Why An EVIL DEAD Remake Is A Bad Idea
In a perfect world, Sam Raimi could set aside a three week shooting schedule, a budget of half a million dollars, grab Bruce Campbell, a 16mm camera, find a cabin and shoot Evil Dead 4! Not this remake crap...
recent news that an Evil Dead remake is currently in the works from producer Sam Raimi and his new protagae director Federico Alvarez at Ghost House Pictures, I have to take this opportunity to voice my concern on the subject and state my case against the upcoming reboot. The Evil Dead is my favourite film of all time. I first saw it when I was 13 and back then it was unlike anything I had ever seen, a film made for hardly any money but one that was so innovative and creative that it showed me that it is possible for anyone to pick up a camera and make a film. I did just that. My dad bought me a high 8 video camera and with the help of my cousin and I, we set about making dodgy, silly short films. Flashfoward eleven years, I am now 24 and Im working in the industry as a camera assistant having worked for fantastic directors such as Todd Solondz and Steve McQueen. Sam Raimi gave me hope, and showed me with his debut movie that anything is possible. I hold it in such high regard that it really pains me to see that it is being remade. 
The Evil Dead is such an idiosyncratic movie that I fail to see what the point is in re-doing it. Raimi made the film, fresh out of school, as a B movie drive in flick that he would use as a calling card to get into the industry. Sure it spawned two amazing sequels, a comic book series, computer games and endless blatant rip off movies. However none of this was originally intended. Everything that grew from this film was a result of its timeless low budget charm and imagination, the phenomenon that grew from it could never have been predicted. Whats the purpose of the remake? It cant recapture the charm that made the original so beloved because its being chaperoned by Raimi and series star Bruce Campbell, two men who are seasoned industry professionals now, not the wide eyed teenagers the were back in 78 when they shot the movie. Its being directed by Federico Alvarez who has already made his calling card, a short movie called Panic Attack which is what got him noticed and hired by Raimi in the first place. Sure its going to be his first feature film but hes already made his movie that got his career started, why go anywhere near the movie that made Raimis? The remake is sure to loose the built in fan base that the series has gained throughout the years. Ash is not a fully formed character whos shoes can be filled by any up and coming star, hes just Bruce Campbell being a smart ass. Therefore, the majority of fans wont be willing to see a replacement go through the same motions as Campbell did The remake is also not going to gain any new fans because the idea behind Evil Dead isnt all that gripping or engaging- A bunch of teens go into the woods and get killed by a sinister force- theres nothing of note there. The only way they can make new fans and bring in a new audience is if they change it up dramatically, in which case call it something else, anything other than Evil Dead. 
The plot of Evil Dead is so superfluous to the kinetic camera angles, crazy zombies, chainsaw hands and boomsticks that made the series what it is today. Having an academy award winning writer like Diablo Cody come onboard to flesh out the script doesnt bode well. Lets be honest, the story is pretty lame, its the worst thing in the film. What good can she do? Give it a better structure? Make the characters more relatable? Give it whip-sharp 'honest to blog' Juno dialogue? Thats not what the fans want and also, by doing all of that its essentially not an Evil Dead movie. Just stop for a second and try to think of a characters name in the franchise other than Ash off the top of your head? (And please dont say Evil Ash). You really cant. The Evil Dead series is a one man show, its Bruce Campbells show, no other actor can ever replicate what he brought to the series, so why bother replacing him? He has said himself in a recent interview that he wont be acting as a lead in the movie, although he may make a cameo. An Evil Dead movie without Bruce Campbell is like an Indiana Jones movie without Harrison Ford. Theres no point. It was amazing to see the enthusiasm levels go through the roof when it first announced a new Evil Dead was going into production turn on a sixpence when it was later stated it would not be a fourth installment but a remake. Fans really want another movie, but not a reboot. Its a shame because we all know Sam Raimi still has it in him to make quality horror movies, Drag Me To Hell proved that. Maybe the lukewarm reception at the box office scared him off doing it. He stated in interviews that he has already written the opening pages for a fourth movie, so its bizarre that were getting a reboot instead. 
Here's a scary thought. If the remake is successful, wouldn't that then mean that the über classic Evil Dead 2 would be next in line for the remake treatment? What should happen is Raimi should just go ahead and shoot Evil Dead 4. In a perfect world, Raimi could set aside a three week shooting schedule, a budget of half a million dollars, grab Bruce Campbell, a 16mm camera, find a cabin and shoot Evil Dead 4! Thats how a Evil Dead movie should be made. Challenging and on a shoe-string. Like the good old days. If this did happen, I guarantee that it would probably be the greatest film ever made. Or at least, it wouldn't piss on the original.... 