The Evil Dead - No more messing 'round, We mean business this time.

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Plot
An injured and staggering girl is captured in the woods. She awakens tied to a post in a basement, with many people present. The girl's father is about to light her on fire, and she initially pleads for him to save her, but then quickly reveals she is possessed. She is set ablaze before Harold shoots her in the head with the iconic double barreled sawed-off shotgun.

Some time later, a group of friends meet up at an old cabin deep in the woods. The group consists of Eric, Olivia, Mia, Mia's brother David, and David's girlfriend Natalie. The group has arranged this getaway as a rehab for Mia. Her drug addition previously caused her to overdose, nearly killing her. Olivia suggests that Mia will attempt to bail out, and they should keep her from leaving, to which they all agree.

Upon entering the cabin, Mia complains about a stench of death, to which the rest of the group appear oblivious. After David's dog begins sniffing at a rug in the main room, they discover the door to a cellar. There, they find various animal corpses suspended from the ceiling and wrapped in barbed wire, a double-barreled shotgun, a book covered in a black trash bag and wrapped in barbed wire. It is the Naturom Demonto, and Ignoring repeated warnings scrawled on its pages, Eric ends up reading a passage from the book aloud.

A demon that starts haunting Mia. Terrified, she pleads the group to leave, but they refuse. Mia tries to drive away, but the demon, now taking the form of a darker version of Mia herself, chases her into the woods and possesses her using a long wooden tendril.

The group finds Mia and take her back to the cabin where she attempts to warn David, but the group dismisses her pleas as an excuse to leave. David then finds his dog bludgeoned to death with a hammer and he attempts to confront Mia about it. He finds her locked in the bathroom and with self induced burns on her face from the boiling hot shower. David attempts to drive her to a hospital, but a flood has blocked the roads. 

Back at the cabin, they try to sedate Mia, but she shows up in the living room with the shotgun and shoots her brother in the arm. Mia tells the group in a demonic voice that they will not survive the night before she collapses to the floor. Olivia tries to seize the shotgun, but Mia attacks her, vomiting blood on Olivia's face. During the struggle, Mia falls into the cellar and is locked in. Olivia goes to the bathroom to retrieve more sedatives for Mia, but strangely does not return right away. Eric goes in to check on her, only to find that she has become possessed and has cut off a large portion of flesh from the side of her face. Olivia attacks Eric, stabbing him with a broken piece of a mirror and a syringe, but Eric manages to beat her head open with a broken piece of the sink.

Immediately after, as David attempts to patch up Eric's wounds, Natalie hears Mia crying in the cellar, and goes to check on her. When Mia's treachery is revealed, she traps Natalie in the basement, bites her hand, and then vomits blood into her mouth. Natalie is rescued by David, but a black infection starts spreading quickly up her arm from the wound in her hand. However, Natalie is able to regain focus long enough to cut her own arm off with an electric knife in an attempt to stop the possession. 

Eric's attempts to destroy the book are shown to be futile; he reveals that the book describes a prophecy by which a demon known as the Taker of Souls needs to devour five souls in order to release the Abomination from hell. To achieve this, the Taker has taken Mia's body, and the only ways to release her are to burn her, bury her alive, or dismember her. A possessed Natalie attacks David and Eric with a nail gun and crowbar before her remaining arm is shot off by David and she bleeds to death.

David resolves to burn the cabin and Mia with it, but after being overcome with emotion as Mia sings a lullaby from their childhood, he devises another plan. He enters the cellar with tranquilizers but Mia attacks and kills Eric. David immobilizes Mia and buries her while she taunts him. After Mia dies, he digs her up and using an improvised defibrillator he revives her, now free from the possession. David goes back into the house for the car keys but he is then attacked by a possessed Eric. The mortally wounded David gives Mia the keys, tells her to leave, and locks her out of the house. David shoots a container filled with gasoline igniting the house on fire, killing himself and Eric in the process.

Shortly after, the final stage of the prophecy from the book takes place: it begins to rain blood, and the Abomination crawls out of the ground and goes after Mia. During the chase, Mia cuts off the Abomination's feet with a chainsaw, but then is forced to rip off her hand when it becomes pinned under David's jeep. Mia then manages to kill the Abomination with the chainsaw, and its remains sink back into the ground. The blood rain stops as dawn breaks, and Mia wanders away from the aftermath, oblivious to the Naturom Demonto on the ground as the book closes on its own.

During the end credits, audio is heard, from the original film, of Professor Raymond Knowby telling about his discovery of the Naturom Demonto. Then, in a brief post-credits scene, an older Ash Williams recites his iconic line from the original films, "Groovy", and turns to the audience.

The Good, the Bad, and the Gorey

The Good
The Progression
I didn't want to officially label "The Plot" as a good quality, since I take some issue with it. The plot is a new twist on the classic story, but it still feels a little formulaic. Weird Noise--> Investigation--->Gore--->Repeat. But honestly I should criticize, because the creativity and humor of these bloody encounters was more than enough to suck me in. Each new little scene of broken glass, spitting blood, or nail guns, freaky (and sometimes funny) with just a light breather between each episode. Once the action starts, It doesn't slow down.

The Bad

The Acting

With the added plot line, our actors get more screen time to strut their stuff. And really it's not that bad. They are decent, and horror decent is like Hollywood Oscar-worthy. I didn't come here to watch acting. I don't remember any of the actor's names or faces, but I do remember every way they died on screen  

The Scares

I almost don't want to criticize The Evil Dead on this point, mainly because compared to a lot of modern horror, this film is very traditional. So many horror flicks today rely on the Cheap Scare. They build up the music and slow down the action, just building tension before they jump out at you. I've always been a bigger fan of situational horror or disturbing horror. The Exorcist crab-walk down the stairs didn't make me pee my pants because it jumped out at me, it was because that was some messed up sh**. The Evil Dead does deliver some good traditional horror, but I did find myself kicking the seat in front of me and cursing a lot. 

Nitpick and Loose Ends

Even with the new fancy plot line, this new film left a couple holes. Unlike the original, it doesn't explain the origin of the Book. Also, we get some story set up in the intro, but never hear anything else about it. What happened to the father? Who were those weird and deformed people?

Also, when I think of The Evil Dead (1981) I immediately think of that twisted lullaby sung to Ash by a demon peeking up from the basement. I know we couldn't get everything we wanted, but come on, that was my favorite.

The Gorey

If any movie gave birth to modern Splatter flicks, The Evil Dead (1981) would be it. Sure exhibition films had been around for a while, but gore reaching comical levels was still taking roots in movies like Braindead. That being said I was counting on some great gore in this movie, and it was delivered. We got dismemberment, self mutilation, blood vomit, burns, stabs, and blasts. Most of the work is done with CGI, but I was okay with it. I'm normally a purest for cornstarch blood, but all the CGI gore was realistic and tasteful. They don't go crazy with it, only using CGI for the tough shots. 

This is not a movie for kids. This is not a movie for teenagers. This is not a movie for adults. This is a movie people that delight in the morbid and ghastly. This unyielding level of gore is usually only seen in Torture Porn flicks.

Nitpick Note: I hate when a film uses raining blood or head-to-toe soaks a character in blood. If the canvas is already red, blood and gore becomes less dramatic.

Cool Featurette!

My Take on It All
There are plenty of reasons to like this movie. It is action packed and doesn't have a overloaded plot. Frede Alvares saved us from some a Six Sense or Wicker Man with their hour plus back story and instead gave use terror and action. The creativity of the gore and the simplicity of the special effects are sure to be a benchmark of modern horror cinema.

But honestly, this movie is wonderful because of what its not. Remakes are often crippled with the decision to please the die hard fans of the original, or to deviate from the cannon and attract new viewers. If a director chooses the former, they're called unoriginal (think the remake of Psycho) if they choose the later, they're called a sellout (think Planet of the Apes remake). This is the tightrope that Frede Alvares had to walk, and walk it he did.

To the horror novice, this was a flick full of guts and gore, scares and thrills. Just like a good horror movie should be. It makes sense even if you haven't  seen the original. But to the horror/Evil Dead devotee, this is a beautiful offering to the golden shrine of Sam Raimi, but all very subtly. It gives us a rickety cabin  the case camera view, the quick cut scenes effect, the necklace, the sawed-off shotgun, the chained-down cellar door, the rape in the woods, the Naturon Demonto, two severed hands, a chainsaw, and freakin' Bruce Campbell saying, "groovy". Its enough to make an Evil Dead fan jump for joy.

See it if you love Evil Dead, and see it if you aren't one yet. 

SPOILER FREE REVIEW
Sam Riami should be proud of the remake of his classic Evil Dead by director Frede Alvares. A quite vacation to the woods leaves a group of college kids trapped with an evil book and demonic possessions. This splatter-flick turn the gore up to extreme while still maintaining a decent story line. The acting can be *meh at times, but you'll forget all about it once the blood is flying. For Evil Dead novices and fanatics alike.

Final Grade: A- 

Trailer!

The Last Exorcism Part 2 - Demons and Possesion

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The Plot

The show opens with a couple in New Orleans discovering the demonic-looking Nell in their apartment. Nell is taken to a doctor. She's catatonic and barely has any memory of what happened to her. As she's given a bath, the nurse drops some plot-foreshadowing and cuts a lock of Nell's hair to keep.

Nell gets placed in a home for girls, run by Frank Merle. She quickly makes friends with the girls and gets a job working at a motel and even manages to catch the eye of a boy named Chris. Nell and the girls go to a Mardi Gras parade, where several masked and hooded figures appear to be watching Nell. She encounters a living statue who remarks "You've been missed". At one point, Nell even believes she sees her dead father, Louis.

Nell's nights start to fill with frightening dreams, strange noises, and shadowy figures. Chris takes Nell to the zoo. When they sit on a bench together Chris asks if Nell's ever had a boyfriend, but she gets defensive, although she still tells him of how she was pregnant. As they come close to kissing a Gorilla throws a tire in the background, ruining the moment. Stupid monkey.

Another evening, Chris throws rocks at Nell's window, asking her to come outside. She goes out and doesn't find him, but hears what sounds like several demonic voices speaking to her all at once. She runs back inside and discovers her father there, very much alive. He holds her and says he never should have trusted Cotton, and he pulls out his shotgun. Claiming its the only way, he aims his gun but Nell's roommate Gwen comes in and whacks Louis over the head. Her eyes turn black, and she tells Nell, "No one can have you but him". Nell is locked outside the room as Louis screams. Frank comes downstairs to investigate but finds nothing and Gwen comes back innocent and oblivious. Frank tells Nell he will have her committed to a hospital if she doesn't stop acting out.

During work the next day Chris tries to console a shaken Nell and gives Nell her first kiss. Nell does some levitating in her sleep, but wakes up the next morning to find the girls watching a YouTube video of her first exorcism. She leaves and goes to a church where she starts praying. A pastor comes in and at first seems welcoming, but then grows darker saying, "he has great plans for you." Birds slam into the windows as shadowy figures surround the place. She runs out and on the street and is grabbed by Cecile, the nurse who had cut off some of Nell's hair.

Cecile tells Nell of a prophecy of demonic destruction should she invite her demon into herself. But not to worry, her mystical The Order of the Right Hand has been watching out for Nell. Cecile takes Nell to her place to get a sense of her possession. Cecile quickly realizes she needs backup. The demon pays boyfriend Chris a visit and when Nell comes to check on him, Chris tells her how he could never love Nell more than "him". He slits his throat in front of Nell and dies.

Nell goes back to Cecile's home that evening and meets two men from The Order of the Right Hand. They strap Nell down to a table and they perform a ritual to exorcise Nell and put Abalam inside a chicken. During the ritual, Nell struggles as something moves inside her and they are unable to control the demon. Nell sees a masked and hooded figure that she previously saw at the parade, which turns out to be herself standing before her. She sees more apparitions as they inject her IV with a needle. An apparition of Louis tells Nell it's a lethal dose of morphine. Abalam takes Nell's form again and tells her to accept her fate. Nell appears to flat-line and die. Suddenly, she springs up and takes the demons hand. The next thing we see is one of the men flying out the window while blood sprays up against the window. Nell leaves the house covered in blood.

Back at the home, Frank is calling around to look for Nell. He finds her sitting in his office where Nell tells him she's decided who she really is and thanks him for being so kind. Then she kills him before setting fire to the house.Nell goes outside, and via Frank's truck, she drives off into the night, leaving a trail of fiery destruction and Carrie-esque chaos behind her.



The Good, the Bad, and the Gory

The Good

The Acting
Really I should be more succinct and say The Actor. While all the cast did okay, it was Ashley Bell (Nell) who stood out. Bell was happy enough to pick up her previous role as Nell and we are happy enough that she did. I'm so sick of seeing horror movies with a female lead that acts about as well as a lingerie billboard (And that's coming from brainwashed Religious Republican). Horror is a genre of drama and mortal peril and needs female leads that can convey depth and complexity. Bell does this in spades. Nell's mild, quite manner hides the terror and self loathing inside. In order to understand her terror, we have to understand her wants and hopes. Bell is able to bring all of this to the screen while remaining completely believable. My favorite scene was the Mardie Grua Parade. We watch this poor, sheltered girl absorb the life and the happiness all around here. It was precious.

I also really like Spencer Clark as Chris. As the love interest/hope for normality to Nell, Chris is important in establishing a happiness that the demon could steal away. I love that Clark played the role almost as socially awkward as Nell. It made their affection that much more innocent and sweet. 

Ms. Bell herself

The Cinematography
Maybe it is just because I saw it on the big screen, but I really liked the way this movie looked. It reminded me of David Boyd's work for Dark Skies. All the shots were very wide and really established the setting. Not many tight, confining shots that leave the viewer suffocated. I also thought there was a great dynamic of color. Great contrasting and bold colors. I was annoyed that they re-sampled a few shots (motel cleaning) and that they began three nighttime scenes with exactly the same-framed bedroom shots. But I'm willing to overlook it.

The decision was made to diverge from the original by not shooting the movie as a found footage flick. While I do love found footage as a style, I think they made the right choice to shoot this one straight.

The Bad
The Scares
Have your friends ever shown you that YouTube video? You know the one with the car driving serenely down a green hill under some soft contemporary music, then a screaming zombie jumps up covering the whole frame? Yeah, you know it and like me have the pee stained pants to show for it. Well I hate that video and hate anyone who thinks it's funny. Half the scares in The Last Exorcism 2 are just like that. A dream, or scene will be settling down, and then they blast you with some bloody image and a scream clearly meant for the hearing impaired. The whole scare lasts about .5 seconds and serves no purpose to the story. I don't watch horror to be startled, I watch it to be terrified. It ruins a movie if I have to watch the whole thing all tense, waiting for the next random scare. I grew out of that kind of entertainment after playing with my Jack-in-the-Box and haven't looked back.

In all fairness, this movie does boast some genuinely creepy moments. When Nell is outside calling for Chris and the demon replies, "We aren't Chris." That was great. 

Daddy Issues
It's not a death-blow to the film, but what was going on with Nell's Dad, Louis? At first he seems ethereal like some spirit appearing to Nell. He vanishes behind traffic, he's in her room then gone. Pretty standard ghost stuff. Then he appears to Nell and tries to blow her head off. Luckily the demon, via Nell's roommate, bashes Louis over the head. Louis then gets horribly murdered only to have all evidence of it vanish. I'm just not sure if he was alive or dead to begin with.

The Gore
The Last Exorcism 2 comes in as a PG-13. Now that's not a condemnation, lots of good horror is PG-13, but that does eliminate excessive gore, nudity, and language (Note: although no nudity, there are still some erotic scenes). Chris does slit his throat and there are a couple of seizures, but that's about it.

One thing that was seriously lacking were the physical contortions. Not only are they a hallmark of most possession movies, but were a main element of the first The Last Exoticism (I know, that sentence makes little sense). Ashley Bell was cast in part because of her experience in contortion. The contortion scene was one of the scariest in the first film. This new movie relied more on special effects and I think it suffered as a result.

Also, those were some weak-sauce CGI fires that Nell lit with her mind.

My Take on It All
I really should say, I love The Last Exorcism (part 1). It's the only possession movie I've seen to come close to The Exorcist  It was a found footage style that starts off on an intriguing,  if not humorous  topic. As the movie progress it slowly becomes creepier and scarier, but the whole time you are never sure if it is real or fake. We watch a skeptical pastor actually grow in faith and belief to confront a demonic power. In the end we don't know what happens to the pastor, or Nell, or the cultists. In the end you still don't know if it was all real or fake.

That point of ambiguity is a terrible place to start a sequel. By starting there the director had no bases or framework to build from. As a result we have sequel with none of the same elements as the original. Sure we get Nell and the demon, be we don't get any of the great elements that made the original so powerful. This movie had to establish its own plot, own setting, and own story line. And frankly, all of the new elements it created were boring.

I can't think of one scare, motif, or element in this film that I haven't seen in another possession movie. Creepy radio = White Noise, demonic priest = The Devil Inside, evil phone calls = The Mothman Prophecies, levitation = The Exorcist, birds crashing into windows = like 300 different movies. 

My main take away is that this movie failed to bring anything new to the genre when its original brought so much.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

The Last Exorcism 2 picks up the story of Nell Sweetzer as she tries to rebuild her shattered life, but old demons die hard. This movie has some great actors, but it is hard to act your way out of a limited plot. The scares and storyline aren't anything new to the horror world. Lacking the creativity and mystery of the original, this film falls upon the landfill heap of 'Horror Mediocrity . If you were a fan of the first The Last Exorcist don't bother with this film. If you are new to the horror genre, watch the original and then watch something else. I give it a pass.

Final Grade: D-

Trailer