Having to helm a fresh installment of a popular horror franchise is no easy task, especially one as successful as Evil Dead. However, director Lee Cronin manages to create a continuation of the film series that connects with the original films that came before while adding new and exciting ways to explore the lore. Evil Dead Rise stands on its own as a great entry to the Evil Dead series. It respects Sam Raimi’s creation while letting Cronin make his own vision of the cult classic that works successfully. The movie goes for the scares, gore, and some humor to become a great entry that feels different yet familiar for the hardcore fans as well as drawing in a new audience who are discovering Evil Dead for the first time.
Evil Dead Rise follows a single mother named Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) who struggles to raise her three kids as her estranged sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) comes to visit. Working as a roadie, Beth discovers she is pregnant and tries to find solace with her older sister after sharing this news. Their reunion is suddenly cut short after a strange book hidden under Ellie’s apartment building surfaces, which releases a horde of flesh-eating demons that pray on Ellie and her family. After becoming possessed by a demon, Ellie showcases some strange behavior that pushes Beth and the children to survive through the night as an army of Deadites starts taking over their home.
The first couple of minutes of Evil Dead Rise perfectly sets up the tone of the film that matches what the franchise is all about. The audience will get a scare, some funny liners, and then a brutal kill that will make anyone’s jaw drop. Once the film jumps to the origin of the opening sequence, the film substitutes the cabin in the woods with a creepy apartment that mimics the creepy atmosphere of the original film. Once another book of the Necronomicon is discovered, all hell breaks loose as Beth alongside her nieces and nephew attempts to stop a possessed Ellie from wreaking havoc on them and getting out alive.
What Cronin does well in Evil Dead Rise is setting up the family dynamic that has the audience care for these characters before knowing that no one will be safe. Each kill utilizes different household items to give that B-movie effect and creates that tension once a victim gets tortured by these devices. It is a torture fest once everybody witnesses the mother of these kids causing them more harm and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Once the danger settles in, the film gets to have some fun with the horror elements at play.
Even when things get gruesome on screen, the movie manages to find a way to make something that is so vile and disgusting become something enjoyable. The franchise gets to put some humor, which is exactly what Evil Dead Rise does. The movie does fall between the insane concept of the original films and the reinvention of its darker counterparts in the 2013 remake. What comes together is an adrenaline rush filled with blood, creepiness, and some crowd-pleasing moments that will make any fan impressed with what Cronin has done here that truly reinvents the wheel of what made Evil Dead such a success.
Alyssa delivers a great performance as a possessed mother who is so menacing and terrifying. The Australian native fully commits to the role as she goes for the kills and gives that creepy factor of a Deadite demon raising her army of the undead. Lily is also at the top of her game as she embodies the hero reminiscent of Bruce Campbell who played Ash in the original films. She puts her own spin on the typical heroine wielding a chainsaw and going all out as she goes through blood and gore to protect her unborn child and her sister’s kids. When these two get to the final confrontation, it is clear that them two will not give up until the other one dies. It is so much fun seeing both of these actresses duking it out on screen and see who emerges on top, giving some incredible action scenes that really pay homage to Evil Dead.
The cinematography is also top-notch, giving some incredible moments on screen that showcase the horrors of hell being unleashed on this family. The make-up work is also stellar, creating some grotesque transformations of Ellie and the rest of her victims. Cronin showcases some excellent work behind the camera being that this is the first big-budget horror film that he has put his heart into. The special effects in the movie splendidly put the effort into making those mutilation scenes nasty to the core with the practical effects. Even the amount of blood continues to rise with each death count and scene that involves the use of it. The film makes use of the building to create the ultimate death trap for anyone who inhabits it.
Evil Dead Rise completely understands what makes Evil Dead such a popular franchise and adds more to the mythology of these demon spawns from hell. It does a heck of a job showing just how evil these Deadites are and make it a fun watch. The change in the atmosphere also helped in delivering some imminent danger to these characters, especially with Ellie and Beth who were played wonderfully by Alyssa and Lily. This next chapter in the Evil Dead series blends horror with entertainment perfectly with its goriness and destructible kills. Evil Dead Rise takes a chance in creating something new, leaving audiences hungry for more.
Evil Dead Rise releases in theaters on April 21st, 2023.
