead." Words include "f--k," "motherf----r," and "bitch." But characters also say "f--k," as well as "s--t," "hell," "damn," "oh my God," and "a--holes." A demon uses "c--t" and "c--k" once each, but in a "demonic" voice that isn't always clear.
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It appears as if some of the characters are in relationships, but very little is made of this, with little affection/kissing shown. One character uses the sexually suggestive phrase "bumping uglies" in passing.
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An older brother learns how to be present to help out his family members, improving on an earlier failure to visit his mom in the hospital. His sister yearns to stop her drug addiction, enlisting the aid of her closest friends and family to help. Unfortunately, teamwork between the siblings and the other characters doesn't always go very smoothly.
Positive Role Models
very little
A main character is a drug addict who tries to kick her habit. Her behavior varies from admirable to poor, and the events of the story tend to impede her progress, but she at least appears to be on the right track.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Evil Dead is a remake of Sam Raimi's classic early-'80s horror movie The Evil Dead. Like the original, it's filled with over-the-top gore, including spraying, dripping, and raining blood; stabbing; slicing; bashing; shooting (with both nail guns and regular guns); burning; and scalding. Dead cats and a dead dog are shown, and the infamous "tree rape" scene from the original is repeated here, though it's slightly less graphic this time around. On the other hand, language is stronger here than in the original, with both spoken and printed uses of "f--k" and "s--t." And a main character is a drug addict who's attempting to kick her habit; she's shown dumping a packet of heroin and going through withdrawals, but she isn't shown taking drugs. Sexuality isn't much of an issue, though minor suggestion is seen/heard. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
The acting in this movie was kind of mediocre. Some parts did feel slow and I was checking the time at some points. But I still had a little bit of fun with this movie.
What's the Story?
David (Shiloh Fernandez) and his girlfriend, Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore), arrive at a remote cabin in the woods, where David's sister, Mia (Jane Levy), is going to attempt to kick her drug habit. Two other friends, Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) and Olivia (Jessica Lucas), are also there to help. Tension arises around the fact that David hasn't been around lately, but things get much worse when the group finds dozens of dead cats hanging from the rafters in the basement. Then Eric finds and reads a strange-looking book, which unleashes all kinds of horrific demons into the cabin -- or is it just Mia hallucinating? It's eventually up to David to find a way to put a stop to all the craziness for good.
This fresh take on Sam Raimi's The Evil Deadpacks a punch. A newcomer from Uruguay, director Fede Alvarez was given the task of remaking one of the great classics of the horror genre, and though he can't top the original, he provides enough new ideas and enough energy to make the remake a decent movie in its own right. To start, he turns the cabin getaway into a trip with a serious point -- kicking a drug habit -- rather than just a weekend party. This gives a whole new slant to the story, and the character's potential withdrawal hallucinations can be blamed for the initial horrors.
Otherwise, Alvarez seems to know where to pay tribute to the original -- i.e. the use of a chainsaw, vomiting a river of blood, a light bulb filling with blood, and the appearance of a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88. Alvarez also tries to keep the kinetic, frenzied horror from the original, though he makes it a bit darker and less comical. But he also knows where to depart, with his new characters, their relationships, and their particular problems.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Evil Dead's violence and gore. Why did the filmmakers go so over the top with it? What effect does it have? Why?
Is the movie scary? What would make it scarier, or less scary?
How does this movie compare to the original? Why do you think so many horror movies get remade? Is this one better or worse than others you've seen? Why?
How did you feel about the main character trying to quit her drug habit? Is she a sympathetic character, or does she seem like a bad person?
MPAA explanation:
strong bloody violence and gore, some sexual content and language
Last updated:
August 5, 2024
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By Jeffrey M. Anderson
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