Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell Discuss the "Bloody, Grisly, Intense" EVIL DEAD Remake

Sony Pictures and FilmDistrict are prepping to release the upcoming remake of the cult classic horror film Evil Dead, starring Shiloh Fernandez and Jessica Lucas, in theaters on April 12th, 2013.

Often imitated, never equaled. Evil Dead was the horror movie that started it all. Now, after 30 years, Sam Raimi and the original creators are passing the reins of their beloved classic to Alvarez. In this retelling, five friends hole up at a remote cabin where they discover a Book of the Dead. A demonic force is unleashed possessing each until only one is left to fight for survival.

Directed by Fede Alvarez, who wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues and Diablo Cody, Evil Dead stars Jane Levy (Suburgatory) as Mia; Shiloh Fernandez (Deadgirl, 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. Original producing partners Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell (who also starred in the original franchise) and Sam Raimi will produce.

Campbell and Raimi recently spoke about the film, offering their thoughts on it's production. In an interview with Collider.com, Raimi assuaged worry that the gore would be toned down:

"It’s really bloody. It’s so bloody, it will make your head spin. I’ve seen almost all the dailies and they’re really going for it. It’s gonna be grisly and intense and non-stop. Definitely R. Maybe worse.

"...I always thought that Evil Dead was a little campfire story that you tell at a camp to kids to scare them at night. But, I don’t think anybody thought it was a beautifully produced, theatrical experience. It was shot in 16mm, all the effects were done for a quarter, and I always thought it could be done in a big screen movie type way that was really high quality with photographic effects. It could still be just as gritty, but it could be done in stereo and not just mono, and it could be done in 35mm versus 16mm. There were a lot of ways to improve it. There could be much better writing than I was capable of, at the time, as an 18-year-old kid writing that screenplay. And honestly, the directing could be a lot better, and the characterizations could be better. I was very happy with it, but it was something that was crudely done and I thought deserved re-exploration. I thought it would be fun and, in fact, it has turned out to be a tremendous amount of fun because it’s like an old melody that you write and you’ve brought in this really great, cool, young, hip jazz musician, and he’s riffing on it and showing you places it could go that you never dreamed. It’s very exciting for me."


Campbell, who is currently starring in the hit spy show Burn Notice, noted that the film will stand independently from the previous films and not act as a sequel -- though he didn't rule out a cameo of his character Ash that many fans are asking for:

"We want it to be a standalone movie. You’re going to have some references [to the original] in there and there’s going to be things the fans will enjoy as far as familiar aspects, but it’s a whole new ball game.

"The nice thing is the film looks beautiful. The effects are 10 times better than we ever had access to and the actors are all better than we were in 1979. Though granted Sam Raimi is a mad genius, so we got a crazy result like Evil Dead out of this amateur enthusiasm sort of thing."