This time around, Evil Dead Rise chooses to take place in the urban environment of Los Angeles rather than a confined and dilapidated high-rise apartment complex. On a rainy night, Beth (Lily Sullivan), a guitar tech who had returned from a tour in another country, meets her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland). The family, which also includes Ellie's three children Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and Kassie (Nell Fisher), are trapped on the top level of the building as something horrible takes hold after an earthquake occurs and unearths some long-buried artifacts.
As soon as director Lee Cronin's camera swoops, swings, and rushes over fractured concrete into below cellars and up the lift shaft to Ellie's apartment, the choice to situate Evil Dead Rise in a city becomes clear. While demonstrating how the metropolis transforms into new horrors, the director pays homage to the movement of Raimi's original. There are numerous allusions to the original movie and the genre (including one fantastic Nightmare on Elm Street joke) that demonstrate Cronin's appreciation for it. On the other hand, there are smart tweaks that might even improve on some of the franchise's more problematic elements, such as the demonic tree and a particularly repulsive Deadite that is likely to give lots of people nightmares.
The family at the heart of Evil Dead Rise, though, is what makes it work. Sullivan and Sutherland make the ideal casting choice for the role of the estranged sisters who reconcile after a dreadful night. It's even more sad that the reunion is brief. Evil Dead Rise lags a little bit as it establishes the stakes because it takes its time laying up what will happen next. Sutherland, Sullivan, and the rest of the cast nevertheless clearly establish a family dynamic that is all the more tragic when you consider what is about to happen. While the events that transpire are terrible, Evil Dead Rise honours what made the first film a classic by including a cast of supporting people that reside on Ellie's level.
The 2013 Evil Dead, billed as a remake of Raimi's masterpiece, had the spine-chilling gore, but it lacked humour, substituting ugly cruelty for smiles. The 2013 movie's gritty look is maintained while Evil Dead Rise, which was also written by Cronin, amps up the ridiculousness. Evil Dead Rise seems like a just revived Deadite with a razor-sharp tongue (not to be mistaken with the blade that Jane Levy cuts her tongue on in the 2013 film), whereas Evil Dead seemed like a bloated corpse in the best manner. In between scenes of horrifying maiming and dread, Rise frequently makes you laugh out loud thanks to its young cast's comic timing and savage visual gags.
Additionally, Evil Dead Rise brings up new opportunities for Deadite horror, which will undoubtedly have viewers itching for more. Despite leaving a little to be desired at the end, it manages to maintain a delicate balance between grotesque horror and biting humour. It doesn't really matter if it doesn't have the same punch as its predecessor or the same cult classic vibe as the original. Evil Dead Rise demonstrates how a franchise like this—now more than 40 years old—can be elevated to thrilling new levels.
Ratings:
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