Movie Review: ‘Evil Dead Rise’

A gore-soaked legacy

Sam Raimi’s ‘The Evil Dead’ remains a much-cherished entry in the horror genre, even though the director himself effectively remade it with 1987’s even more well-regarded sequel (technically a requel) ‘Evil Dead II’, which had a (slightly) boosted budget and even more gory action featuring his friend, muse and –– frequently –– on-screen punching bag Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams.

The story is similar in both: friends stay at an isolated cabin in the woods, discover a Necronomicon, a strange book bound in human flesh and illustrated with blood, and unleash an unspeakable evil, leading to demons possessing people, hacked-off limbs, and vigorous use of a chainsaw.

A third entry, ‘Army of Darkness’ expands the scope (and time period), transporting Ash to 1300 A.D., where he must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the dead so he can return home. It’s bigger, though not always better.

In the years since, the hugely inspirational franchise (Raimi’s freewheeling, dynamic style has been frequently copied but rarely matched) has expanded to include Álvarez’s film and TV spin-off ‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’. The 2013 entry is well-liked, though while it is certainly gory, it doesn’t channel the level of self-deprecating humor that infuses Raimi’s movies.

Now here comes ‘Evil Dead Rise’ written and directed by Dublin-born filmmaker Lee Cronin, who has previous experience with shorts and critically acclaimed horror movie ‘The Hole in the Ground’.

A devout fan of the ‘Evil Dead’ movies, he was hand-picked by Raimi to craft the fifth in the series, and the choice was a wise one.

Lily Sullivan as Beth in New Line Cinema’s horror film ‘Evil Dead Rise,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

What happens in ‘Evil Dead Rise’?

The new movie follows two estranged sisters, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), a freshly single mother raising daughters Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), Kassie (Nell Fisher) and eldest son Danny (Morgan Davies) and traveling guitar tech Beth (Lily Sullivan), whose reunion is cut short.

An earthquake rocks the building where Ellie and the kids live, revealing –– since the creaking high rise was once a bank –– a buried vault that contains a copy of a very familiar tome and some vinyl records that appear to go with it. Danny foolishly tries to open the book and plays the records… which leads, of course, to the rise of flesh possessing demons, thrusting them all into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

A scene from New Line Cinema’s horror film ‘Evil Dead Rise,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Related Article: Every Sam Raimi Movie, Ranked From ‘Evil Dead’ to ‘Spider-Man 2’

Blood-soaked terror

Cronin’s film, while not at the level of Raimi’s in terms of humor either, certainly injects a frothier style into the story.

Before we ever get to the high rise, however, we’re treated to some more familiar forest territory, leading to an effective fake-out that this movie might be taking the expected direction. We won’t go into how that ties into the plot too much, since there are some surprises to be found, but it kicks off with a shot borrowing the Raimi style that turns out to be something else. It’s clever, knowing and the perfect start to the movie.

Moving the story away from the traditional setting offers up some truly fresh ideas for the premise, and there are some very inventive horrors to be found lurking within. It’s also more emotionally grounded than any that have come before, the sibling and family dynamic used thoughtfully to truly set up characters before unleashing the Deadite creatures for which this franchise is known.

Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie in New Line Cinema’s horror film ‘Evil Dead Rise,”’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Sutherland and Sullivan in particular are relatable, grounded characters, swapping realistic sisterly dialogue and feeling like people rather than stock movie stereotypes.

Once the bloody pedal hits the metal and the Deadite madness overwhelms anything, the movie takes off at a high gear and rarely stops for breath, eye-catching, gross injuries and deaths flying thick and fast.

An elevator, a glass, a cheese grater and even a bathtub are all delivery methods for terror and anguish here, and horror fans are likely to find plenty to keep them entertained.

Cronin also manages to include nods to Raimi’s films (a chainsaw, a shotgun, and a certain classic car among them) without the Easter eggs diverting attention and ruining the movie for those who don’t obsessively watch the original movies.

It’s wild, wicked, and entirely thrilling stuff.

(L to R) Director Lee Cronin and Alyssa Sutherland on the set of New Line Cinema’s horror film ‘Evil Dead Rise,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Any problems?

There are only a few issues with ‘Evil Dead Rise’ that keep it from true greatness –– youngest child Kassie occasionally falls into the grating overly cute kid mode, and of course displays some of the questionable decisions needed to get everyone else into trouble. Characters beyond the family are largely chattel, briefly set up in order to be suitably offed in nasty fashion, but then that’s par for the course for a horror movie and to expand them further would inflate the movie beyond its swift running time.

The dumb decisions are not limited to Kassie, though, and there is the odd howler that only characters in this situation make. Also, likely to be more eye-rolling than cover-your-eyes-with-your-hands is an odd time jump where you can’t quite figure out how characters overcame seemingly insurmountable odds with little to no trouble.

Final Thoughts

That said, ‘Evil Dead Rise’ is an effectively creepy and freakish horror movie that easily earns its place in the ‘Evil Dead’ pantheon and, even if it doesn’t star Bruce Campbell (though he’s been cleverly included in a way we won’t reveal here).

Fans will be happy with the frenetic action and even those who don’t know their Ash from their elbow will appreciate the creative scares on display here. And that, as Ash himself might say, is just groovy.

‘Evil Dead Rise’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.

Lily Sullivan as Beth in New Line Cinema’s horror movie ‘Evil Dead Rise,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures launch. Copyright: © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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‘Evil Dead Rise’ is produced by New Line Cinema, Renaissance Pictures, Ghost House Pictures, Pacific Renaissance Pictures, and Wild Atlantic Pictures. It is scheduled to be launched in theaters on April twenty first, 2023.