Lee Cronin puts pen to paper as well as directing this sequel in the beloved horror franchise, but how does it fare? Here’s our Evil Dead Rise review.
A reunion between two estranged sisters gets cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
It’s quite hard to step too far away from the source material of Evil Dead with many of the subsequent sequels merely becoming a fan service gorefest to further strengthen the selling power of the franchise.
In that vein Evil Dead Rise is absolutely no different dishing out an absolute plethora of gruesome moments for an extreme reaction but there’s a little bit of substance in the movie outside of the gore that makes Evil Dead Rise just that little bit more special.
Taking place in a new location (not a cabin in the woods this time) Evil Dead Rise goes all Scream on us and throws this iconic franchise into a new world and giving us a unique yet familiar experience.
A person finds an evil book, an evil book is read, someone gets possessed and chaos ensues.
© 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. (L to R) GABRIELLE ECHOLS as Bridget, NELL FISHER as Kassie, LILY SULLIVAN as Beth, MORGAN DAVIES as Danny and ALYSSA SUTHERLAND as Ellie in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
How Lee Cronin has incorporated Evil Dead winks and nods seamlessly into the film is rather impressive and was something I noticed very early on. The iconic camera motion through the woods is given an updated modern twist, a chainsaw pickup and even certain camera motions, closeups and even dialogue delivery that will keep fans happy. It’s all done in a way that’s respectful without ever feeling over the top.
Humour is lacking in Evil Dead Rise, there are a few little moments here and there but it’s minimal and that’s a real shame as Evil Dead thrived on that tongue-in-cheek dark humour. Special effects are always top notch and having a mother possessed whilst her kids (and sister) look on in horror is genius.
Alyssa Sutherland is absolutely terrifying and in one movie has cemented herself into horror history with a chilling performance. I know she’s acting, I know nothing on screen is real yet I’m creeped out. Every scene is delivered in such a cold manner and this back and forth between her old self and her new possessed self was haunting. Manipulating not only the audience by the characters around her in the movie this was an incredible performance that truly dragged me in and kept me hooked from start to finish.
© 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. A scene from New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
A revamped Necornomincon and a new way of bringing that book to life gives the franchise a little kick in the right direction and it certainly feels like an improvement on the previous 2013 Evil Dead movie.
Lily Sullivan grounds the entire movie with sharp acting and amazing delivery but I felt as though her character was underwritten with certain reveals and secrets being rather pointless to her character arc other than to add a line in here and there when interacting with her now Deadite sister.
Whereas Scream (for me) failed horribly in a new environment Evil Dead thrives. It feels normal and despite the discovery of the Necronomicon and that entire scene being a little suspect and lazily written the execution was rather wonderful.
Gallons of blood, insane gore and a gripping story make Evil Dead Rise a solid horror movie, it’s certainly nothing new or unique (as is the case with many horror movies nowadays) but it’s a solid instalment in the franchise.
A relentless assault of extreme gore and insane attack scenes (one particular peephole one was genuinely terrifying) makes Evil Dead Rise feel like gore for the sake of gore but strip away the layers and there’s a morbid fascination with this franchise and I’m absolutely here for it.
Evil Dead Rise review by Sean Evans
Our Rating
Summary
Storytelling stumbles aside Evil Dead Rise is worth your time as horror and gore hit home in equal measure for a chilling and quite frankly eye-opening experience.
