In Part 1 of
this Evil Dead feature, Cult, Hard to Please and Unlikable Trees, I loosely examined
The Evil Dead and its cult appeal. In this second installment I’d like to take
that a step further and address why, on the face of it, remakes (specifically
horror) cause so much grief for the fan community - why we are so hard to
please.
Obviously
the straight forward answer to why remakes are a no-no genuinely tends to be “well...
remakes are shit”. True, the track record isn't particularly stellar (The Thing, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, etc) but I’d like to dig a little
deeper.
Constantine Verevis provides an over-arching description of
remakes as ‘films based on an earlier screenplay’, ‘new versions of existing
films’ and as ‘films that to one degree or another announce to us that they
embrace one or more previous movies’ (2006, p.1). In this case, Evil Dead is a
new version of the existing classic created by Sam Raimi. It is a direct
remake, one in which it ‘may undergo some alterations or even adopt a new
title, but the new film and its narrative image do not hide the fact that it is
based upon an earlier production’ (2006, p. 7). As we are aware, Evil Dead has
adopted a relatively new premise – teens go to a cabin in the woods to help their
friend kick a drug habit – but we are all aware of the carnage that soon ensues
and its resemblance to the 1981 original.
As far as I know, there is not a definitive answer to why The Evil Dead was picked up for
a remake. Reasons may lie within the text itself - perhaps Fede Alvarez wanted to
share his vision of the film. Verevis points out, ‘In the case of contemporary
remakes, a pre-existing title is relayed and transformed through the "individual vision" and "personal perspective" of the film maker (2006, p. 10). This
is referred to in an interview from LA Times:
‘Alvarez started from scratch, hoping that a new creative
approach to the same central story would retain some of the fear-inspiring
qualities from the original without seeming like a shot-for-shot rehash'
Other
reasons for a remake may boil down to industrial factors. For the industry, remaking is an exercise of rebranding, a quick way to make money by relying on
a pre-existing audience. Verevis summarises, ‘film remaking is [...] seen as a
trend that is encouraged by the commercial orientation of the conglomerate
ownership of Hollywood. In this approach, the Hollywood studios seek to
duplicate past successes and minimise risk by emphasising the familiar – recreating
with slight changes films that have proved successful in the past’ (2006, p. 4). Or
more cynically explained, ‘remaking is often taken as a sign of Hollywood film
having exhausted its creative potential, leading into "conservative plot structures" and "automatic self cannibalisation"' (2006, p. 4).
This underlying
tone of cynicism toward the Hollywood industry is emblematic of fan attitudes toward remakes. The question is, why? As I addressed in Part 1, The Evil
Dead is a cult film due to its furnished world of visual icebergs, quotable
dialogue and existence on the margins of taste, resultant from gore and excess.
Watching the film is an experience, so too is being a fan of it. Jenkins asserts
that being a cult fan ‘not only celebrates the unwatchable and/or unobtainable
– that which is by definition usually unpleasurable or inaccessible to
most viewers – but [...] emerges from a need to produce and protect a sense of rarity and
exclusivity (2002, p. 309). Using The Evil Dead as an example here, cult fandom is therefore maintained via repeat viewings, collecting memorabilia and educating oneself on
the entirety of the films ins and outs.
Furthermore, fans also participate in
digital practises such as blogging and forums, eliciting a web of
interconnectedness to love and celebrate the text. Fansites such as
Deadites.net are emblematic of this type of cult community. Being part of this
community is not only a middle finger to the mainstream and preservation of
exclusivity, but also about adoration, nostalgia and thus the formation of one’s
identity.
When a
remake is brought into the mix, therefore, the aforementioned cultural and
personal value held for fans becomes consequently under threat. It ironically
cheapens the experience and taints the cult phenomenon, as creative license is
granted to construct the film however is wished. It elicits anti-fandom, ‘the
strong dislike toward a given text or genre, considering it inane, stupid,
morally bankrupt and/or aesthetic drivel’ (Gray, 2003). When Evil Dead was
announced, majoritively speaking, an anti-fan outcry was most definitely heard
and a close and vengeful eye was kept on Alvarez and his every move. Pleasing
us fans would be an impossible task....
"...This isn't an Evil Dead film. It's a big-budget-paint-by-numbers-torture-porn-shiny-ripoff that happens to be called Evil Dead. It doesn't look to have any of the imagination, charm or soul of the originals its just an average gorefest like the Saw sequels or Hostel..."
All I’m sure sound familiar and I have no shame in
admitting, all probably said by myself at one point or another. So yes,
on the face of it, a remake is a bad idea, outraging fan communities by
tainting our beloved cult phenomenon and pushing it into the mainstream. But...in
the case of Evil Dead, results were far from negative. I’m not talking about
the remake itself, in which reviews are proving very positive and we can all breathe
a sigh of relief (thank you Alvarez). What I’m talking about is a resultant era
of remediation...
The remake
has encouraged an influx of nostalgia and re-appreciation for the original. Hundreds
of features and reviews have been produced in the online world, celebrating the
classic in all its glory. Take me for example, conducting this feature as we
speak or SFX’s A-Z of The Evil Dead. Fansites, blogs and forums which were
perhaps a little slow-moving, have now picked up their pace again with multiple
threads regenerating their love for the original. This resurgence of adoration
not only strengthens a sense of community, but also increases the chance of
discovery and appreciation by a younger generation. In an ironic twist, therefore, remakes are by
no means a bad thing. To the industries, perhaps a money making scheme, but to
our communities, a catalyst for nostalgia and therefore,
strengthened adoration and appreciation for the original.
Sources:
Verevis, C. (2006). Film Remakes. Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press Limited
Jancovich, M. (2002). Cult Fictions: Cult
Movies, Subcultural Capital and the Production of Cultural Distinctions. Cultural
Studies, 16(2), 306-322.
Gray, J. (2003), New Audiences, New
Textualities: Anti-Fans and Non-Fans. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 6(1), 64-81.
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