One of the most underrated horror masterpieces of the last decade has to be the 2013 Evil Dead remake from now acclaimed genre director Fede Álvarez. The reimagining of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead universe will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year and now Shout! Factory has announced a new 4K edition that is releasing on September 27, 2022, as a part of the company’s impressively terrifying fall slate.
It was hard to imagine at the time how anyone would remake something as iconic as Evil Dead. However, Álvarez found a way to not only make a film that honored the original, but one that made the franchise feel extremely fresh and new. Evil Dead was one of the first movies of its kind; it was an elevated horror movie before films like It Follows, or The Witch made it cool. The film cleverly used the sick imagery of the original, played it completely seriously, and added extremely dark real-world themes to the story.
In the remake, the set-up remains the same with a group of young adults going to a remote cabin in the woods; however, the central hook of the story, with the main character – Mia – being a drug addict brought so many intense personal stakes to the existing narrative. This isn’t a leisurely weekend getaway gone wrong like the original, this is a nightmare situation made worse by the supernatural bumps in the night. The drug addict–withdrawal angle makes this such a unique genre story even for today’s elevated standards.
It also just helps that Jane Levy’s performance as Mia is one of the best in horror history. Levy brought such a brilliant ferocity to the role and her facial acting alone is so incredibly scary. The actress has since gone on to give great performances in Álvarez’s other horror classic Don’t Breathe and the TV series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, but what Levy accomplished in this remake is simply unforgettable. Her performance adds so much terror to this epic and relentlessly emotional horror story about overcoming addiction; a relatable human darkness that just so happens to be a part of one of the scariest and bloodiest films of all time involving the undead and the infamous Necronomicon.
The new Shout! Factory edition will be the first time the film will be on 4K and if you pre-order the Evil Dead on the company's website you will get an exclusive poster featuring the film’s original theatrical artwork. It is important to note that this release does not contain a Blu-ray disc like Shout! Factory’s past 4K releases like Halloween. Regardless, it’s still great that this film is getting the boutique release it deserves.
Evil Dead is coming to 4K on September 27, 2022, and you can pre-order the upcoming release on Shout! Factory’s website now. Check out the cover for the 4K Ultra HD collector's edition below:
