A rare horror reboot/sequel that manages to remain faithful to the spirit of the originals and bring something new to the series, Evil Dead Rise balances the horror and the (dark) humour into an enjoyably gruesome thrill ride.

Premise: An earthquake traps single mother Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), her three children, and her sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) in their condemned LA apartment block … while also unearthing one of the three volumes of the Book of the Dead.

Review:

It’s probably fair to say that the Evil Dead series is one of the oddest horror franchises of the last 40 years, mainly because of its wild tonal shifts. While I respect the 1981 original The Evil Dead for its low-budget inventiveness, it’s more of a straight-up horror film and not a particularly ‘fun’ watch. I much prefer the 1987 follow up, Evil Dead II, which for me is not only the pinnacle of Sam Raimi’s and Bruce Campbell’s working relationship, but it also strikes just the right balance between the comedy and the horror elements of the series.

I have a huge amount of affection for 1992’s Army of Darkness (as I watched it many, many times growing up), but that film is effectively a comedy with almost no horror, and I appreciate that it’s not to everyone’s taste. That film concluded the Raimi/Campbell trilogy, and then it wasn’t until 2013 that Fede Alvarez directed the remake, simply called Evil Dead. I wasn’t a huge fan of that “soft reboot” for many reasons, the main two being that because it was effectively a remake of the original movie it couldn’t help but feel very derivative, and secondly, it also seemed entirely devoid of any sense of humour. I’m not saying that everything in the series has to be as overtly comedic as Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, but 2013’s Evil Dead was such a grim, gruelling viewing experience that it seemed designed purely to shock and distress viewers, with no sense of fun or entertainment.

“…a strong sense of dark humour runs through everything…”

The sour taste of the 2013 remake was then thankfully washed away by the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead, which ran from 2015-2018 and saw Bruce Campbell return to play cult hero Ash Williams. Closer in tone to Evil Dead II than anything else in the franchise, it was played primarily for laughs but still delivered tonnes of horror (and blood!) – and I loved every episode of it.

So when they announced that another belated sequel/reboot was coming, and that it wouldn’t involve either Raimi or Campbell (other than as executive producers), I wasn’t particularly excited. 2013’s sequel/reboot had left me thinking that an Evil Dead project without Raimi or Campbell just wouldn’t give me what I want from an Evil Dead film. But thankfully, in writer/director Lee Cronin’s hands, I had nothing to worry about.

“…playfully toys with audience expectations while also not holding back on the gore…”

Evil Dead Rise is certainly brutal and gruesome for a lot of its 97-minute runtime, but unlike the 2013 reboot, this film has a strong sense of dark humour than runs through everything. Ultimately, it feels like Lee Cronin set out to make an entertaining, fun, thrill-ride of a movie, rather than a test of endurance. Right from the opening shot of the movie (which I won’t spoil), Lee Cronin displays a cheeky sense of playfulness, toying with audience expectations while also not holding back on the gore. By the end of the movie’s prologue, which culminates in a fantastic title card reveal, you have a clear sense of the film’s audacious tone.

Front and centre of the film’s marketing has been Alyssa Sutherland’s portrayal of Ellie, the single mother who is possessed by a ‘Deadite’ and who then terrorises her three children (played by Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher) and her younger sister Beth (played by Lily Sullivan). Sutherland, who I had not seen in anything before this, is amazing both when playing ‘normal’ Ellie early in the movie, but even more so when she becomes possessed. Sutherland’s Deadite performance is terrifying, but also malevolently playful – giving the impression that the demon is just as interested in toying with its victims and playing mind games with them as it is in tearing them limb from limb.

“…the direction & cinematography really elevate the material…”

The film earns its certificate 18 rating with some pretty gory moments, but the tone always remains focused on providing entertaining thrills and chills, rather than dwelling on the pain and suffering. It’s also incredibly creative, not only in terms of some of the set-pieces (in which various items are used in inventively violent ways), but also in terms of the direction and cinematography, which really elevate the material and add to the film’s sense of heightened reality.

It’s also refreshing to see a sequel/reboot that offers a fresh spin on the material – the 2013 movie’s biggest problem was arguably that it was essentially a remake of the original 1981 film, but Evil Dead Rise takes the premise into an entirely new direction. No longer confined to the ‘cabin in the woods’, this time the evil is in the city – but cleverly, Lee Cronin still finds a way to maintain the all-important sense of isolation, with the characters trapped in their condemned LA apartment block as a result of an earthquake.

“…over-the-top violence, served up with a jet-black streak of dark humour…”

Not only does Evil Dead Rise bring something new to the series in terms of its setting, but it also has arguably the most fleshed out characters of the franchise, with each of the main characters having their own story arcs. The central theme of Evil Dead Rise is the corruption of the safety and security of the family unit, as not only does the threat this time come from a parental figure that should be protecting her family, but the danger is also coming from within the family home, rather than in an isolated and unfamiliar location. All of this gives the film a distinct identity of its own, while still feeling like a part of the wider Evil Dead series.

Overall, this is probably not one to watch if you have a weak stomach or an aversion to (gallons of) blood, but I thoroughly enjoyed its over-the-top violence, served up with a jet-black streak of dark humour. It’s definitely my third favourite film in the Evil Dead series, and having proved himself with this movie, I very much hope that Lee Cronin gets an opportunity to play in this world again.