Evil Dead Rise review: gleeful gore for horror-movie fans

Here’s an initial glance Evil Dead Rise comes from the movie’s debut at the 2023 SXSW Conference. We’ll have more in-depth coverage as the movie’s release date approaches.

Evil Dead Rise It’s a movie by sickos for the sickos. It’s a fantastic update to the iconic franchise, a movie that upholds the manic glee of Sam Raimi’s original 1980s Evil Dead films while bringing in a taste for the disgusting and upsetting from Fede Álvarez’s 2013 remake. Lee Cronin’s film features a fresh change of scenery and cast and a breakthrough performance from Alyssa Suerland. This movie proves that the undead franchise has plenty of fight and life.

Your mileage may differ in terms of the sheer fear factor. Evil Dead Rise. This spinoff falls somewhere between Álvarez’s remake and Raimi’s comedy-heavy Evil Dead 2. These kills are brutal and vicious. The emphasis on child death gives the story a fresh edge.

It still manages to find moments of humor. Though it’s far from a comedy, there are a lot of laughs in Evil Dead Rise — like a gag about an eyeball getting ripped out, then landing on someone’s mouth. Cronin knows how to manage the balance between funny and scary, so he can serve both with no compromise. A large horror-loving crowd is the best audience for this film. They will enjoy both the horrific horror and the funny jokes.

Beth (Lily Sullivan) nervously confronts her disturbed-looking syster Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) as Ellie’s three kids huddle behind her in a dark doorway in Evil Dead Rise

Warner Bros.

A big part of why this movie’s more straightforward horrific take works is the change of formula. Instead of centering on victims in a cabin in the woods, it moves to the big city, where it follows a family being tormented by Deadites, the Evil Dead movies’ signature antagonists. There is no army of the undead here: Similar to the 1981 original, the film just deals with one Deadite, playing more as a possession story than what modern moviegoers might expect from a “zombie movie.”

The role of the villain falls to Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie, a mother of three who winds up on the receiving end of a demonic possession after one of her kids — or as she puts it, her “titty-sucking parasite” — finds the Book of the Dead. Soon, she begins to terrorize her own family, trying every means possible to kill them. The cheese grater can be a shining star.

On the other end is Beth (Lily Sullivan), Ellie’s sister, who returns home when she freaks out over an unexpected positive pregnancy test. Once at the apartment, she’s forced to fight her own sister as everyone in her family turns on each other. Sullivan is a masterful performer. Cronin adds depth to her character through hints at past trauma, which makes it more human without sacrificing any of the Evil Dead’s fun. This isn’t “elevated horror” — don’t expect an A24 horror film about exploring grief — but the family aspect creates a dynamic with heavier emotions that connect viewers to the characters while still prioritizing the gross-out scares.

The film is completely off its feet once Ellie has been possessed. Ellie quickly turns on her family and threatens, scares, hunts, and insults them. Even though Ellie is a Deadite she still loves her kids and often asks to be stopped.

Newly possessed Deadite Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) hisses through a blackened mouth while clinging to a wall in her dark apartment in Evil Dead Rise

Warner Bros.

Cronin makes the most of his place. As they travel to their characters, everyday objects become more sinister. There’s a feeling of claustrophobia throughout the film, with characters given little chance to escape the apartment. Cronin and his crew clearly love practical effects. This is evident in the amount of physical, tactile blood that appears onscreen. Cronin has an affinity for Evil Dead movies. Cronin fills his screen with iconic Sam Raimi weapons and lines of dialogue as well as the selection of shots with fan service.

Evil Dead Rise It is worthy to be added to the Evil Dead series. At 97 minutes, with plenty of levity mixed into the action, it feels like it’s over almost as soon as it begins. It’s a perfect onboarding movie for newer audiences who’ve never seen an Evil Dead movie, but for longtime fans, it breathes new air into a classic horror-comedy franchise, mixing Raimi’s old-school approach with the new school of gruesome horror. It proves there’s still a lot to color in within the old dead-lines.

Evil Dead RisePremieres at theaters April 21.

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