Evil Dead: Rise is the newest instalment in the Evil Dead franchise. Now removed from the typical environment of the countryside, we follow a family in a run-down building. Corrupted by the Necronomicon, a mother turns on her family and a desperate scramble for survival begins

 

Evil Dead: Rise, a review.

    Evil Dead Rise is the newest entry into the franchise, and it has much to live up to. Changing up the placement of events from previous films, the series not so much, and we have new dangers to contend with. The family dynamic adds a vital element of threat, as the mother figure is corrupted to become the danger the children must be protected from. Being an Evil Dead film means that people die, and often in a gruesome manner. Thankfully, this film keeps to the usual visceral scenes and racks up the intensity as the movie plays out. The leads of this film are the sisters Beth and Ellie, played by Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland. With Ellie possessed by a dark spirit, it is up to Beth to protect the children from what had been their mother.

    This film has an opening set with a trio of characters outside the main story. Out in the countryside in a cabin by the lake, events reminiscent of earlier entries unfold, with blood and mayhem ensuing. The film then shifts to one day earlier, to a rough-looking lady's toilet in a bar or club. Here, we meet Beth. Our heroine-to-be uses a pregnancy test while dealing with problems for the band she works for. The result is not to her liking. Now, facing this daunting life change, Beth decides to see her sister. Travelling across the country Beth arrives at the building where Ellie and her children live, and we have the stage for where this drama will play out. And that fact works in the film's favour. Keeping the action in an enclosed space gives the film a sense of claustrophobia, as the family cannot escape easily from that which hunts them. We get a brief overview of the family situation and the relationship between the sisters before events take a dire turn. Inevitably, the book is found, and phrases are recited, bringing dark forces into our world. And this is where the fun begins.

    For those who have watched any of the previous entries, what comes is just what you would expect: blood, gore, and crazed antics. The formula is a familiar one that continues to work well when used here. The formula works particularly well here because of the family dynamic. We are inherently more drawn into a situation when children are at risk. With a demon-possessed mother on the loose, it is up to her sister to protect them from the thing that used to be their mother. Things do not go well, and soon it is only Beth and Kassie that are left fighting for their lives. The tension is maintained well throughout, with the threats growing as time passes, and we get to see the true horror of what Ellie has become. Making it to the building's parking, the pair are drawn into a final conflict with this horror, and Beth is forced to battle it to save Kassie.

    The film is an obvious choice for any fan of the original films, or the 2013 remake. It keeps true to the original lore, with callbacks to the previous entries, and never lets up once the action gets started. I found the acting to be decent by all parties, though Alyssa Sutherland stands out as the twisted version of Ellie, and enjoyed watching them attempt to survive this madness. The film's ending does explain how the opening fits into the narrative, and I was left hoping we might one day get to see where that leads. Evil Dead: Rise is an 8 out of 10, in my opinion. It has all the gore of the earlier entries with solid performances and enough new material to separate it from what came before. I can't wait for the next entry, and I just hope it comes sooner than this film did.

Evil Dead 2013, review. With Evil Dead Rise soon to be released I thought I'd give this one a re-watch. To be fair it remains a solid entry into the world of the Deadites, if not the best of them.

 

Evil Dead 2013, a review.

    I have watched the original trilogy films more times than I can count. They remain some of my favourite movies, with Evil Dead 2 being the peak of the trilogy. The added humour elevated 2 over The Evil Dead for me. I was hesitant to watch this film when it first came out, it had a lot to live up to, but in time I had to watch it. And, it wasn't as good as those that had come before, but neither was it a bad film. With a new young cast, the cabin in the woods, and a familiar book in place, this film kept close to the core elements of what had been done before. There are a few issues, but I'll get into those later on.

    The film opens up with a young woman being pursued in the woods before she is quickly taken captive. The scene switches to some interior with the young woman bound to a wooden post and her father before her. It quickly becomes clear the young woman is possessed, having killed her mother, and is set alight before being shot. We then move to the opening credits. We are introduced to our main characters and learn that David is here to support his sister, Mia, as she attempts to go cold turkey. Mia's friends Eric and Olivia are determined to ensure she kicks the habit this time. Olivia tells David that Mia overdosed and clinically died, that they might have to force her to stay and work through this against her will if it came to that. David is reluctant to agree to this as he is here to repair his relationship with her. As Mia begins to feel the effects of her withdrawal, she becomes sensitive to smells, convinced that the cabin has a foul scent within, though the others cannot detect it. It isn't long before their dog Grandpa is scratching at the carpet, pulling it back to reveal a trapdoor and blood smeared over the wood. Obviously, they are shocked, and they proceed down into the root cellar to investigate. They find dead cats strung up around the main room, with signs that something has been burnt, and a book bound in black bags wrapped in barbed wire. This is the Necronomicon.

    For anyone that has seen any of the previous films, this book is a doorway to a supernatural force that lives in dark places. A kind of entity that wants to possess and destroy the living. And it is inevitable that some idiot, in this case, Eric, has to read from the book. If I find a book wrapped up in barbed wire and depicting some horrible stuff, I might use my common sense, wrap it back up and put it out of reach to be safe. Eric doesn't do that, and we have something summoned on our unsuspecting group. And poor Mia is the one it goes after first. What follows is Mia's initial spiral as she sees something watching in the woods before she flees into the woods, crashes her car, and has an encounter that always makes me very uncomfortable. It is a scene taken out of the original Evil Dead, and it was never a scene I enjoyed, something passing from demonic Mia and slithering into the bound Mia. They find Mia but don't believe her story, convinced this is just her withdrawals and desire to use overwhelming her. What follows is a descent into chaos and bloodshed as Mia succumbs to her possession and the demonic force moves through each of our protagonists. A minor point, but the evil force coming to life after claiming five souls seemed convenient, given that there are five of them, but it works given the premise and isolated location. There are callbacks to the original trilogy throughout, with the use of the chainsaw, shotgun, and removal of a hand gone bad. They use a lot of fake blood in this film, an almost obscene amount, with the film's finale featuring blood raining down on Mia as she fights against a vile reflection of herself.

    The film's pacing remains constant throughout, and its runtime is short. Once it gets going, it doesn't relent, moving from possession to the next. The character development is handled well, as we see changes in David through the film's events,  along with Mia as she is faced with this evil alone upon the death of the others. In all, the film is good, with decent characters, a tight storyline, and tension maintained throughout. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed the original films and the series, along with any horror fan. This is an easy 7 out of 10, a solid entry worth watching.