Buckets of blood and the Book of the Dead and a chainsaw? Yep, it must be an Evil Dead movie, of which there aren't any negative ones in the horror franchise. The group that's been around since the beginning of the series with the film of 1981, The Evil Dead, producer Rob Tapert and executive producers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell (who played original protagonist Ash Williams), reunite for Evil Dead Rise.
The fifth instalment is helmed by the director Lee Cronin, who updates the cabin-in-the-woods style to include an apartment in Los Angeles branded a "condemned dump" that will soon be demolished.
It's where single mom Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) lives with her three children, teenagers Danny (Morgan Davies) and Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) and her youngest daughter Kassie (Nell Fisher). Her ex-sister Beth (Lily Susan Sullivan) appears out of the blue one day and - this is where the plot becomes complicated the arrival of Beth is after by an earthquake which forms a giant hole in the parking garage. Danny is down there and grabs some vinyl records and an old book. Book of the Dead.
We learn that the building was once a bank, but there's loads of religious artifacts in the rubble, including a giant Cross that is the image of Jesus Christ. What's https://www.evildeadriseimovie.com/ between this and other things? We're not sure. is it something to do with a safety deposit box. Do we care? We don't really care.
Danny unlocks the Book of the Dead and plays the recordings (listen to hear an aural appearance by Campbell) and unleashes the demonic Deadites that come to possess Ellie.
After this, the film is a relentless bloodbath that offers a terrifying, heart-rending fun that makes you go, "This is what I was looking for!" It gives fans of The Evil Dead films something newly claustrophobic with the action taking in the living room as well as the hallway and unstable lift. Yet, you don't need to be a fan of the previous films - this is watch-through-your-hands horror at its finest.
There are some wonderful little nuggets that reference the original films - such as the eyeball being chomped on and creepy nursery rhymes or even using silver tape to wrap up wounds. There's also a huge reference to the movie's "elevator to the blood" sequence, and how do you not love this?
While Evil Dead II is viewed as a comedy-horrorfilm, Evil Dead Rise is more of a gorefest that is all-out, however, it has its moments, such as when the possessed Ellie says to her kids that she's "free from your titty-sucking parasites "...
Sutherland is scene-stealing as Ellie Sutherland, who required minimal prosthetic work to accentuate parts of her face. Her performance is monstrously good when she puts her children in danger and her sister by using knives or a tattoo gun as well as the cheese grater to cause one of her most venomous assaults.
In the showdown at the end, Ellie is terrifying enough on her own , and she does not need anything else "extras" she's provided in this episode. The less is more when it comes to horror. But it is when Beth is played with real depth and determined determination to live by Sullivan who revs the chainsaw and shouts, "Come get some," her own version of Ash's "groovy" and all will be to be forgiven.
After scrapping the money together, the trio embarked on their own campy, ingenious feature that would end up resulting in several sequels, an off-broadway musical and a niche, but well-loved television series. For those who are serious about horror, the Evil Dead might not be thought of as being particularly creative or sophisticated however, fans of body horror genre would surely struggle to defend it as damn good fun anyway.
I'm pleased to report I'm pleased to report that Evil Dead Rise upholds the tradition of the infamous classic and also holds its own as a standalone feature.
Evil Dead Rise is refreshingly simple -- a family due to be evicted from their would-be-Airbnb-goldmine apartment in the shell of a dilapidated ex-bank become subjected to a night of sheer terror after the teenager Danny (Morgan Davies) discovers a mysterious vault that houses -- you guessed it -- the Necronomicon.
From a plot point of view There's nothing particularly original or innovative happening in this film, but trust our word when we claim that it isn't a problem. Because ultimately, Evil Dead Rise is a spectacular show with enough schlock and delightful gore to keep viewers on the edge of your seat without much need for a narrative.
The mood of white-knuckle violence in Evil Dead Rise is established instantly when audiences are confronted with a whiplash-inducing first POV shot. The film causes discomfort right from the beginning, and doesn't let up for the rest of the film's run. The opening sequence is unprecedented, and doesn't outstay its welcome. In fact, when the main bulk of the film actually starts to move, you'll forget that it ever took place.