On April 21, 2023, horror fans received the long-awaited addition to the Evil Dead franchise. For context, Evil Dead fans have not seen a new film in the franchise since 2013. Moreover, the first Evil Dead film came out in 1981 directed by none other than acclaimed director, Sam Raimi. Later we got Evil Dead 2 in 1987, then Army of Darkness in 1992. After Army of Darkness, we got Evil Dead (2013).
I have to admit, I did not have the privilege of seeing Evil Dead Rise in theaters upon release, but as soon as it was available via streaming, I saw it several times on the same day!
As an avid fan of horror movies and especially as a fan of the Evil Dead films, I have to say that this movie lived up to the Evil Dead standard. Every staple of the Evil Dead films – the blood showers, the double-barreled shotgun, the chainsaw, the gore, the deadites-humans possessed by demons, and the core plot – all were done in accordance with how Evil Dead films have been made since 1981.
I think Evil Dead Rise was arguably the most terrifying of all the Evil Dead films. Imagine the following scenario: you and your estranged family are trapped on the top floor of a mostly abandoned apartment building with demon-possessed people during a heavy thunderstorm. If that doesn’t sound terrifying, then I’m not sure what does!
Another little thing that I loved about Evil Dead Rise is the plethora of easter eggs it contains. We get to see small references to the other Evil Dead films. From the audio clip voiced by Bruce Campbell to the pizza box labeled “Henrietta’s Pizza,” Evil Dead Rise made sure to hint at its heritage in the Evil Dead franchise.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this movie is how it expands the lore of the Evil Dead films. Instead of there being simply one book of the dead, Evil Dead Rise exposes fans to the idea that there are three volumes to the book of the dead. For those who don’t know, in the Evil Dead films, the plot always entails naive people finding some strange book. This book is known as Naturom Demonto, or book of the dead and when they read passages from the book, it unleashes an evil demonic force that possesses people.
Having three volumes of the book of the dead opens up the possibility for crossovers between protagonists in the Evil Dead franchise, like Mia from Evil Dead (2013) and, of course, Ash Williams.
One of the reasons this movie was so good is that Sam Raimi, the creator of the Evil Dead franchise, was actually producing this movie. Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert were also producers of this film. In case for those who don’t know, Bruce Campbell played the original protagonist of the early films in this franchise and Rob Tapert was the producer of the first three Evil Dead films.
Shifting focus, one thing I didn’t love about this movie is the climax and final encounter. I feel as though the previous Evil Dead films did a better job posing a final villain as opposed to Evil Dead Rise.
More specifically, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the final showdown scene where we saw a spider-like conjointment of deadites. Sure, it was entertaining, but I liked the “taker of souls” from Evil Dead (2013) better. The “taker of souls” from Evil Dead (2013) was more of a vague character that added mystery and suspense to the plot and lore of the film.
Some of the scenes involving the character El being possessed by the demon were a bit generic for me. Particularly, near the start of the film, demon-possessed El crawling on the floor and folding up like a pretzel was generic given that we see scenes just like this in most modern-day horror films.
Overall, I really did enjoy this film from beginning to end and I consider it one of my personal favorite horror movies.
Score: 9/10
