A new Scream movie debuted in theatres earlier this year, after the likes of Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There is no shortage of reboots in the horror genre.
The legendary video nasty 1981 film The Evil Dead had a revival in 2013 with Fede lvarez’s gory reworking of the Sam Raimi original.
It was a gamble to take on such a well-known property with a cult following, but it paid off as Evil Dead received largely excellent reviews from reviewers and horror fans alike thanks to its horrific images and gory storyline.
With Evil Dead Rise, Lee Cronin follows up his 2019 supernatural horror debut, The Hole In The Ground.
As Beth (Lily Sullivan) pays an overdue visit to her estranged sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), who is raising her three children – Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), Danny (Morgan Davies), and Kassie (Nell Fisher) – alone in the small flat, the fifth entry in the Evil Dead franchise swaps out a cabin in the woods for a block of apartments in the centre of Los Angeles.
When an earthquake results in the discovery of a mysterious book deep inside Ellie’s building, the pair’s already tense relationship becomes even more strained — Evil Dead aficionados will know where this is going.
Demons that possess flesh are released as Danny plays a record that was included with the book and begin causing havoc on the building’s occupants, starting with Ellie.
The main plot of Evil Dead Rise may seem familiar, despite the film’s shiny new location and brand-new character setup that centres on a family rather than five buddies.
The premise is nothing new, and it lacks the film’s jaw-droppingly horrific impact, but it makes use of this to its advantage by hinting at future occurrences.
However, they serve as the beginning of a playful dance that Evil Dead Rise lures the spectator into, promising the utter pandemonium to come. A few early fakeouts and cheap jump scares may not quite strike the goal in terms of inspiring horror.
Demons that possess flesh are released as Danny plays a record that was included with the book and begin causing havoc on the building’s occupants, starting with Ellie.
The main plot of Evil Dead Rise may seem familiar, despite the film’s shiny new location and brand-new character setup that centres on a family rather than five buddies.
The premise is nothing new, and it lacks the film’s jaw-droppingly horrific impact, but it makes use of this to its advantage by hinting at future occurrences.
However, they serve as the beginning of a playful dance that Evil Dead Rise lures the spectator into, promising the utter pandemonium to come. A few early fakeouts and cheap jump scares may not quite strike the goal in terms of inspiring horror.
Cronin masterfully orchestrates a symphony of gruesome gore that is almost too stomach-turning to watch, but too excruciatingly beautiful to turn away from.
It’s not just the gore that is a real feast for the senses as the cinematography in Evil Dead Rise is stunning.
The muted colour palette utilising blues and browns highlights the vivid reds of the blood and the soft glow of what little lighting there is creating a dark, dank environment of the condemned apartment block.
The enclosed setting of the apartment block makes the horror feel closer to home than ever, creating a suffocating atmosphere that heightens the danger on-screen with Cronin utilising mundane, everyday household fixtures and fittings in hair-raising, horrifying ways.
The frame veers erratically between forcing the viewer into up-close views of violence and obstructing their view, making you search the screen for hints of what’s to come while privately hoping everything is safe.
The performances in Evil Dead Rise bring the film’s crazy universe to life, and Alyssa Sutherland’s portrayal of Ellie is destined to solidify her legacy as a horror icon.
Her selection for the character of the first deadite we see on screen is stunning, with every fibre of the actress bending to create a horror monster that will reverberate in your dreams.
It is difficult to take your eyes off her, and she dominates every scene she is in, from her subtle facial expressions to her full-on wall climbing and slamming her skull into a door.
Similar to that, Lily Sullivan’s Beth is a strong, likeable hero who you find yourself pulling for at every turn in Evil Dead Rise, especially as the film’s brutal, action-packed finale approaches.
With Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher giving promising performances that evoke a gut-wrenching, raw fear in the audience as they face danger from the one person they never should — their own mother — the use of children within the narrative adds a new layer of fear to the franchise that has not yet been explored.
The movie lacks a particularly original narrative but makes up for it in spades with enticing gore, absolutely unforgettable shocks, and excellent performances from the ensemble cast.
Cronin, showcasing his versatility as a filmmaker, expertly balances the savagery of the 2013 remake with the comedy of the original Evil Dead movies to produce a work that fans of the genre will undoubtedly find captivating.
Evil Dead Rise is out in cinemas on Friday, April 21.