20 Surprisingly Great Horror Movie Remakes

Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead is undeniably one of the sacred cows of the horror "canon," and so the prospect of a remake was tantamount to sacrilege, even with Raimi and original star Bruce Campbell involved as producers.

It didn't help that 2013's Evil Dead was being directed by first time feature filmmaker Fede Álvarez, who won the gig after his 2009 sci-fi short Panic Attack! went viral and caught Raimi's attention.

But dammit, Evil Dead 2013 is a brilliantly nasty piece of work in its own right, ditching the series' firmly established campy tone for a more serious minded, straight-edged horror flick.

Álvarez mines the familiar demons-in-a-cabin setup for every possible morsel of tension, while dishing up some unforgettably gnarly gore effects. 

But ultimately it's the stunning central performance from Jane Levy that anchors the film, both as embattled addict protagonist Mia and her torturous deadite counterpart.

Considering the remake was a massive commercial success, it's a damn shame that Álvarez and Levy never reunited for a direct sequel.