MOVIE REVIEW: EVIL DEAD RISE (R)
– By Adam Mast –
More akin to the vicious nature of the 2013 film than the Sam Raimi films that inspired it, and that’s perfectly fine.
If you’re waiting for a goofy but charismatic Ash (played by the undeniably handsome and forever lovable Bruce Campbell) to show up and save the day in “Evil Dead Rise,” then you might want to think twice about going to see it. While this new take on Sam Raimi’s sacred text has elements of the familiar, this is sort of its own thing; A lean, mean, and often brutal slice of deadite-centric horror that, quite frankly, doesn’t F around!
In “Evil Dead Rise,” the bloody action shifts from a cabin in the woods to a grimy, rundown multi-level apartment building in Los Angeles. Following an opening lakeside bit of nastiness and a fantastic mood-setting title sequence, we’re introduced to twenty-something Beth (played by Lily Sullivan) as she heads to L.A. to visit her estranged sister Ellie (played by Alyssa Sutherland) and her three children (played by Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher) after an unexpected discovery sends her life into a bit of an emotional tailspin. Upon arrival, it’s clear that Beth and Ellie have their differences, but those differences become but an immediate afterthought when Ellie’s son Danny (Davies) discovers an ancient book of the dead and inadvertently unleashes an evil presence in their apartment complex by way of mysterious words spoken, via an old record.
Ellie is the first to be taken over by the malevolent force, and it isn’t long before the evil inside her all but forces her to wreak havoc on those she’s supposed to love most. Adding to the horror of the entire situation is the revelation that Beth and her young relatives are trapped in this dingy building and there doesn’t appear to be a way out. Yes…In the proud tradition of the “Evil Dead” movies that came before it, the main characters at the center of the blood-soaked carnage must fight to stay alive over the course of a night in an isolated locale.
“Evil Dead Rise” was helmed by “The Hole in the Ground” director Lee Cronin which is actually pretty fitting given that the Book of the Dead, as displayed in this movie, is literally found in a hole in the ground. Go figure! Cronin appears to be the right man for the job, too. True…This movie does take a little while to get going, but once the shit hits the proverbial fan, the carnage doesn’t let up. Gone is the sort of “Three Stooges” spirit of “Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn,” and in its place is something far more vicious.
It should also be noted that while there are callbacks to past films in the series here (iconic lines of dialogue, music cues, a chainsaw, etc.), Cronin does forge a path of his own. Throughout this intense, ultra-gory battle for survival, this writer/director finds time to weave in elements of family dysfunction as well as an often sick and twisted ode to motherhood. Not only in terms of Ellie’s horrific possession (Sutherland’s performance here is both wicked and terrifying) but in terms of the maternal instinct that slowly begins to take hold of Beth. There are parts of this movie that have a bit of an “Aliens”-esque Ripley/Newt ring to them. Not as deep, mind you, but it’s still there at the surface. It’s also obvious that while Cronin is clearly a fan of “Evil Dead” directors Raimi and Alvarez, he’s also quite the fan of John Carpenter (there are moments here that recall “The Thing,” “Prince of Darkness,” and “In the Mouth of Madness”) and David Cronenberg (there’s a body horror element in this picture that brought to mind movies like “The Brood” and “Videodrome.”)
Playing into the purest aspect of horror, “Evil Dead Rise” is a movie in which no one is safe, and I really liked that about it. Sure, I wish it had a tad more joy and humor to offer. Such attributes can actually benefit even the most extreme of horror scenarios when executed properly. Look no further than the underrated Shudder gem, “Deadstream”–A wonderful effort from Joseph and Vanessa Winter that was certainly influenced in part by “Evil Dead II.” Of course, Cronin’s picture is a completely different animal, and that’s all by design. This is one of those intense and often brutal horror films in which something awful might happen to any character at any given moment, and that really does ratchet up the tension, particularly in a bonkers final act. This is also a crowd-pleaser of a movie that’s pretty damn creative in the gore department. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horror film in which a cheese grater was used to maim a potential victim, so kudos to Cronin and crew for that one.
Is “Evil Dead Rise” part of the same universe Raimi brought to the screen over four decades ago? Let the debate rage on. As for where this one ranks in the series overall, I quite liked it. Raimi’s original three will always hold a special place in my heart; therefore, they will always reign supreme in my mind, but I still think there’s plenty of room for the entries that Alvarez and Cronin have delivered upon the horror world. And if the ending of “Evil Dead Rise” is any indication, we haven’t seen the last of the deadites. It’s clear they’ll be back to swallow more souls. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another decade to see that happen because ten years is way too long to wait.
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