Given the slew of horror remakes in recent years it was perhaps inevitable that Sam Raimi's 1981 video nasty classic would receive an update sooner or later, but Fede Alvarez's reboot has enough tricks up its sleeve to warrant a revisit to that infamous log cabin. The emphasis on physical effects over CGI gives the film a refreshingly visceral flavour, and the initial cold turkey setup feels like a novel spin, though for all of its lashings of gore it ultimately wants for both the original's visual dynamism and Cabin in the Woods' genre playfulness. (JB)