The film opens with a group of friends hanging out at a cabin in the woods, a scenario all too familiar for fans of the series. However, after a tense sequence, and one of the best title cards I’ve seen recently, we flashback twenty-four hours to a grungy apartment building that serves as the movie’s primary setting. The film takes full advantage of this location, using it to enhance the horror and tension. This setting also helps to differentiate Rise from the other movies in the series, most of which were set in small, remote cabins.
Evil Dead Rise features a relatively small cast, with all the main characters being family members. Alyssa Sutherland plays the mother, Ellie, with her children (Bridget, Danny, and Kassie) portrayed by Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher respectively. The film’s protagonist, and Ellie’s sister, Beth, is played by Lily Sullivan. The whole cast do well, but Sutherland gives the movie’s standout performance, effectively portraying dual roles as her character is possessed early on. Interestingly, and unlike most horror movies, all the characters here are likeable, though you may be frustrated by their choices in certain scenes.
Director Lee Cronin excelled here. His direction feels consistent with Raimi’s work in the first three films, but shows enough restraint for the movie to preserve its own identity. Evil Dead Rise had a relatively small budget of just $19 million, but you would never guess as everything looks fantastic. Towards the end, there’s a really unique monster design, wonderfully realised with a mixture of practical and digital effects.
Once the film gets going, which doesn’t take long as it is quite short (only 96 minutes), its violence and gore is some of the series’ best. Rise is very brutal, though, thankfully, it never veers into torture-porn territory. If you’re in any way squeamish, this definitely isn’t the movie for you.
Overall, Evil Dead fans are sure to find this entry a blast. While it lacks the scrappy, thrown-together charm of the first three, I’d honestly say that Rise is the scariest of the bunch and it’s another great entry in this surprisingly consistent franchise. Since this is doing well, both financially and critically, hopefully, a sequel isn’t too far off, as I’d love to see more from this universe. 4/5
