Evil Dead - Film Analysis

Evil Dead is a 2013 American horror film co-written and directed by Fede Alvarez. It is the fourth installment of the Evil Dead franchise, serving as both a reboot and as a loose continuation of the series; the first not directed by Sam Raimi.

The film is the feature debut of Alvarez, whom Raimi selected. It was produced by Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert G. Tapert: the writer-director, lead actor, and producer of the original trilogy respectively. The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest festival on March 8, 2013. On March 9, 2013, it was announced that the film will have a sequel, followed by a crossover with the original trilogy. Evil Dead was announced on July 15, 2013 to be adapted into a live experience as the first maze announced for Universal Studios Hollywood's and the second maze for Universal Orlando Resort's annual Halloween Horror Nights event for 2013.

The film included lots of close ups and quick montage. There is restricted amount of light throughout the film, with only natural light used, which adds to the realism of the place, as well as the harshness and isolation from technology and the rest of the world.

There are whispers throughout the film from some unknown speaker, adding to the fear created by the atmosphere as well as making us as an audience listen carefully.

There is an establishing shot right at the beginning of the film to show us the cabin, which is where most of the story of told around, and then all the woods next to it. Again this follows the conventions of most horror films, as the idea of setting the film in a forest adds to the atmosphere and creates a sense of danger, abandonment and primalness to the film.

 During the film the cutting rate changes so that it moves from a slow cut then to a quick montage. This makes the scenes more dramatic and plays on the idea of each cut sequence mimicking the pace of a heart.

The possession scene is film in the water, yet the camera angles are used in such a way that makes Mia look small, and the evil spirit look big by placing Mia at the bottom of the screen, and under the water, and then the spirit at the top of the screen making her look big and powerful, and Mia very weak and vulnerable. There was a match on action in the scene in the bedroom of the cabin, when the possessed person looked at the victim, then we see it from both points of view.

A large majority of the film was filmed with point of view shots, which makes us as an audience empathise with the victims, which adds fear, realism and tension to the movie as a whole.

The imagery in the film makes it an effective horror film, as during one scene the sky opens up and almost seems to bleed rain, which in fact is blood. The use of diegetic dialogue of the demons was also effective as it was used to mirror the action taking place and move along the story when needed.