'Evil Dead' to rise again

"Evil Dead" will rise again. A possible remake of director Sam Raimi's cult 1981 horror film has died and been reborn more times than the evil dead themselves.

But now Raimi, Bruce Campbell (who played Ash in all three "Evil Dead" films) and original producer Rob Tapert are partnering to bring the remake to life.

The original was released in 1981.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fede Alvarez (the short film "Panic Attack) will direct based on a script written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. Diablo Cody ("Juno") is currently working on revisions.

"We are committed to making this movie and are inspired by the enduring popularity and enthusiasm for the 'Evil Dead' series," the producing trio said in a statement. "We can't wait to scare a new generation of moviegoers using filmmaking techniques that were not available to us thirty years ago as well as Fede bringing a fresh eye to the film’s original elements."

"Evil Dead" follows five college students who are traveling to an isolated cabin become possessed by evil spirits, leaving Ash alone to battle the dead. "Evil Dead 2," released in 1987, was essentially a remake of the first film, while "Army of Darkness" in 1992 follows Ash to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.

It is not clear whether Campbell will return to the role of Ash in the remake.

"Evil Dead" is one of the ultimate horror classics with just the right mix of horror and camp to make it a cult favorite. I'm not a horror fan and even I love the series. I'm concerned by the trio's comment about "film techniques that were not available to us" considering we already have enough movies using the latest special effects for gory horror. Of course, it helps that everyone will be involved, which is better than the last couple of iterations of the remake.

Still, until proven otherwise, I'm going to put this one in the "remakes that aren't needed or wanted" category.