If your goal is to give the people exactly what they want, then you better give them the best you’ve got otherwise it’s obvious pandering.  Fede Alvarez‘ remake of Evil Dead does not pander.  It fiercely grabs the audience by the throat, and vomits as much blood and viscera as we can stomach it, and not everyone will be able to stomach what the horror flick has to offer.  Alvarez and cinematographer Aaron Morton set a creepy vibe, but their primary interest is in gleefully laying out the implements of destruction.  “We know what you came for,” the film says with a devilish smile.  And then it lets loose violence beyond all reason.  The fear eventually fades, the emotions recede into the background, but Evil Dead delivers on the bloody mayhem that needs far more than an MPAA rating.  It needs a warning label.

The first TV spot for director Fede Alvarez’s horror remake Evil Dead has been released online.  There’s not much new footage to be found, as the TV spot’s focus is on audience reactions to the film’s incredibly bloody red-band trailers.  Fans of Sam Raimi’s original film are likely already sold on at least checking out the redo—Raimi and Bruce Campbell were intricately involved as producers on the film—so this TV spot seems aimed squarely at young moviegoers who have no idea who Sam Raimi is but sure do like those jump scare movies like Paranormal Activity.  The pic is set to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival this weekend, so expect to hear first reactions soon.

Hit the jump to watch the TV spot.  The film stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Elizabeth Blackmore, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Jessica Lucas.  Evil Dead opens on April 5th.

Well this is a bit of pleasantly surprising news.  Ever since Army of Darkness was released in 1992, Evil Dead fans have been wondering if/when we would see a fourth film in the beloved horror franchise.  Though writer/director Sam Raimi never publicly shut the idea down, the production of the Evil Dead remake left many wondering if Raimi had closed the door on the old franchise in favor of putting together a new series of Evil Dead films.  Well it appears that Deadites can have their cake and eat it too, as Raimi recently revealed that he and his brother Ivan Raimi plan to work on the script for Evil Dead 4 this summer.  Hit the jump for more.

Hey, Evil Dead fans, we have some new promotional material for you.  FilmDistrict has released a new poster, a red variant of the first poster that promises the remake will be “the most terrifying film you will ever experience.”  There are also several new images, including a few behind-the-scenes photos.  Check it all out after the jump.

Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Elizabeth Blackmore, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Jessica Lucas star in Fede Alvarez‘s English language debut.  Evil Dead opens April 5.

Earlier this month, we reported on the first wave of SXSW 2013 films, which includes The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Evil Dead.  Today, the full line-up has been announced, and it feels like Sundance all over again when it comes to plenty of unknown films.  The chance of discovering a gem is high, and I look forward to hearing the buzz that arises from some these movies.  There’s also a second chance at festival films I missed like The Act of Killing (from TIFF) and Pit Stop (from Sundance).  I thought Toy’s House would make it in to SXSW, but I’ll see it eventually since it picked up distribution.

Hit the jump for the full line-up.  The 2013 SXSW Film Festival runs from March 8 – 17th.

We’ve got a couple of quick news stories for you this afternoon.  First up, Bruce Campbell has tweeted that Fede Alvarez‘ remake of Evil Dead has taken up The Heat‘s vacated April 5th date, which means it will be going up against Jurassic Park 3D at the box office.  So who would win a fight: deadites or dinosaurs?  [Answer: Dinosaurs.  Dinosaurs always win unless they're faced with their natural enemy, Meteors.]  Evil Dead, which originally had an NC-17 rating, will premiere at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival.

In other news, The Playlist reports that A Good Day to Die Hard will be by far the shortest Die Hard yet with a runtime of 97 minutes.  For comparison, Die Hard is 131 minutes, Die Hard 2 is 124 minutes, Die Hard with a Vengeance is 131 minutes, and Live Free or Die Hard is 128 minutes.  So Die Hard 1 and 3 are the best in the series and they both run 131 minutes.  Coincidence?  Yes.

We all pretty much saw this coming as soon as the first red-band trailer for the film was unveiled, but director Fede Alvarez recently revealed that his remake of Evil Dead received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA when it was first submitted for consideration.  We’ve since seen two red-band trailers for the redo, and they’re both filled with wall-to-wall blood and disturbing imagery.  The poster even boasts the tagline, “The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience,” so it’s clear that Alvarez and Co. are swinging for the fences.

The director noted that they indeed made some cuts to secure an R-rating, but I imagine we’ll get to see the full unrated cut when the film hits Blu-ray and DVD.  Hit the jump to read Alvarez’s full statement and to revisit the red-band trailers.  If you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage, check out 35 things to know and Steve’s extended interview with Alvarez.  Evil Dead opens on April 12th.

The first green band trailer for director Fede Alvarez’s upcoming Evil Dead remake has been released online.  We’ve previously seen two red band trailers, but this clip gives us a look at some new, less blood-filled footage.  As we’re very much aware, the new Evil Dead is not holding back in the gore department so it’s interesting to see how much footage is “green band safe.”

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and click here to read Steve’s set visit.  The film stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Elizabeth Blackmore, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Jessica Lucas.  Evil Dead opens on April 12th.

SXSW 2013 has announced their first wave of films, and the comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone will open this year’s festival.  That’s a huge vote of confidence for the film (last year’s opener was The Cabin in the Woods), which stars Steve Carell as a Vegas magician whose relationship with his partner (Steve Buscemi) becomes strained as the two start getting upstaged by a hipper illusionist (Jim Carrey).  SXSW has also revealed that they’ll host the premiere of Fede Alvarez‘ Evil Dead remake, and they’ll also be showing off Harmony Korine‘s Spring Breakers, which should be a perfect fit for the festival.

Hit the jump to check out the first wave of films announced for SXSW 2013 as well as highlights from the 2013 conference.  The majority of the festival line-up will be announced on January 31st.  The 2013 SXSW Film Festival runs from March 8 – 17th.

What’s the best course of action should you ever find yourself a boring married person who’s hesitant to cash in “movie favors” due to the fear that your return favor will come in the form of the next four Katherine Heigl movies? Align yourself with like-minded boring married people and schedule yourself a significant-other-free triple feature. This advice comes directly from my own playbook and is the reason why this week’s Top 5 is arriving a little earlier than usual; so that I can make time to check out Gangster Squad, Zero Dark Thirty, and Django Unchained all in one glorious day. While you likely didn’t come here for relationship advice, as an added bonus to an already robust palette of content, I’m confident that you’re getting your time’s worth and then some.

All creative thinking pertaining to movies and how we can watch them while in a relationship aside, this week saw the announcement of the 2013 Oscar nominations, a little Evil Dead remake set visit coverage, Gangster Squad interviews with Ruben Fleischer and more, a healthy portion of posters and images from Harmony Korine‘s Spring Breakers, and developing news regarding Christopher Nolan potentially taking on Interstellar as his next directorial effort. All of the above resides in brief recap and link form after the jump.

I’m standing in an old cabin.  Blood and bits of brain are everywhere.  It’s on the floors.  It’s caked on the walls.  It’s wherever your eyes happen to look.  And it’s awesome.  While I was nervous when Sony announced they were remaking the original Evil Dead, after spending the past two days on the set in Auckland, New Zealand, and talking with the filmmakers and cast, I’m extremely confident fans of the franchise and casual moviegoers are going to be really happy next year.  And it’s because of the blood and brains.  Unlike most movies that try to appeal to a wide audience by releasing a PG-13 movie, Sony is making a movie filled with blood and guts.  The Evil Dead remake is absolutely going to be rated R, and based on what we learned on set, they might have to cut some of the gore or they could get an NC-17.  It’s a refreshing change from when studios play it safe.

But let me back up a second.

It’s June 14, 2012 and I’m flying back to Los Angeles.  As I said, I spent the past few days on the set of director Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake that stars Shiloh Fernandez, Jane Levy, Elizabeth Blackmore, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Jessica Lucas.  In the remake, a group of friends go to a remote cabin to help one of them recover from a recent heroin overdose, and that’s where they come across the Book of the Dead.  Hit the jump for more.

When rumors started to spread an Evil Dead remake was going to happen, I wondered what director would be brave/stupid enough to try and remake one of the classic horror movies of the past thirty years.  After all, it’s almost a no-win battle since every fan of the series is going to be nervous, and you’d basically have to hit a monster home-run to walk away unscathed.  But after spending two days in New Zealand on the set of the remake, and talking with the cast and filmmakers, I really think Fede Alvarez has done the impossible, and his Evil Dead is going to be great.

During a break in filming, I participated in an extended group interview with Alvarez.  We talked about what it was like to remake a classic, how he got involved, what kind of references there are to the original, how many gallons of blood they used, how Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, and original producer Rob Tapert are very involved in the film, and so much more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

Sony has released a new red band trailer for director Fede Alvarez’s remake of Evil Dead.  It is the most red band trailer I have ever seen.  It is messed up.  I can’t go anywhere near this movie when it opens on April 12, even though I like Jane Levy and this looks like a fun, wicked role for her.  But if you are the type of horror fan who can watch a girl lick the blade of a knife to slice a fork in her tongue, Evil Dead is for you.

Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Elizabeth Blackmore co-star.  Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have given the remake their blessing as producers.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

As 2012 winds down to a close, it’s tough to see us having another year filled with so many good movies anytime soon. Nevertheless, looking to 2013 there’s certainly reason to be excited, and what better way to kick off the new year than to take a look at what 2013 has in store for us by way of blockbuster filmmaking?  We’ve compiled a list of 20 “blockbusters” to look forward to in the coming year, and the resulting preview teases some promisingly diverse fare.  Naturally there’s no lack of superhero movies headed our way, but we’ve also got a great mix of exciting entries in horror, comedy, sci-fi, and drama to look forward to.  Hit the jump to take a look at our 2013 Blockbuster Preview.

The first poster for director Fede Alvarez’s remake of Evil Dead has been released, and it makes quite the statement.  It looks to be more of a teaser poster than a full theatrical one, but the most striking image on the one-sheet is the following text: “The Most Terrifying Film You Will Ever Experience.”  That’s one hell of a promise, but judging by the insane red band trailer I’m not exactly ready to write this off as an overconfident statement just yet.

Hit the jump to check out the poster along with a new image from the film, and click here to see what producer Bruce Campbell had to say about the redo.  The film stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore.  Evil Dead opens on April 12, 2013.