A little over a week after it got picked up by Sony and FilmDistrict, a new bevy of information has arrived for Fede Alvarez and Diablo Cody‘s controversial Evil Dead remake. The first of these is a pretty simple item, with STYD reporting that the film will hit on the nice slot of April 12th, 2013. “Nice” because, when looking at past years, this time of year is often given over to solid studio films that their respective backers have some confidence in. For a project we know very little about, this isn’t a bad way of starting off.

But now there’s even more to report, as Moviehole (via BloodyDisgusting) has given us a pretty comprehensive description of the premise; it’s definitely more fruitful than a minimal description. Read it below:

“Mia and David, estranged siblings who have recently lost their mother (Mia’s taking it the hardest being that she’s the one who spent most days at the hospital watching her mother deteriorate) have reunited, along with some old friends and his David’s fiancee, for an intervention at THAT old cabin. As reported by Bloody Disgusting this week, It’s here that the near rehabilitated Mia (who has apparently already been cast) will also toss the last of her drugs down the well and finally go cold Turkey.

A big storm sets in. Everyone heads to the cabin. The book of the dead is found, and arrogant Eric (one of the friends along for the trip) takes the most interest in transcribing passages from it. Always the dicks that bring the trouble, right?

Meanwhile Mia struggles with her newly sober self — BIG TIME. She was going slightly loopy anyway from a recent overdose (one in which she technically died from but was brought back) so no surprise that Mia is the first and worst to go bananas. And no surprise either that nobody believes her crazy claims of coyote dogs and trees attacking her!”

There’s more to it at the link, but I’ll at least mention that it isn’t anything you should be all that surprised by, as long as you’ve previously seen any movie of this kind. (And I’ll guess you have.) Just going by this plot description, however, I’m rather pleased to hear that they’ll be deviating a good amount from the original. Seeing as Sam Raimi‘s B-horror classic is one of my favorite in the genre, it’s not something I’d want to revisit with a modern cast and sleek look; shaking it up is only for the best. Now, there is the question of why you’d even call it Evil Dead, not just Scary Monsters and Druggie Kids, but it’s better to get something surprising and new than old and familiar, no matter how much you love what it’s based on.

Moving on to some other Cody-branded projects, her directorial debut, once called Lamb of God, has just signed Holly Hunter. The film, which stars Julianne Hough, centers on a woman named Lamb who’s suffered from “horrific burns” in a plane crash, goes to Las Vegas “to live the life of a sinner, and on her journey finds her way back to her faith.” Joining a cast that’s also led by Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer, Hunter will play the lead’s “conservative and overprotective mother.” The currently untitled film will begin shooting this spring, making a 2013 release the likely target date.

Does the plot description for Evil Dead give you any hope? Will Hunter be a good fit for Cody’s new film?