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.

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.

In keeping with the Halloween spirit, two current horror classic remakes have used the holiday as an opportunity to do a bit of marketing.  First up, Fede Alvarez’s reboot of Evil Dead has released the first images of the Necronomicon, or Book of the Dead.  In Sam Raimi’s 1981 classic, the book was discovered by the friends staying in the cabin and who inadvertently unleashed evil spirits.  This new version isn’t the one that fans are familiar with, possibly due to copyright issues…or perhaps there’s a surprise in store for us once the movie hits.  Evil Dead, starring Jane Levy (Fun Size), opens April 12th, 2013.

In other horror remake news, Kimberly Peirce’s reboot of Carrie has kicked off their viral marketing campaign with a series of disturbing messages that fans can access over the phone.  Starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore, Carrie opens March 15th, 2013. Hit the jump to see the Evil Dead images and how you can access the Carrie messages. 

The first trailer for director Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake has been released by way of a red band trailer, and boy is this thing bloody.  This clip seems aimed directly at fans of the original that are skeptical of the update, and the gore-factor displayed here in this trailer (along with the fact that Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Talbert are all highly-involved producers on the project) signal that we don’t really have anything to worry about.  The terrifying tone is on full display as we get glimpses of Alvarez’s disturbing versions of the Necronomicon, Deadites, and tree assault, with some tongue splicing and appendage removal thrown in for good measure.  While I was a bit wary about the redo at first, consider me all-in after this incredibly promising red band trailer.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and be sure to read Matt’s recap from the film’s New York Comic-Con panel and check out Steve’s video interview with star Jane Levy.  The film also stars Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore.  Evil Dead opens on April 12th, 2013.

I spent a full day at New York Comic-Con watching panels, and the one with the best footage was easily Fede Alvarez‘ remake of Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead.  Not so much as an image had leaked from the movie, and while it had Raimi’s stamp of approval (he hand-picked Alvarez to write and direct), we still didn’t know what to expect.  Judging by the trailer we saw, he came up with something truly terrifying that’s strong enough to stand on its own.  But even if the audience at the IGN Theater at the Javits Center were wary of a remake before they saw the footage, they were completely taken with the original Ash, Bruce Campbell, who also served as a producer on Alvarez’ film.  Half of the panel was Campbell just owning the crowd.  At one point, Evil Dead remake star Jane Levy broke out her iPhone to record what was happening and said, “I’m sorry.  I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Hit the jump for my recap of the Evil Dead panel, and click here for all of our New York Comic-Con coverage.

When Hollywood decides to greenlight a remake, we’re always interested to see if the contemporary director will put an original spin on the project or if it will be a shot-for-shot remake (see: Gus Van Sant’s 1998 Psycho remake).  So now that 2013 will feature remakes of Sam Raimi’s 1981cult classic Evil Dead and Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie, we’re at least curious as to which, if either, will offer moviegoers something new on the big screen.

Fede Alvarez’s The Evil Dead stars Jane Levy (Suburgatory), Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood), Lou Taylor Pucci (Carriers), Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield) and Elizabeth Blackmore (Burning Man) and opens April 12th, 2013.  Kimberly Perice’s Carrie remake stars Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) in the title role alongside Judy Greer (13 Going on 30), Portia Doubleday (Youth in Revolt), Alex Russell (Chronicle), Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers), Ansel Elgort and Julianne Moore (Magnolia), opening March 15th, 2013.  Hit the jump to check out the new official synopses. 

Earlier today, Collider got the opportunity to chat with horror master Sam Raimi on the phone, to discuss the creepy thriller The Possession, which he is producing.  Based on a true story, the film (starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) shows what happens to one family who must save their youngest daughter from a malevolent force, known as a Dibbuk, that wants to devour her body.

While we will run the full interview closer to the film’s August 31^st theatrical release, we did want to share what Sam Raimi had to say about the upcoming remakes of The Evil Dead and Poltergeist.  Having seen almost all of the dailies for The Evil Dead, he said the film is really bloody and really goes for it, that it will definitely be R and could maybe be worse, that there were a lot of ways to improve on the original film, and how exciting it is to see what director Fede Alvarez brought to it.  He also said that David Lindsay-Abaire is currently working on the screenplay for Poltergeist, and that he hopes to have a draft by around the first of October.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Bruce Campbell’s role in Sam Raimi’s original film The Evil Dead was career-defining, so how does Campbell feel about the current remake by director Fede Alvarez? Luckily, the man behind the famous chin had nothing but good things to say about the film.  He also talked about what fans could expect, differences between the remake and the original and whether or not he would be making a cameo appearance.

The Evil Dead remake, starring Jane Levy, Jessica Lucas, Shiloh Fernandez, Elizabeth Blackmore and Lou Taylor Pucci, debuts April 12th of next year.  Hit the jump to see what Campbell had to say, and click here to read what Raimi himself told us about the “so bloody it will make your head spin” remake.

Filming has begun on Fede Alvarez‘ remake of Sam Raimi‘s classic 1981 horror film The Evil Dead.  Raimi is producing alongside original co-producer Rob Tapert and franchise star Bruce Campbell.  Alvarez co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Savagues with Diablo Cody also doing some work on the script, which she calls “unbelievably violent.“  The remake will keep the “five co-eds head to a cabin in the woods, and bad things happen” of the original, but since Raimi’s The Evil Dead was one of the forefathers of the genre, it’s immune from the scathing satire of The Cabin in the Woods.  The remake stars Jane Levy (Suburgatory) as Mia; Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood) as David; Lou Taylor Pucci (Carriers) as Eric; Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield) as Olivia, and Elizabeth Blackmore (Legend of the Seeker) as Natalie.  Like the original, the characters stumble upon the Book of the Dead, read from it, and are possessed until only one is remaining.

Hit the jump for the press release.  The Evil Dead is slated for April 12, 2013.

There has been a bit of revolving casting going on with The Evil Dead remake as Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror) was set to star and then left the project. But it looks like the leads are set now with Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood) and Jane Levy (Suburgatory) in place. Lou Taylor Pucci (Carriers) is now in talks to join the project, a reimagining of Sam Raimi’s 1981 original that follows a group of teens who unleash a horde of demons through their discovery of the Book of the Dead. Pucci is expected to play Eric, an overly curious intellectual type who stirs up most of the trouble. Hit the jump for more on The Evil Dead, as well as a casting addition to Django Unchained.

While The Evil Dead remake recently lost its star as Lily Collins was forced to drop out due to scheduling issues, director Fede Alvarez has settled on his male lead. Variety reports that Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood) is set to star in the pic, which is an update of the 1981 horror film which centered on a group of teens holed up in a remote cabin who discover the Book of the Dead. The remake will maintain the same central plot device of the original, but Bruce Campbell’s character of Ash will not appear. The project is in good hands, as Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert are all onboard as producers. Now Alvarez and Co. will move on to casting the female lead of the project.

In addition to The Evil Dead, Variety also reports that Fernandez has landed the starring role in Deep Powder. Mo Ogrodnik (Uptown Girls) is set to direct, but plot details are being kept firmly under wraps (though I’m assuming it’s not the long-awaited sequel to 1995′s Powder). He’s set to shoot Deep Powder later this month before moving on to The Evil Dead later this year. The Evil Dead opens April 12th, 2013.

Fede Alvarez‘ remake of Sam Raimi‘s The Evil Dead has lost its star. While things looked to be moving quickly, Variety’s Jeff Sneider now reports that Lily Collins has had to withdraw from the project due to scheduling issues. The only other project on her slate (that we know of) is the adaptation of The Mortal Instruments, so it’s possible that the shooting schedule for that film is the culprit. Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Bruce Campbell are all producing the update based on Raimi’s 1981 horror film, and they hand-selected Alvarez to direct. Plot details are still scarce at this point, but Diablo Cody (who did some rewrite work on the script) described the project as “unbelievably violent.”

The lead in the remake will undoubtedly be a coveted role, so it’ll be interesting to see who steps in to replace Collins. The Abduction actress will next be seen in Tarsem Singh’s Snow White pic Mirror Mirror. The Evil Dead is slated for April 12th, 2013.

Sony Pictures has set the remake of Sam Raimi‘s 1981 horror film Evil Dead (or “The Evil Dead” if you want to be OCD about it) for April 12, 2013.  The original movie centered on five twenty-somethings who headed up to stay in a cabin in the woods (the worst place anyone on Earth can ever be) only to be met with the horrors wrought forth from the Necronomicon (the Book of the Dead).  The movie spawned the sequels Evil Dead II (considered to be the best in the franchise) and the goofy horror-action film Army of Darkness, all starring groovy chainsaw-wielding protagonist Ash (Bruce Campbell).  Newcomer Fede Alvarez was brought on board to direct the remake after Raimi and producing partner Rob Tapert were impressed by his short film “Panic Attack”.  Diablo Cody was then hired to revise Alvarez’ original script.  Last month, Cody told Steve that the remake would be “unbelievably violent“.

No other movie is currently slated to open on April 12, 2013 [Box Office Mojo]