A horror movie better than I remembered

There’s never been a more formative movie for me than Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead (USA, 2013, Sony Pictures). Obviously, I was skeptical of Fede Alvarez’s remake and wasn’t a fan when I first saw it. But I rewatched it and was surprised how much better it was than I remembered. Despite the new slickness, it’s as unrelenting as the original both in terms of gore (oh God, so much gore) and star Jane Levy’s committed performance. Available on iTunes and Amazon Video.

I can watch Rock and Roll High School (USA, 1979, New World Pictures) over and over again. On the surface, Roger Corman’s 1979 production is just silly with a threadbare plot and lots of non-sequiturs, but there’s a frantic energy that makes it feel like anarchy captured on film. P.J. Soles’s performance made it acceptable to pine after strong-willed weirdoes. Plus, the Ramones get to blow up the school. If that’s not punk rock, I don’t know what is. Available on YouTube and DVD.

• R. C. Bradford
• Writer