The “Evil Dead” franchise has been terrorizing and entertaining horror fans for over 4 decades,
and now, 10 years since the last installment, we have some fresh meat in “Evil Dead Rise”.
This movie is one bloodthirsty rollercoaster,
and if that’s what you’re looking to get out of “Evil Dead Rise” - you will not be disappointed.
The story is going to sound familiar to anyone who has seen an “Evil Dead” movie before:
a group of people has to face flesh-possessing demonic creatures because there’s always that
one person who just can’t resist cracking the Necronomicon open.
Pro-tip: if you ever see a creepy-looking, leatherbound book - just leave it alone.
Don’t read it, don’t be that guy.
The setting is a little different this time though - the movie mostly leaves the remote cabin behind,
aside from the intro, and is instead set at an old apartment building in LA,
which was actually a very good location change.
First of all, the building itself looks very ominous.
Second, it provides its own unique set of challenges and tools.
And third, it still feels pretty isolated because there aren’t that many people left living in it,
as we find out that it’s set to be torn down.
Aside from old buildings being a great aesthetic choice for horror to begin with,
the filmmakers genuinely have a lot of fun with this location.
For example, at one point there is a scene that unfolds almost entirely from the perspective of
someone looking through a peephole, and I’m sure you remember parts of that from the trailer.
This is also a building with an old elevator,
and those are always a source of horror, in film and in real life.
Plus, of course, there are some neighbors involved as well…
and let’s just say things can get a little crazy.
The other change is that here, for the first time in the franchise,
the entire core group of characters are a family.
There’s a single mother raising her three kids, and a sister who comes over for a visit.
So, as you can imagine, when the mother gets possessed (which is not a spoiler,
it’s literally on the poster and all over the trailer) it feels a lot more personal
and challenging for the rest of the characters because suddenly this is a family night from hell.
The movie spends a little more time than you would expect from
this franchise introducing characters and their relationships, and I really appreciated that.
The character dynamics work, and it’s not just because it’s dealing with a family,
but also because there are now kids involved, which makes all of this feel extra sinister.
The film does end up bringing up themes of motherhood and parenting,
and while I wouldn't go as far as to call it heartfelt,
there’s definitely an emotional core and a level of personal stakes to all of this.
This is probably the most I’ve been invested in what happens to all of the characters in
the entire franchise, compared to just being invested in the fate of the obvious lead.
“Evil Dead Rise” also has some very strong performances across the board.
All of the younger actors are actually very good,
particularly Nell Fisher, who plays the youngest child.
Lily Sullivan is a solid lead, and definitely steps up to the challenge.
But we have to talk about Alyssa Sutherland, who plays the eventually possessed mother because she
is fantastic and you can tell how much fun she had terrorizing everyone for this role.
It’s a very impressive, and a very physically demanding performance.
There is a lot for her to do here, from your pretty standard possession stuff to acting
absolutely unhinged, and with all of this there is a layer of dark humor that comes through in
her performance as well. She is incredible!
Speaking of the humor, as far as the tone goes, “Evil Dead Rise” sits somewhere in the middle,
between the 2013 “Evil Dead” movie and the original Sam Raimi trilogy,
which is a blend that really worked for me.
I think getting away from the overly serious horror of the remake was a good choice, and if
anything, they could have pushed the humor even a little further, without compromising the horror.
Because guys, “Evil Dead Rise” is absolutely disgusting.
I would say it’s on par with the 2013 film in terms of gore,
but there is just something about this one that makes it feel even more gross.
I’m actually surprised that something this gory and disgusting is a major studio release.
I don’t want to get flagged for showing anything too disturbing,
so I’m not going to be showing you too much here, but if you’re curious - go
watch the red band trailer for a little taste of what this movie has to offer.
Things get pretty nasty, and if that’s what you’re looking for - you’re going to have a great time.
There are some incredible visual effects here,
most of them practical, which gives the movie and its gore a very realistic look.
There’s some excellent sound design bringing the gross-out factor to the next level.
There's a "thing" in this movie that has not been done in this franchise before,
and it is horrifying, absolutely the stuff of nightmares, and once again, disgusting.
I’m saying the word “disgusting” a lot in this video but that’s because it’s the most
appropriate adjective to describe a lot of what’s going on on screen.
It’s an impossible movie to recommend, unless you know that
the person you’re recommending it to is specifically into extremely gory horror.
It’s not a “check it out, maybe you’ll like it” situation by any means.
Look, the filmmakers were going after a specific target audience,
and that is the audience that wants to see a bloodbath with some dark humor mixed in.
It actually is pretty creepy and ominous even before all of the gore hits,
but when things really kick into gear - it gets brutal.
But it is so much fun to watch it with an excited
crowd, and that is the way to experience “Evil Dead Rise”.
I am so glad they upgraded it from a direct to HBO Max release to a theatrical release, after some
successful test screenings, because this movie belongs on the big screen, with an audience.
And the best part is that it’s going to be accessible to both:
longtime franchise fans and people who have never seen an "Evil Dead" film before.
It works great as a standalone because it’s expanding the universe rather than continuing
a specific story, but it also has plenty of Easter eggs and homages for the fans.
You have some familiar lines, you have the chainsaw, you have the boomstick,
you have the camera flying towards the characters, and of course you have the book.
Which, side note, I like that they addressed why the book looks different in some movies.
It’s just a quick line, but I am glad they included it.
Now, all that being said, there are a couple of things that kept me from truly loving this film.
First of all, it either needed more character development or more charisma.
And before all of you jump into the comments to tell me the franchise has
never been about character development - I know, I’m well aware of that.
But the powerhouse of charisma that is Bruce Campbell keeps the viewers invested,
and by the third film I would argue that he actually does feel like a real character.
But that’s Bruce Campbell for you, he’s one of a kind.
Here, while Lily Sullivan is really good as the protagonist,
she needed just a bit more to truly create that connection with the audience.
Still, I’ll say it again, “Evil Dead Rise” actually spends more
time than you would expect working on the characters and their relationships,
and I think they’re moving in the right direction there.
For an “Evil Dead” movie, the writing here is an improvement.
The other thing is that I wish they had a bit more patience to build up tension.
They do this pretty successfully in the first half of the movie, but once you get to the
real bloodbath, the shocking visuals just keep coming without enough room to breathe.
And the visuals are great, but a little bit of buildup between them,
some patience to make the audience squirm in anticipation of what’s coming would have
made those gruesome moments even more impactful.
So is this a perfect “Evil Dead” film? Not really.
But I do think it’s an improvement on the 2013 reboot.
For one, it simply has more personality and a tone that’s much more playful.
Also, while it’s still covering some familiar ground in its structure,
“Evil Dead Rise” is actually telling a new story in a new setting, adding to
the lore and expanding the universe rather than remaking an older film.
And while extreme gore really isn’t my preferred subgenre of horror, I had a really good time.
There were even some shades of classic horror in there,
which I did not expect. Particularly “The Shining”.
I mean come on, an unhinged parent going after their family trapped in an old building?
One of the kids’ names is Danny?
And there’s even a horrific elevator scene?
There is no way all of this is just a coincidence.
At 96 minutes, “Evil Dead Rise” is a fast-paced,
brutal crowd-pleaser that's guaranteed to be a hit with its intended audience.
It will make you laugh, if you have a twisted sense of humor, it will gross you out,
and you will probably never look at a cheese grater the same way again.
It may not be a new horror classic,
but it’s exactly what it needs to be to keep the “Evil Dead” franchise very much alive.