Review by James Lindorf
As a franchise Evil Dead often doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. If you like brutal body horror on a $375,000 budget or one 45 times that amount, there is a movie for you. If you like horror comedies with one of the best scenes of physical comedy ever captured, you’re set. If you want a horror-themed spoof of classic Ray Harryhausen adventures, don’t worry, they’ve done that too. Being able to change tones while maintaining quality makes the series great. The fifth installment, “Evil Dead Rise,” set to hit theaters on April 21st thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures, is more of the no-holds-barred horror from the first and fourth outings. Beyond the blood and the homages is a story that twists and expands the franchise in ways that could keep the deadites coming back for another 40 years.
Our new main character Beth (Lily Sullivan), loves music. After spending a little time as a groupie, she has worked up to lead sound technician for a band on an international tour. But some old habits die hard, and an unplanned pregnancy sends her running home for a long overdue visit to her older sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland). Life isn’t exactly ideal for Ellie at the moment, either. Her husband has recently walked out on her and their three children, 11-year-old Kassie (Nell Fisher) and teens Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) and Danny (Morgan Davies). If that wasn’t enough, the rundown LA high-rise they call home is days away from being demolished, and they still haven’t found a place she can afford as a single parent. When an earthquake reveals a hidden room in the bowels of the building containing a book and a set of recordings, life is about to get much worse. For any of them to survive the night, Beth will have to fight her selfish tendencies and the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.
Writer/director Lee Cronin received critical praise, not from me, for his 2019 feature film debut “The Hole in the Ground.” However, general audience approval and box office success eluded him. That is about to change as “Evil Dead Rise” sits at 96% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and fans are foaming at the mouth waiting for theater doors to open. Once they take their seats, they won’t be disappointed, possibly mildly confused, but that won’t matter much with their blood lust sated for the moment.
We know that Cronin wrote this story with making an Evil Dead film in mind, yet it has the feel of a script that was written and then forced into the Evil Dead box. That likely stems from him wanting to stand out from the beloved trilogy and the gritty remake by making something new to the universe. The changes all seem small on the surface. There is a new book of the dead that looks like some reading Hagrid would have assigned. According to the new lore, this is the third and final volume, the original Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, and the resequel’s Naturom Demonto. Another change is the involvement of a religious group investigating the books. It doesn’t add much here, but it could become something if they keep expanding the world. Siblings are nothing new to the series, but this is the first time the group has focused on an entire family and the first time children have been at risk. Maybe it was one change too many, or perhaps the near-complete absence of humor created a sense of alienation from the rest of the franchise. It may be best to consider Cronin’s story a spin-off rather than something closely tied to what Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert started four decades ago.
Franchise cohesion aside, it is clear that Cronin is a new talent in the horror genre. Moving from the reserved tension and horror of “The Hole in the Ground” to the flat-out gore-fest of “Evil Dead Rise” is no small feat. Helping him with that transition in tone was consistency in theme. Each film explores horror from a parental POV and the lengths you’ll go to protect your family from an overwhelming supernatural force. Beth’s arc is to grow from selfish and mildly codependent into someone who can stand on her own and is ready for whatever motherhood could through her way.
Also helping him along the way was Cinematographer Dave Garbett who has franchise experience working on “Ash vs The Evil Dead.” Together Cronin and Garbett blend good CGI, great practical effects, and hundreds, if not thousands, of gallons of fake blood and other fluids into a visual feast. They torment the family and a handful of neighbors with unique implements, including a cheese grater, a tattoo gun, and a doll-headed spear named Staffanie. Everyone in the family gives a solid performance, but Alyssa Sutherland stands head and shoulders above everyone else. She glides effortlessly from a strict but loving mom and sister to the incredibly creepy instrument of a Kandarian Demon.
Lee Cronin may not have made the next great Evil Dead movie in the minds of purists, but he did make an excellent horror movie. From the long fisheye lens take of viscous attacks taking place on the other side of the door or the creative use of the entire screen. You must stay alert because you never know exactly what is going on in the background or edges of the focus to let you know danger is just around the corner. The movie does suffer from some ham-fisted callbacks to the originals, especially in the climax. While they may cause a quick eye roll, they aren’t overly detrimental to the final product, and “Evil Dead Rise” claims a 4.5 out of 5.
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Mystery & thriller
Director: Lee Cronin
Producer: Rob Tapert
Writer: Lee Cronin
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 2023 Wide
Runtime: 1h 37m
