A love letter to The Evil Dead, a respectful homage, an unofficial remake: call it what you like, but it doesn't alter the fact that Wither is a shameless rip-off of Sam Raimi's seminal splatter pic, from the basic plot, to the look of it's possessed, to the creative camera-work and editing. Not that it really matters, mind you, because this nifty supernatural horror from Swedish directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund is so well executed that it's easy to forgive its wholesale plundering of a much loved classic; it's certainly got more going for it than the disappointing official 2013 Evil Dead remake.
Wither takes a while to get going (perhaps a little too long, if I'm being completely honest), but is never boring, and once the horror starts, the film becomes a relentlessly gruelling and very gory thrill-ride, with decapitations, severed limbs and bloody impalements aplenty, weapons employed including a shotgun, an axe, a massive drill bit, and even an upturned stool. The overall tone is grittier than Raimi's movie, which makes matters a little less 'fun' perhaps, but fans of all things 'deadite' should still find much to appreciate about this impressive little homage/remake/love letter/rip-off.
Wither takes a while to get going (perhaps a little too long, if I'm being completely honest), but is never boring, and once the horror starts, the film becomes a relentlessly gruelling and very gory thrill-ride, with decapitations, severed limbs and bloody impalements aplenty, weapons employed including a shotgun, an axe, a massive drill bit, and even an upturned stool. The overall tone is grittier than Raimi's movie, which makes matters a little less 'fun' perhaps, but fans of all things 'deadite' should still find much to appreciate about this impressive little homage/remake/love letter/rip-off.