One of my favorite horror films is The Evil Dead, the 1981 "cabin in the woods" classic that was also shot approximately an hour away from my hometown. I came to horror a little late in the game, but being a movie freak and knowing that a significant bit of cinema history happened just up the road made the idea of filmmaking accessible to some kid in semi-rural Tennessee whose family could fix a fleet of pick-up trucks but would look at a grip stand with incredulity. I even tried to wrangle an interview with director Sam Raimi years ago, prior to his career-changing involvement with the Spider-Man movies (I did meet him briefly, years ago at Comic-Con AFTER the Spider-Man announcement, where he was dressed as always in a suit and tie, and I got his attention by yelling "Tennessee still loves ya, Sam!" He smiled, came over to where I was sitting near the Marvel Comics booth, and we had a great chat that I will always remember and he likely soon forgot). I even tracked down leading man and current Burn Notice badass Bruce Campbell at what is likely a long-defunct e-mail address, and he answered some questions for me for the retrospective article that never materialized. So, yes, I'm a fan of The Evil Dead.
I had every intention of seeing the remake/reboot/reimagining on opening weekend, hopefully in a full auditorium with a crowd ready to have a good time the way you can only have a good time at a horror show, but I was actually crewing on a television pilot during those weeks (yay getting paid to work in the industry you always hoped to!) and my weekends were spent recuperating, not going to see movies. So I regrettably missed it. I hated that I would most likely have to wait for home video, but that's the way I saw the original, so it would have to do.
I have been bombing around Atlanta, GA these past few weeks, and had been meaning to check out the local discount cinema, the Venture Cinema 12 in Duluth. On a whim, I checked the listings and there I saw it: though just out on Blu-Ray, Evil Dead (you can tell the movies apart because the new one skips using the stuffy ol' article The) was showing at the bargain house. I rushed out to catch the first show.
The Venture Cinema 12 has seen better days. Not to say it's a bad joint, but it's no Arclight on Sunset. It's cash-only, and not terribly busy, at least not for the first show on a weekday. The box office clerk was drawing quite the well-rendered eyeball on an envelope as I approached, and I was reminded that I used to work in a movie theater as a teenager, and though illustration wasn't my art, I was always thinking about the movies I would make one day that might be shown on the screens in front of the seats off of which I dusted popcorn kernels between shows.
I sat down. There was already a young couple in the theater. We were soon joined by another three teenagers, and some straggling singles popped in as the flick started up. I soon became worried, because the sound in the auditorium was not the best (calling it "mono" might do an injustice to a well-mixed mono track), and I expected these raucous teenagers would probably not have much care for a movie they only paid a couple of bucks to see. I was wrong. Other than a couple of glances at a cell phone (if you're reading this and check your cell phones during movie screenings, please stop doing that), it was actually one of the most respectful audiences with which I've seen a movie in a long time. Maybe they also were trying to concentrate on the bad sound, but I don't really care why they were a good crowd, just that they were.
All told, the bad sound helped the experience. Though a new film, Evil Dead is a throwback to weird, classic horror, and the scratched print and the sound and the creaky seats and the not-newness of the auditorium made me almost believe I was watching this movie at midnight in a theater that waved me in despite my being too young to see it. It also made me pay attention, and paying careful attention to a horror film, trying to heighten all your senses so as not to miss anything, also primordially makes you worry that you'll see something you absolutely DO NOT want to see. It keeps the adrenaline in the red, exactly where you want it.
Now, unless you have witnessed no truly scary horror, or just happen to catch it at the proper moment in your formative years, Evil Dead is not "the most terrifying film you will ever experience." But it is a lot of fun. Maybe I'm predisposed to like it, but I don't care. The notion of using a secluded cabin to kick a drug habit is a bit of genius from co-writer/director Fede Alvarez, and helps cover the always-crucial question in horror films, "Why don't they just leave?" by grounding it in character. Of course, by the time everyone determines that leaving would be a really good idea, it's too late.
I am admittedly a big Shiloh Fernandez fan and hoped for a big showing from him here. He's strong as always, but is saddled with the oft-thankless straight man role as David. That's fine, horror films need a steady presence upon which to anchor the drama, and Shiloh can certainly play soulful, stoic, and resourceful. The revelation in this movie, however, is Jane Levy, who runs the gamut of emotions and sells every one like she needs to feed her family. I knew she was cute as hell and starred in a network sitcom, but you can say that about dozens of actors. Granted, she has the showcase role as Mia, the drying-out junkie, but if that part is played by a lesser actor, the movie crumbles. Levy seemingly cares not a whit about glamor or being sure she looks attractive for at least one publicity still. She begins the movie in a baggy, frumpy sweatshirt and is literally covered in blood by the end, and in between she suffers all manner of hell (I was never truly scared by Evil Dead, but the knife-licking bit still sticks with me, and Levy even emerges from the infamous tree rape scene with her dignity intact). It is the sort of commitment to a role that gets overlooked because it's in a horror film filled with young adult characters, but Jane Levy as Mia will undoubtedly be one of my favorite performances of 2013 when it's all said and done, and I can't wait to see what she does next. One more time: Jane Levy owns, and it is absolutely worth seeing Evil Dead for her alone.
I walked out into the sharp daylight after staying for all the credits ("Groovy!") and had that great post-show moment of feeling affirmed, sun shining and humidity embracing after all the dark and air conditioning of the auditorium. I'm not saying I like horror because it allows you to face your fears, then go on with your life, but that's as good a reason as any. But I'd rather watch a horror movie than fight Atlanta traffic. There's your horror.
(Follow me on Twitter @TheOneWhoKnox)
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