The Evil Dead Remake And its Broken Script Mysteries

There is a moment in this film which reveals some kind of creative turmoil at work. I really don't think everyone was on the same page here. The result is a convoluted melding of a remake, a retelling, and a sequel, with the moment where Mia comes back to life serving as the most obvious breaking point, which sends the film down a confusing drain of narrative ambiguity.

The scene itself feels technically broken. David walks away after desperately trying to save his sister, leaving her lifeless, partially buried body under a sheet. Cut to: Mia, standing there 100% restored. Okay, so this doesn't work. Let me just be clear about that. There's no one who watches this scene and isn't confused. And if you pay attention to the score, there is no implied demonic trickery at work, as such en edit in this kind of film would normally imply. Beyond that, Mia is without scars, perfectly at ease, and ready to take on the big confusing twist that follows.

After what feels like a clumsy first draft rewrite of David's abrupt death, we're given some kind of nod to the evil dead poster art, almost as silly as the Ghostbusters remake landing on the logo for it's main villain in the end. But even that was convoluted by the actor playing both parts in many shots, so it's just confusing as shit. Some of you may know more than me about the details of this production, and please pipe in if you do, but it's pretty apparent to me the ending we have on this film (in both the original and extended cuts) is the result of creative differences and very likely a re-shoot. I would be curious to know how the original script ended. The addition of the extended version's end credit scene with Mia revealing "non possessed" eyes as a jump scare only served to make matters worse. What was this movie? On one hand, it was a more thought out telling of the original concept with drug addiction cleverly infused as a central theme. Not exactly a fun approach (good luck finding any levity with that take) but had the film committed to this theme it could have been at least cohesive. On the other hand, you have a kind of fan service machine at work with Alvarez now publicly claiming it's a direct sequel to the original Evil Dead, which simply can't be true for countless reasons. Whose cabin is it? Who are those people at the start of the film? Why is the Necronomicon completely different?

Bruce Campbell's appearance at the end is just one more kick to the brain. The fact that the brand's most recent additions with the Ash VS Evil Dead series went full blown comedy is also telling of why Evil Dead 2013 may have ended up the way it is. Something tells me Fede Alvarez tells people what someone else wants him to say about it. Probably some kind of NDA at work so Raimi and team can retain creative control. What do you think?