If you’re Bruce Campbell or Sam Raimi, you must live in constant dread of being asked about the future of The Evil Dead franchise. There hasn’t been a new entry in the series for 19 years (unless you count the hilarious stage musical) and yet the franchise is currently more popular than ever. Today the internet is abuzz because Bruce Campbell tweeted that the long discussed Evil Dead remake will finally be kicking off in the next few months. Sam Raimi is currently in his old stomping grounds of Detroit finding a cast of fresh faces to be possessed and torn to bits. But while Raimi will be supervising the project through his company Ghost House Pictures, his commitment to Oz, The Great And Powerful will keep him out of the director’s chair. However, we’ve recently learned who will be directing the Evil Dead reboot for Raimi and it’s Uruguay-native Federico Alvarez. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard the name because he hasn’t directed a feature yet. We do have a short film of his for your viewing pleasure though and the guy just might have the talent it takes to make Deadites walk again. Hit the jump for more.
Federico Alvarez might not have been on many horror fans’ radar before Bloody Disgusting’s report today that he will be directing the Evil Dead remake, but he has been making of a name for himself on the festival circuit with some impressive genre-flavored short films. Here’s Alvarez’s 2009 sci-fi short Panic Attack that caught the attention of Hollywood. It’s only 5 minutes long, but it’s an apocalyptic action scene worthy of blockbuster comparisons.
It’s a simple short, but stylish, impressive, and proof that Alvarez has a knack for working with the complicated and low-budgeted digital effects that will inevitably be a part of the Evil Dead remake. This movie could be decent even if it’s disappointing that the long awaited new Evil Dead film will just be the latest classic horror reboot rather than a new original entry in the franchise. While any sort of Evil Dead sequel this far down the line would probably be a disappointment, it is sad to know that Raimi and possibly Campbell won’t be returning to the chainsaw one last time (Drag Me To Hell did prove that Raimi’s still got a knack at generating jump scares and blood-drenched laughs after all). A remake is probably as close as we’re ever going to get to a new Evil Dead movie, so at least it’s nice to know that Raimi will be supervising the production in some way and a talented newcomer has been hired to make his mark with the franchise that put Raimi on the path to becoming on of Hollywood’s biggest directors. Hopefully, this reboot captures a little of the Evil Dead magic even if digital sheen will likely replace the latex and karo syrup joys of the original.
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NOOOOO GOD DAMMIT. No offense to Alvarez but I really wish Raimi were in the director’s chair
Raimi may be producer
If this isn’t a sequel, and Ash is not in the movie, then I can’t see anyone caring about this. At all. Ash is the franchise. Why not reboot “First Blood” without Rambo while we’re at it?
This is terrible news.
I read on another forum that they are kicking around the idea of making Ash female…. Is nothing sacred anymore?
What, does this mean Ron Moore and David Eick involved in this?
I think a female Ash akin to the one in Army of Darkness could work (that is, a one-liner factory, incompetent, and more concerned with getting laid than saving lives). It would be a twist on what you’d expect from a horror movie’s protagonist, which is why the first Evil Dead was so great. If you try to replicate Ash without Bruce, then you’re just going to fail no matter what you do. Might as well go in a new direction. An Ash that takes her OR himself too seriously would be a bad idea as well.
And remaking Evil Dead with a studio seems counter-intuitive anyway. Maybe give Alvarez a budget of a million dollars and throw him in the woods with some non-union actors to see what he comes up with. Otherwise, you’re just going to get another studio horror movie or Paranormal Activity ripoff, neither of which we need.
Casting, y u no tell me for casting!!! (reddit angry troll face meme)
Fuck this shit! i want Raimi directing and i want the king starring again, Ash is The Evil Dead!
I love the Evil Dead films and while I don’t believe a remake is necessary, I can totally see it working depending on how they adapt the story.
Bruce Campell will always be Ash but, sadly, he will never be Ash again.
Let’s wait and see what some new blood brings to the table before taking up arms.
pshhh, if you really loved the originals you would not have said that, sorry but its true! There is no need for a reboot/remake, if people want to see new blood with new ideas then they should come up with a new film franchise to try it out on and not an already brilliant classic film series.
Well, just as i feared… Fuck reboots and fuck you collider for condoning this bullshit!!! This is shit news, sorry but fans of the originals know that this “remake” is not needed, especially without Raimi and Campbell, criminal! Reboot for gods sake, a sequel maybe but a reboot come on. So get fucked Raimi, you too good for these films now or something?!…cant believe i just said that but he has forced my hand…..breathe!
Groovy this is not, do something about this Bruce
Just watched all three movies last week back to back again for the gazillionth time. Not sure how I feel about his. Evil Dead 4, okay but a reboot is not required considering Evil Dead 2 is a reboot of Evil Dead 1 (in all but name). IS there room for Evil Dead ver. 1.3?
my problem with remakes of movies like evil dead (and last house on the left) is that when they were originally made, they were daring. they could get away with things mainstream pictures couldn’t. they were on the edge. and because they were on the edge, there’s an element to them–i don’t know quite how to say it. there’s a raw quality to those movies and it feels like they’re showing you the extremes of humanity. because of that, they have vitality.
whenever they’re remade within the studio system, they’re sterilized. every interest group is waiting to file a complaint while every marketer has a test audience with an idea of how to make it better (read: have a bigger box office). the edges are smoothed out and the vitality is bled out of them and in the process whatever interesting things the movie had to say are sacrificed on the altars of minimizing offensiveness to the protected classes and profitability.