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.
