Evil Dead Rise

After all the hype, the rave reviews, the revealing trailers, and the silly reaction videos (God, how I hate those), Evil Dead Rise turns out to be exactly what I expected: a serviceable sequel, nothing more, nothing less. Like the remake before it, it delivers on the gore, but is lacking in originality and likeable characters.

The film takes place in a rundown apartment building, home to single mother Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and her three obnoxious brats, Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), Danny (Morgan Davies) and Kassie (Nell Fisher). After an earthquake hits the area, Danny discovers a secret vault below the building's underground car park where he finds an ancient book and three old records. Playing the discs unleashes an ancient evil that possesses his mother and spreads to other people in the building. On hand to protect the kids and fight the evil is Ellie's sister Beth (Lily Sullivan).

Writer/director Lee Cronin conducts matters in a workmanlike manner, ladling on the blood and slime, killing off characters that might reasonably be expected to survive many a horror movie, and throwing in a few nods to the original movies to appease long-time fans of all things Evil Dead (I particularly enjoyed the EDII flying eyeball scene); unfortunately, the film wastes its promising locale by confining most of the action to one apartment and doesn't generate much in the way of atmosphere or genuine scares (I didn't jump once).

What the film sorely needed was more imagination and creativity (in both story and direction), and characters that I could actually care about -- exactly the qualities that still make the original film the best of the franchise.

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

**Mom gets possessed by demon**

**Entire family and room full of neighbors standing there watching**

**Spine contorts to impossible shape**

"Mom? You okay?"

**Crab-walks up the side of a wall and onto the ceiling**

"Mom? Is everything alright, Mom?"

**Projectile-vomits twenty gallons of blood**

"Are you okay, Mom?"

**Speaks ancient language in hideous demonic voice, eyes rolling around in their sockets**

"Mom, it's me. What's wrong, Mom?"

**Grabs shard of broken glass, proceeds to dig it into arms and face**

"Mom, listen. I hope you're okay. You're starting to worry me."

**"I WILL MASSACRE ALL OF YOU AND FEAST ON YOUR GUTS. NO ONE WILL SURVIVE THE NIGHT. YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!"**

"Mom, are you feeling okay? It seems like something might be wrong."

**Bites through neighbor's jugular vein, cackles maniacally while covered in the arterial spray**

"Guys, I think something might be wrong with Mom. I don't know, she's acting weird. What should we do?"

I haven't seen any of the previous Evil Dead movies. I judged this solely on its own merits. It's well made in many ways. It starts with a really cool opening scene that had my jaw dropped. And an epic opening title shot that reminded me of Fury Road's.

The entire movie is so loud and bombastic. You could say the same about the violence. It's brutal. I love that they take full advantage of the R-rating. It doesn't hold back. I liked all of the kill scenes and carnage.

So why didn't I like this more? I have no idea. I was having a decent time. But I wasn't fully engaged or attached. My mind wandered a couple times. I didn't care about the wellbeing of the characters. It doesn't feel like something I will revisit. There are a few dumb moments but nothing too egregious. I just wasn't that into it.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday UltraScreen 4/20/2023)

Ellie is a single mother living with her three children- Danny, Brigit and Kassie- in a rundown apartment block. Her sister Beth- a guitar technician for a rock band- comes a-calling one evening. She's just discovered she is pregnant, and needs her sister's advice and company if she's to deal with the news. However, after an earthquake splits the floor of the apartment garage open- revealing an ancient bank vault- all hell literally breaks loose. Danny steals a book and a record from the vault, unwittingly summoning an army of deadites to their door, one of whom possesses his mother. Will Beth and the kids survive Ellie's undead machinations, or will the evil dead win the day?

Written and directed by Lee Cronin, 'Evil Dead Rise' is a wickedly bloody horror that is a worthy addition to Sam Raimi's iconic series. Though not as funny or as bizarre as the original three films, it is a good deal closer in tone to them than Fede Álvarez's comparatively bleak 2013 version, benefitting from bits of humour throughout. The narrative- once the first twenty minutes of exposition is out of the way- is engaging and full of cleverly implemented and inventive gore. Confined to one location, Cronin's game of deadite cat and mouse is thrilling and chilling in equal measure.

Conversely, other than Beth, all of the characters are quite one-note, with little development or backstory. The children are basically just plot devices with forgettable personalities and those outside the apartment are hardly more than shadows; ill-defined when examined under the light. Furthermore, despite a couple of unexpected moments, narratively 'Evil Dead Rise' is pretty linear and predictable. Though Cronin approaches gore with the hand of an auteur, he doesn't make his characters feel special or give us many compelling reasons to care for them. Ash Williams, none of them are.

However, on the other hand, the film really is an eyeball-popping, jaw-dropping display of bloodshed and carnage so over the top you can't help but be impressed. Cronin shares Raimi's spark for creative violence, and 'Evil Dead Rise' boasts some truly grisly scenes, involving all manner of objects. Cheese-graters, chainsaws and electrical wiring are but a few of the cleverly implemented items of destruction Cronin utilises to great effect in the film. And as in any good 'Evil Dead' project, there's a ridiculous amount of blood on screen- the karo syrup and red food-colouring budget must have been in the millions.

Under Cronin's direction, cinematographer Dave Garbett makes the most of the limited space of the apartment, capturing the brutality and carnage crisply and clearly. His use of f-stops and wide-angle lenses is immersive, while his dynamic camera movements add suspense and excitement. Garbett had cut his teeth on 'Ash vs Evil Dead,' and so was well used to capturing deadite violence and gargantuan blood levels on screen; as his consummate and assured work in the finished film shows. Additionally, the film relies on practicality over C. G. I., which makes the incredible effects throughout all the more impressive.

'Evil Dead Rise' features a fine cast, though some make more impact than others. Lily Sullivan does strong work as Beth, although the role is ultimately one-dimensional and lacking in personality. Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher and Morgan Davies face a similar fate, giving solid performances as bland, forgettable characters- though Fisher should be commended, really, given how young she is and how well she handles the material. The real stand out is Alyssa Sutherland, giving an intense, wildly entertaining performance as Ellie full of a diabolical vigour and energy. Scary, funny, crazy- not even Ted Raimi could have played this deadite as well, and that's saying something.

Although 'Evil Dead Rise' might not be in the same league as Sam Raimi's original trilogy, it's a roller-coaster of bloody chaos that's entertaining and exciting nonetheless. While the narrative isn't particularly special, director Lee Cronin's inventive use of gore throughout should have audiences enthralled. Furthermore, Alyssa Sutherland's performance as the villain of the piece is giddily over the top and utterly memorable, while Dave Garbett's cinematography is commendably stylish and the practical effects on display are awesome. To cut a long story short, 'Evil Dead Rise' is a frenzied festival of blood and guts that should leave viewers everywhere hungry for more.

Good cast, fine movie. Juvenile, not scary, unnecessary for the horror movie adult. If your looking for a good bloody movie to watch with your pre teen it's probably perfect. The script is okay, the setting is fine, the lighting is dim. I'm not sure why this movie was made. The last evil dead remake was scary and true to the genre and the original story. I know this one isn't a remake, but then who asked for that again.

Just a note to leave you with, should be common knowledge to all of us by now, never read from the weird books bound in flesh, and never take the elevators after an earthquake.