Like the versions before, this film centers around a group of 20-somethings that decide to get away from it all and stay in an old, dilapidated cabin. Of course, the connecting item between all of the Evil Dead movies (including Army of Darkness) is the Naturom Demonto (or Necronomicon) and the havoc it wreaks on those around it.
This time, the group consists of Mia (Jane Levy, Suburgatory), a junkie wanting to quit her addiction cold turkey with the help of her friends. These friends include Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), and Olivia (Jessica Lucas), a nurse, as well as her semi-estranged brother, David (Shiloh Fernandez) and his girlfriend, Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore). It seems Mia has tried to break her addiction before, but she didn’t last very long, as a result, her friends are going to do whatever it takes to keep Mia from backing out again, which really is too bad because it isn’t long before the group is stuck there despite their growing desire to leave.
After some brief exploring of the old family cabin, the group discovers that the house was broken into and the basement was apparently the site of some strange ritual. One of the group ends up doing the worst thing possible. Not only does the Naturom Demonto get opened, but it also gets read. What results is a hellish night when a demon is unleashed and possesses Mia. The group starts dropping like flies as each person finds themselves in deadlier and deadlier situations - can any of them actually get out before the demon consumes the requisite number of souls that will allow it to walk the Earth?
While all of the actors do a great job with their roles, Levy outshines everyone as she not only has to portray the addict going through withdrawals, but also one that becomes possessed by such a gruesome creature.
The Evil Dead comes with several interesting special features including an interview with Director Fade Alvarez. Another follows Levy for a day as she goes through the makeup process and films part of the movie’s final action sequence. There is also a lot in this special feature about the rest of the work she did outside of that particular scene. There is also a featurette that talks about the difficulty of the shoot itself and how much physical and mental effort it took to portray the various roles in the film. While all of the actors went through a lot, Levy is a focus in this featurette.
Besides a top-quality visual and audio experience, the Blu-ray version of Evil Dead also comes with a few exclusive extras including commentary tracks and a featurette that has Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert talking about what led up to making the new Evil Dead film. The Blu-ray exclusives also includes a segment about designing the new Necronomicon.
Evil Dead is a fantastic horror flick that is a must-buy for fans of the genre and of the series.
