Evil Dead
TriStar Pictures | Release Date: April 5, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
17
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
St. Louis Post-DispatchKevin C. JohnsonApr 4, 2013
It’s ultimately everything a modern horror movie should be. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasApr 3, 2013
While Raimi’s Stooges aesthetic — which was really more prominently displayed in the sequels than in 1981’s The Evil Dead — isn’t played up here, there’s enough outrageous unreality to make the brutality go down a little easier. It isn’t quite a cartoon, but it’s close enough. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 3, 2013
The new Evil Dead's delirious gross-out scenes spoke to me, and they go further than any mainstream picture I can think of. Read full review
80
Village VoiceChuck WilsonApr 3, 2013
The plotting as a whole feels fresh, as does the emphasis on women strong enough to defend themselves. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniApr 4, 2013
Alvarez triumphs because he made one crucial decision: Avoid digital animation and use only practical in-camera special effects. He uses every trick from classic Hollywood and invents a few of his own. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianStephen WhittyApr 4, 2013
Be warned that this is a movie literally awash in blood and graphic violence. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJohn SemleyApr 4, 2013
The setup and geography are consistent with the original, though the film never makes the mistake of trying to rebottle the lightning that electrified Sam Raimi's movie. Read full review
75
Film.comWilliam GossMar 10, 2013
The downright gnarliest mainstream horror release in recent memory, Evil Dead is certainly a considerable and occasionally commendable dose of the ol’ ultra-violence, but Fede Alvarez’ Raimi-sanctioned update of 1981’s cult favorite only really has that demented determination going for it. Read full review
70
SlateDana StevensApr 7, 2013
Though it never channels the raw DIY energy of the original Evil Dead series — what big-budget version could? — this polished, clever remake remains true to the spirit of the original, which was at once viscerally terrifying and weirdly lighthearted. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenApr 4, 2013
It's unlikely the movie will gain the same ardent following as Raimi's debut, but it offers enough good-time gore, goofiness, scares and screams to leave an audience feeling a certain elated exhaustion. Read full review
70
NPRIan BuckwalterApr 4, 2013
Effective scares, respectful nods to its inspiration and a few new twists make the question of whether this new Evil Dead succeeds in matching its inspiration superfluous. This is one remake that succeeds on its own blood-soaked terms. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMar 11, 2013
A gore-for-broke affair that strips the flesh off Sam Raimi's cult-beloved comic-horror franchise and exposes the demons at its core. Read full review
70
VarietyJoe LeydonMar 10, 2013
Boasts way better production values than the penny-pinching 1981 original and conceivably could delight genre fans who have never seen the first version or its previous remakes/sequels. But it’s bound to play best with those who catch Alvarez’s many wink-wink allusions to Raimi’s picture. Read full review
67
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallApr 4, 2013
I learned a total of two things from watching Evil Dead: No camping kit is complete without duct tape, and sometimes end credits are worth sitting through for a movie's best gag. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenApr 3, 2013
Evil Dead, however, accomplishes what it sets out to do: Scare viewers silly and uphold a tradition. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnMar 10, 2013
An ode to the strength of onscreen horror even in its less inspired state, the new Evil Dead primarily succeeds at illustrating how the originals have managed to stand the test of time. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyApr 4, 2013
So long as you grit your teeth and keep your eyes on the screen, it’s an enjoyable, if almost academic, exercise in bad taste. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreApr 3, 2013
Is this Evil Dead (no “The”) any good? Yes and no. It several genuinely hair-raising moments and presents, for your edification and enjoyment, some of the most graphic horror violence ever presented on the screen. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonNigel FloydApr 29, 2013
Despite much old-school splatter, it’s seldom frightening and oddly unfunny. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawApr 19, 2013
It is nowhere near as creepy as the recent indie horror "V/H/S," but it is a full-bloodedly grisly and macabre film that zaps over a few scares. Read full review
60
Total FilmMatt GlasbyApr 15, 2013
Closer to Eli Roth than Sam Raimi, this brutal retread combines J-horror atmospherics with torture-porn kills. It’s more evisceration than invention but at least has the courage of its bloody-minded convictions. Read full review
60
EmpireSimon CrookApr 15, 2013
Prepare yourself for a shock: a horror remake that, at its best, manages to recapture the original’s hardcore nastiness. It could certainly do with laughing at itself a bit more, though. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla DargisApr 4, 2013
Doesn’t have the original’s wooden performances, puffy clothes and hairdos or its amusingly crude special effects, but it does share its blood lust. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 4, 2013
There is nothing about Evil Dead as groundbreaking as Raimi’s films (particularly the first two). But it’s smarter and better done than a lot of what’s come since those movies were made, which is to say there is at least some thought behind the killings. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanApr 4, 2013
Though Alvarez keeps us watching, he takes no real chances. Buried under all those enthusiastically mangled bodies is the comfort of familiarity. He may have intended to remake a single film, but we’ve seen this movie countless times before. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichApr 2, 2013
What really matters is seeing these pretty people get put through the gory wringer, and once the unholy spirit comes calling, Evil Dead more than delivers. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinApr 7, 2013
The passing of the torch from Raimi to Alvarez is not a momentous occasion. In the end, who really cares? Five years from now, will you want to watch this bloody $14 million extravaganza or Raimi’s shoestring original, which was Amateur Hour elevated to pop art? Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTom RussoApr 7, 2013
Are we really looking to Evil Dead for gnarly possessions played straight? That’s what Alvarez gives us for an overlong stretch, until his reinterpretation of the malevolent-hand gag kicks off a last act that’s more freewheelingly, twistedly grisly. (Don’t skip the credits, because the fan-energizing momentum peaks at the very end.) Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezApr 4, 2013
Evil Dead is just a well-made gross-out, and it's kind of a bummer. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanApr 4, 2013
More stomach-churning than soul-chilling. The list of on-screen atrocities includes attacks by nail gun, electric carving knife, chain saw, shotgun, crowbar and chunk of ceramic from a broken toilet tank, used as a crude bludgeon. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia PuigApr 4, 2013
Goes overboard on the gruesome and scrimps on humor. Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell" was a much funnierchill-fest. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliApr 4, 2013
This isn't just a horror movie with gore - it's a gore movie, period. Blood is its raison d'etre. It's not scary. It's not shocking. It just wallows in viscera. Ho-hum. Pass the ketchup. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsApr 4, 2013
Evil Dead offers the core audience for modern horror plenty of reasons to jump, and then settle back, tensely, while awaiting the next idiotic trip down to the cellar beneath the demon-infested cabin in the woods. Read full review
42
The PlaylistCory EverettMar 10, 2013
Featuring truly shocking levels of violence but none of the wit or fun of the original, the new Evil Dead is mostly a dud. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottApr 5, 2013
Because while it can boast of some truly extraordinary special effects -- stomach-churning, face-hacking, arm-slicing visual effects, the kind that are sure to titillate the gleefully twisted -- this Evil Dead is far more gruesome than awesome. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 4, 2013
This remake of the 1981 horror classic starts well, but it soon degenerates into tiresome shock gore that overstays its welcome, despite the film's modest run time. Jane Levy as a heroin addict going through withdrawal is the one bright spot.
25
New York PostLou LumenickApr 4, 2013
Though it tries — with a much too heavy hand — the new Evil Dead is far less humorous than its predecessor. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperApr 3, 2013
This isn't a strict remake of Sam Raimi's hugely influential 1981 horror classic, but it does include the basic framework and some visual nods to the original. On its own, it's an irredeemable, sadistic torture chamber reveling in the bloody, cringe-inducing deaths of some of the stupidest people ever to spend a rainy night in a remote cabin in the woods. Read full review
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