'The Evil Dead' remake starts shooting

LOS ANGELES, May 4 (UPI) -- Principal photography has begun on the remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film "The Evil Dead" in Auckland, New Zealand, the movie's producers said Friday.

Shooting is to wrap in early July and the film is expected to hit theaters next year.

Ghost House Pictures is producing the remake, which was written by Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. Directed by Alvarez, it stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas and Elizabeth Blackmore.

The original film was directed by Sam Raimi and starred Bruce Campbell. Raimi and Campbell are serving as producers on the new film.

"This cast of burgeoning talent share the same spirit we had when creating the original," producer Rob Tapert said in a statement. "The desire to deliver an unexpected and outrageously scary movie experience for the audience."

"Five 20-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin where they discover a 'Book of the Dead' and unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival," a synopsis said.

Raimi, who is serving as a producer on the remake, called Alvarez "a brilliant artist."

"As a director, he understands what makes a story work and how to put the pieces together," Raimi said. "I'm really excited to see this story, that I care deeply about, retold by such a fine storyteller."