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Bruce Campbell Has Seen the 'Evil Dead' Remake, Calls It 'Fabulous'

by Ben Pearson
August 20, 2012
Source: Digital Spy

Fans of Sam Raimi's original Evil Dead films haven't exactly been thrilled with the concept of director Fede Alvarez's remake set in modern times and slated for an April 2013 release, but here's something that could help sway public opinion in favor of the new movie. Digital Spy (via GeekTyrant) sat down with Bruce Campbell, the star of the original films who's also producing the upcoming remake, and asked him to give some of his thoughts about it. He calls it "definitely fabulous," so maybe this will get fans ears to perk up and give this remake a chance instead of blindly writing it off before they have a chance to see it.

They know they've upset horror fans and even Campbell is aware of the negative buzz surround this. Here's what he originally told Digital Spy about the project: "We're really excited and really behind it, [but] it's going to take a bit to get the Evil Dead fans behind it. We know we've pissed a lot of them off. We appreciate that and we appreciate their anger and their zeal, but the only thing we want to impress upon them is that we didn't screw it up. This is going to be just as memorable as [the original] Evil Dead without being the same movie." We can only hope that's true. Campbell goes on to talk about the look of this one:

"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."

That amateur and nitty-gritty Sam Raimi feel of the first film was partially responsible for the movie's success, so hopefully the filmmakers can find some way to translate a new style to modern audiences in a way that will resonate with them in the same way it did with crowds back in 1979. The Evil Dead films put Campbell & Raimi on the map and were a jumping-off point for their careers, and the movies are still loved today (check out this awesome tribute). So it only makes sense to ask: will we see Campbell in a cameo?

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that. But the thing is 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."

Sounds like a veiled "yes" to me. He probably would have straight up said "no" if he wasn't in it, so I'd bet good money that Campbell will appear in some degree (even if he's just walking through the background). He's Raimi's good luck charm, after all, appearing in the Spider-Man films and even doing some work on Raimi's upcoming Oz: The Great and Powerful. But one thing is for sure: he's not just making another Evil Dead film to cash in on the popularity of the first one. Campbell goes on to clear the air:

"Our only obligation to the viewer is that we don't give them a piece of s**t. It's going to wind up being a very handmade movie, Fede Alvarez is so far from being a hack - we didn't get some 18-year-old director who just wants to make his movie look cool. We got a guy who is an adult."

"I think people will be pleasantly surprised that it's not something that was cranked out, where no-one gives a crap. We were involved in casting, we were involved in everything. We're all over that movie like a cheap suit, so if it blows it's our responsibility."

With Ash himself giving his stamp of approval, perhaps this will be enough to get fans who were previously on the fence about this project fully on board. It sounds like they're going in a totally new direction, and with Raimi hand-picking his protege Alvarez for the director's chair here, might we see a new talent emerge like Neill Blomkamp or Joe Carnahan (proteges of Peter Jackson and Tony Scott, respectively)? For more from Bruce Campbell on this remake and plenty of other fun stuff, head over to Digital Spy. We'll keep you guys updated on this Evil Dead remake as they progress towards release next April. Thoughts now?

Filed under Hype, Movie News

From around the web:

Joey

I thought this was a good sign at first because I didn't know he was involved. Then I saw that he was producing. It might be cynical to say this, but he wouldn't say anything bad about a movie that he is directly involved in.
- grimjob
  
  Exactly.
- http://twitter.com/RJCMarques Ricardo Marques
  
  That might be true... But If you didn't know he was involved, the fact that he is should help you get interested in the new movie since he Was the old movies. I'm always looking forward to remakes, everything's better now a days. We only risk that for being so much more money involved investors might get too greedy and release a piece of crap. But I bet Bruce'll do anything in his power to avoid that.
grimjob

Still not convinced. Love the originals, love the filmmakers and actors. I just don't see the point. Why remake it? The bad acting and cheap effects are a part of what make the originals so great and fun to watch. I appreciate that Campbell seems to be waist deep in this flick, but I don't want an "improvement" in effects, because it'll probably just be a bunch of CGI bullshit, and I don't want actors that may take it too seriously, because it loses its tongue-in-cheek appeal. But, we still don't know what's in store, and I've been pleasantly surprised by remakes before (although only a few). Crossing my fingers...
Jericho

i want to see the Necronomicon already....
Ryderup

I don't want a "new" Evil Dead with "great effects and acting". I want Raimi and cambell to do a part 4 and have fun with it - how cheap and "lousy" it would look. Take 1million from that Spider-Man 3 paycheck and produce it yourself through Ghost House. Just make it great.
- David Banner
  
  Yeah, I mean, like this. How hard can it be? Sam and Bruce and a bathtub or three filled with blood. Not sure I like the "new angle", that it's some woman kicking off drugs in a cabin and maybe or maybe not she's seeing demons? And that there is no Necronomicon in it??
  - Jericho
    
    they were all on board with it....until Indiana Jones 4 came out, now every time someone asks about it one of them quips the question 'did you still want Indy 4 after you saw it?' after a couple studders they just go back to there business.....
  - http://twitter.com/incarnedine_v Dan Hibiki
    
    i'd like to think of Drag me to Hell as the Evil Dead 4 sequel. Sure there was no Ash but you did get his car.
DoomCanoe

now i love Bruce Campbell and all but... he doesn't really have the best taste when it comes to movies. don't know if thats a good thing or bad thing when it comes to this remake... guess we will see
Gouka Ryuu

They really should have just adapted that off-Broadway musical of Evil Dead into a movie. I would have paid good m oney to see it on the silver screen even after seeing it on stage.
http://www.facebook.com/chris.groves.507 Chris Groves

The fundamental aspect that made the original films stand out in the done-to-death horror genre, it was that it had a male hero instead of a female here. I don't care how good the remake is, if they've changed it to a female lead instead of a male lead...then it pisses on one of the key aspect of the original films, and I won't be interested at all.
http://www.facebook.com/chris.groves.507 Chris Groves

If they changed Evil Dead from having a male lead to a female lead in the remake, then this will get no support from me. One of the standout aspects of the original films amongst the horror genre was that they went with a male lead instead of a cliche female lead. If this goes back on that...that would be a terribly weak choice.
LosZombies

It all just feels so unnecessary.. :/
- grimjob
  
  Most remakes do.
JimD

Whoever has to fill in for "Ash" has some BIG shoes to feel. They could make or break the movie.
http://twitter.com/davide_coppola Davide Coppola

Film still remains unnecessary and the money could have been used to develop an original idea.
zey

He didn't mention doing away with any of Diablo Cody's rewrite, so color me still uninterested.
http://www.facebook.com/matt.peloquin.14 Matt Peloquin

In a post Cabin in the Woods world this is going to seem really cliched.
Lamar

Well, I'm sold. If Campbell and Raimi are 100% behind this, I see no reason why we can't give this a chance. I am a little disappointed with a female lead though. Its not like we don't have enough lone female survivors in horror movies anyway. I'm no chauvinist, but I always hear women complain about there not being enough strong female leads in movies. Try watching more horror flicks. 8/10 of them have a female protagonist that ends up killing the monster/killer/ghost.
max

The fact he's producing this remake makes his opinion a little, ah, bias? Of course he says it's fabulous. But I think The Chin is missing the point about some of the aspects that make the original Dead movies so fun and enjoyable (the acting, the effects).