Fede Alvarez places the elements of gore and saturation of action over fear and emotion in his remake of Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead.”

The film, which was originally given an NC-17 rating based on its intense language, gore and violence, wastes no time in throwing the audience directly into the action as its immediate use of graphic killing and profanities sets the stage for what’s to come throughout the movie.

Shiloh Fernandez, while fitting the looks aspect of our protagonist “David” as a pretty boy from the city, fails to genuinely produce the emotions that arise with the themes of sibling betrayal, loss, fear and rage. Jane Levy who plays a diverse role as both a protagonist and antagonist, shines in this film and effectively portrays the hopeless and helpless feelings of a drug abuser trying to quit.

The majority of this film takes place in an old, rickety, cabin in the woods. Sound familiar? The set bears a nearly identical resemblance to the 2012 film “Cabin in the Woods.” The lack of originality in this film doesn’t stop with the sets though; the story and setup are as overplayed and predictable as many of today’s modern horror films.

In the beginning of this film, David (Shiloh Fernandez) and his girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore) travel out to the woods to meet with a pair of David’s old friends; Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci ) and Olivia  (Jessica Lucas) and David’s sister Mia ( Jane Levy). David and his friends are at the cabin to support Mia who is trying to give up drugs but Mia’s newfound enthusiasm for self-improvement quickly fades as she begins to experience withdrawals and urges to use. After an attempt to escape, she encounters something in the woods. Something Evil. Something Dead. The film gets increasingly more intense from this point on as the young group tries to stop this evil force from consuming all of their souls.

One of the ways in which Alvarez attempted to make this movie a non-stop thriller is by constantly giving the audience the impression that the ordeal is over. While this does create an immense suspense factor, it becomes stale very quickly and takes meaning away from the actual ending of the film.

Overall, the gore and the fast pace of the film are not enough to overcome this remake’s inferiority to the original “Evil Dead”. It’s use of cliché overacting by an ensemble that were unable to bring the elements of terror and storytelling to the forefront only takes away from what was originally a unique and innovative storyline that has kept the “Evil Dead” franchise running for over 30 years.