“Evil Dead Rise” Review
Alyssa Sutherland portrays a mother possessed by an unholy monster in “Evil Dead Rise,” the fifth film in the cult classic series which began with Sam Raimi’s 1981 original.
While reviewing “Scream VI,” I said how it was my favorite horror franchise because of how consistently good it is. If I were to talk about another franchise that shares this distinction, it would be “The Evil Dead.” However, unlike a “Scream” film which has established rules and expectations, you never know what the demonic deadites of “The Evil Dead” will do or even what a film in the franchise is going to be like. Is it going to be a straight horror film like the original, a campy thrill ride like “Evil Dead II” or an action adventure film like “Army of Darkness.” Whatever direction the franchise takes, I usually have a good time with it because of how imaginative and crazy it is. Like its predecessors, “Evil Dead Rise” is an insane, blood-soaked blast that should be seen on the biggest screen with the biggest crowd.
Set in a Los Angeles high rise, a young woman named Beth (Lily Sullivan) is visiting her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and her three children Danny, Bridget and Kassie (Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher) when one of them stumbles across the ancient book of the dead and vinyl recordings of its passages. After the recordings are played, a demonic entity possesses Ellie and creates a terrifying monster. With seemingly no way out of the building Beth and the children must find a way to survive this hell on earth or else be dead by dawn.
When you’re a franchise as iconic as “The Evil Dead,” it may seem daunting to be the latest film in the series, especially since the previous four are so unique and beloved. However, writer/director Lee Cronin never gives the impression that he’s overwhelmed by legacy. Instead, he crafts one of the most wild horror films with so much madness dripping in every scene. Cronin is able to replicate the manic direction of Sam Raimi and Fede Álvarez but also come into his own with an innovative location and a lot of split diopter shots. Under Cronin, “Evil Dead Rise” is able to fit nicely in the series while being a distinct entry.
While most of the characters are performed well and you don’t want to see anything bad happen to them, Alyssa Sutherland’s performance as Ellie is truly fantastic. The amount of physicality Sutherland puts into her performance is perfectly combined with menace and camp. In an “Evil Dead” film, there’s no such thing as too over-the-top because, while these films are frightening, they also are meant to be entertaining and somewhat comical. Sutherland understands this all too well and embraces the dark fun being a deadite has to offer.
As far as “Evil Dead” protagonists go, Beth seems more underwhelming than what we’ve gotten in the past. While it would be crazy to compare her to Bruce Campbell’s iconic Ash Williams, it seems like Beth is always underplaying her reactions to things that should elicit a lot of screaming and wide-eyed stares. While Beth does eventually become the hero the film needs her to be, there’s just a lot more that could have been done with her character especially since 2013’s “Evil Dead” gave us an amazing protagonist with Jane Levy’s Mia.
“Evil Dead Rise” also has two scenes that bookend the film and, while they are entertaining and get an immediate thrill out of the audience, they really have nothing to do with the main story. I could have seen these scenes being edited together and presented as an “Evil Dead” short film that plays before the actual movie but, as part of “Evil Dead Rise,” they felt more like a way to start off and end with a scare. However, the main storyline is still interesting and utilizes the trademark visuals of the franchise successfully.
With so much gore and passion, this is an “Evil Dead” film that never tries to hide what it is and never has you take things too seriously. While viewing the other “Evil Dead” films isn’t necessary to see “Evil Dead Rse,” there are certainly many in-jokes that long-time fans will appreciate, including the audience I saw the film with. If there’s any movie to see with an audience in a theater, it’s this one because the crowd I saw “Evil Dead Rise” with was amazing. We were screaming and laughing, sometimes in the same scene, at all of the depraved insanity.
Lee Cronin also relishes in the practical effects of the series and rarely utilizes digital ones. Much of what you see is what was captured on set and you feel all of that effort and craftsmanship. In most “Evil Dead” films, those possessed by demons become more mangled and mutilated throughout the film and Cronin takes complete advantage of that with some outstanding designs. Whoever created the look of these creatures deserves so much praise. It must be nice to make monsters for a living.
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing horror film that is going to be a lot of fun, “Evil Dead Rise” is what you have to watch. While I love horror films that are slow, existential and atmospheric, sometimes I just want to see limbs hacked off, bodies contorting in inhuman ways and having someone being torn apart by a groovy chainsaw. “Evil Dead Rise” has all of that and so much more.
