Just released today on video and just arrived in my mailbox too! I had been pretty excited to see this one. Sam Raimi back in the director’s chair for a horror movie (he also co-wrote/produced)? Count me in! This movie has been in the works for over since the late ’90s. That’s why Sam and his brother Ivan wrote the first screenplay, but those blasted Spider-Man movies got in the way and delayed this project.
I believe the movie was PG-13 in theaters, but the DVD version features an unrated cut, which of course is the version I watched. Not sure how the versions differ, but there was a lot of gore in the unrated version, but this isn’t some straight up horror movie. With Raimi running the show, the blood ‘n’ guts scenes had that slapstick Evil Dead feel. While I’ve seen the movie categorized as a “horror comedy”, I wouldn’t go as far to say that. This was horror with just a *bit* of comedy mixed in, but it still retained that Raimi/Evil Dead feel. I kept waiting for Bruce Campbell to make an appearance!
It’s an over-the-top horror romp that kept me on the edge of my seat and there’s a few good surprises along the way. Well worth checking out this Halloween season! Oh, and if you’re a guy, you’ll also appreciate the super cute Alison Lohman jumping around in a soaking wet shirt sans bra!
The fact that Raimi directed this movie actually surprised me. He’s been supporting horror movies for years through his Ghost House Pictures studio, but I figured his personal involvement with horror was long over and that he was simply going to be a summer blockbuster director from now on. Good to see he’s not afraid to head up low-profile projects! And it’s also nice to see this one actually turned a profit — $30 million budget, movie has grossed $80 million worldwide. Not bad! But please, Sam, don’t let there be any direct-to-video sequels.
