Trailer Tuesday: Evil Dead (2013)

Warning: The trailer you're about to watch is VERY disturbing. And the similarly age-restricted feature trailer, even more so...

 When it comes to reboots and remakes, no movie genre contains more than Horror, particularly over the past decade. Joining the reimagining ranks in the first half of 2013 is Evil Dead, a 21st Century treatment of Sam Raimi's cult, career-launching classic.

You should know the plot by now, especially since it was so central to last year's part-parody The Cabin in the Woods (my review): A group of twentysomethings (played by largely unknowns) are vacationing in a remote log cabin when they find a musty old book. They read incantations from it, and accidentally summon a malevolent entity. Cue the Evil Dead franchise staples: Demonic possession, tree rape and self-inflicted body mutilation...

Frankly, I'm not at all opposed to an Evil Dead remake. For one thing, the "bad stuff happens in the woods" concept has been terrifying people around the world for centuries - think Hansel and Gretel - and it remains a gold mine of unnerving opportunity.

For another thing, I've never been inducted into the Evil Dead cult of fandom. I've only ever seen the second and third films in the original trilogy and they started veering more into goofy than frightening territory. As a result, I am very keen for a predominantly serious, scare-focused Evil Dead film. 

For the record, lest you think Evil Dead 2013 is a cheap cash-in being rushed out by a soulless studio executive (or Michael Bay's production company), the remake has been produced by Raimi and Evil Dead leading man, geek icon Bruce Campbell - whose iconic character Ash has intelligently been left out of the remake to avoid comparisons for some poor young actor.

Anyway, Evil Dead is currently making some very grand promises in its marketing material - its poster screams "The most terrifying film you will ever experience." Judging by its trailers, though, it isn't pulling any punches. And first time feature film director Fede Alvarez is sticking to old school practical effects instead of slick CGI to creep us out, which these days is appreciated.

Evil Dead releases in North America on 12 April. It hits South African cinemas on 17 May.