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The Worst Film Ever

Overrated and overhyped

Good movie but grossly overrated

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

WITHER is the Swedish EVIL DEAD. There's not much more to say about it than that. It has the same ferocity and constant graphic bloodshed as the American EVIL DEAD remake which came out a year later, in 2013. A bunch of friends visit the usual cabin in the woods and are soon subject to demonic possession, turning on and infecting each other one at a time. Mucho bloodshed ensues. Although low budget, this is a highly effective little production which offers near constant horror and nihilism without a moment to draw breath. It's extremely disturbing and extremely graphic, more so I thought than the real remake. The horror never lets up once it begins and the bloody mutilating special effects are extremely realistic. The cast are certainly put through their paces and as it turns out they're up to the job. My recommendation? Watch if you're a fan of graphic horror.

I lack the stamina to write a proper review about this movie. But this sad, boring, Evil Dead-wannabe doesn't deserve one, anyway. It was nowhere near the Evil Dead movies (and I didn't particularly care about those, either) except maybe in gore. I'll just list some things with a notice to horror fans: Don't watch this movie. The only "horror" in this movie is how bad it is.1. Are you a nervous girl sent inside a house to open the outer door for your friends? Don't do it. Investigate the cellar instead, hope that the guy hasn't unlocked the door before you're done.2. Your friend is blocking your path down the stairs. She's got blood all over her. Ask her in a casual manner to get out of the way, or what's the matter.3. The "Vittra" attacks you. Wrestle with it. Push it away, it shows talent in getting pushed into objects or over tables. Then just stand there and look perplexed until it's ready to attack again, then try to reach the door.4. Some Vittras are more durable than others. Some will be put down and die quite easily. Others will take an insane amount of damage before they give up.5. Always split up.6. We must go outside! No, it's dark and rainy, it won't work, get upstairs! Get in there, lock the door! Bad idea, we must go outside! Go this way! Go that way! Back this way! Get outta the way! 7. Some Vittras are aware of their condition, and doesn't really want to hurt you, but in the end they must. Others, be it your brother, doesn't care one bit.8. Main couple are given a few extra chances of survival. The Vittras make sure to not bite them whenever they get the chance. Support characters are a fair meal up for grabs, though.9. Some Vittras likes to scream. Loudly. It doesn't up the scarefactor, though.

To claim that "Wither" is inspired by Sam Raimi's horror monument "The Evil Dead" would be a tremendous understatement. "Wither" fundamentally IS the Swedish version of "The Evil Dead", although accomplished with a great deal of respect, admiration and youthful enthusiasm towards the classic original. Perhaps even more so the case than in the US-remake released earlier this year! Albin and Ida, a young couple very much in love, invite five of their friends to spend a weekend in a cabin high up in the Swedish woods. Before they are even properly installed, one of the girls encounters a mythological Swedish folklore demon in the fruit cellar and becomes possessed. She subsequently infects her friends one by one while the surviving ones unsuccessfully attempt to escape. So much for the straightforward and familiar story, and I bet you can guess the script also reverts to textbook clichés (the old man with the warnings) and stereotype characters (arrogant jocks, blond bimbos…). But all that doesn't matter, because the main trump of "Wither" obviously isn't the intellectual storyline but the outrageous and plentiful gore! It looks as if the crew invested every penny they owned into make-up effects, fake blood and red goo. "Wither" offers a Swedish smørgasbörd of impalement, decapitations, axe-wielding, shotgun-through-the-head wounds, face-munching and much more! The gore, and particularly the quality of the old-fashioned make-up effects, widely compensate for the lack of originality. My main complaint regarding the film is that the makers clearly had too much fun and seemingly didn't want their movie to end. Towards the finale, the film definitely drags and outstays its welcome. The overly sentimental confrontation between the last two survivors could (and should) have been cut with at least 10 minutes at least.

I had heard good things about this movie and was delighted when I got the opportunity to see it today. The film was made for just under 35,000 euro so I was factoring that in when I sat down to watch it. I didn't need to. The movie looks great. The cast were believable, it was extremely well directed, the cinematography was superb, it was scary, it was clever and it ranks alongside Dead Snow, Let the Right One In and The Troll Hunter as yet another indication that Europe is definitely snapping at the heels of Asia when it comes to creative film making. Yes, it's a rip off of The Evil Dead but it's certainly the best copy to date and, regardless of the budget, it leaves the recent Evil Dead remake looking tired and dull. An excellent horror movie.