The Great Owl’s review published on Letterboxd:
In the basement of a remote cabin in the woods, the Naturom Demonto (Book of the Dead) lies in wait for unwitting visitors to read incantations from its pages, thus unleashing a malevolent force of evil intent on possessing or massacring its victims. A young woman, Mia, has been brought to this dilapidated location by her estranged brother, her brother's girlfriend, and two of her childhood friends, all of whom are determined to keep her in isolation for days while she kicks her drug habit cold turkey. At first, her erratic behavior is dismissed by those around her, because they believe that she is merely suffering from physical withdrawal. They will soon discover that Mia is under the thrall of a different demon altogether, one that is determined to prevent any of them from leaving the cabin alive.
The 2013 supernatural horror feature, Evil Dead, directed by Fede Alvarez (Don't Breathe), is touted as a remake of the 1981 low-budget Sam Raimi classic, The Evil Dead, which spawned two gleefully slapstick sequels, Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992), but it is more of a reimagining and a continuation that delivers a somber take on the concept. With the blessings of the original franchise producers, Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Bruce Campbell, Alvarez ramps up the gore factor, thankfully by way of practical effects and gallons upon gallons of fake blood, but eschews the comedic aspects of the predecessors in favor of a drab palette and an apparent meditation on how the effects of drug dependence reverberate to one's friends and family.
Evil Dead pushes the limits of cinematic acceptability with its extreme graphic violence, putting all of its characters through the wringer in diabolical ways. The end result is not as fun as the first three Raimi-directed endeavors, but the sheer level of bodily harm inflicted on all involved is oddly engaging, mostly because viewers will be curious to see how much worse the situation can get for the unfortunate cabin visitors played by Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Elizabeth Blackmore.
Be sure to stick around until after the end credits, because a groovy surprise awaits.
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