Review: Evil Dead

It was and remains a benchmark in modern horror – for good or for bad. It was a wholly original shocker that delivered jolt after jolt, balancing some memorable fear-filled moments with the occasional flash of humour.

This new Evil Dead ramps up the gore and the sense of dread. Humour is rationed to the bare minimum. But this is a remake that takes its lineage and affiliations seriously to the extent that any whiff of deferential homage is swiftly blown away.

The story – a group of friends hole up in a remote woodland cabin and unwittingly unleash a ferocious demon that kills them one by one during the course of a single night – is adapted from the original Sam Raimi classic.

First-time feature director Fede Alvarez and his co-writer Rodo Sayagues are savvy enough not to fall into the trap of lacing their script with in-jokes. There have been reports of walk-outs due to the relentless nature of the horror, which is intense and unapologetic. But this is not just another Hollywood production line rip-off. Terror is reborn.