The Evil Dead franchise might be the most consistent horror franchise there is. Sure, you can argue it’s down to them “only” having five movies, unlike the “big three” (Jason, Freddy and Michael) having at least 8 – 12 movies each, and sure, that is part of it. But I believe the big chunk of it also goes into having your “big bad” being this invisible evil that possesses anyone and everyone, and there is no escaping it. And it’s only up to the filmmakers behind each movie (and the Ash vs Evil Dead show (2015 – 2018)) how they will approach each sequel. Evil Dead Rise might be the most departure ever, as for the first time in this franchise, we are in a big city rather than the usual “cabin in the woods”, so I was a bit scared about that. Surprisingly, it worked beautifully.
This film is one of the prime examples of “they understood the assignment” I have ever seen. The Evil Dead franchise is not just about blood, gore and guts flying everywhere, despite that is what many might think. But no, the big part of why this franchise has survived since the 80s is having a great lead. And ever since the Evil Dead (2013) remake, we all understood that Bruce Campbell is irreplaceable, so why try and give us someone like him? That is why newer movies steered away from having your traditional male protagonist and gave us female leads. But this time, we have (kind of) two, with Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan playing sisters, one of which gets possessed by the evil and goes “a bit” nuts, as customary in these movies. And I loved every second of it.
This is also the first movie in this franchise that is more about family. Respectively, we follow the two sisters and three kids (technically one kid and two teens) and how they deal with this whole “our mum just became a deadite who wants to kill us” situation. Believe it or not, but that can ruin your entire night. So not only Evil Dead Rise changed the setting, but for the first time ever, we follow (more or less) one family instead of a group of friends who are up against this ancient evil. Both of these major changes not only worked for me but also elevated this sequel, which could have felt empty and unimaginative, into a new, fun territory. I cared about this family; I was rooting for them to survive, and when some made it whilst others didn’t, it felt different than when it’s “just” another teenager who gets killed.
Speaking of kills, that’s something this franchise was never short of. As ever, Evil Dead Rise is full of imaginative, disturbing, gross, over-the-top killing scenes, and I loved it. From the cheese grater scene to the tattoo scene or even the opening lake sequence, everything felt right. This movie never overdid it with cheap jump scares (another plus point in my book) and relies on the good old-fashioned blood, guts, gore and more blood to get a reaction out of you. What helps is Alyssa Sutherland (I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say she turns evil) is phenomenal as “deadite Ellie”, and her reactions, line deliveries (“Mommy’s with the maggots now.“) and overall performance is one of the best in this franchise, I enjoyed her performance and was (strangely) rooting for her, whilst being scared of her.
When you think it can’t get any bloodier, the finale happens. And without spoiling it for anyone, let me simply say that nobody does blood showers like the Evil Dead franchise. The ending convinced me that this movie is bonkers, but my type of bonkers. It’s the fifth movie in this gory franchise, with each being different from the previous one, but somehow, they all have the same “vibe”. Whether it’s more comedic or horror-skewed, whether we are in the cabin in the woods or in the big city or whether we found ourselves in the past or in “today”, you know that once the evil is released, nobody and nowhere is safe. Evil Dead Rise achieved that feeling of urgency whilst giving us worthy protagonists that make us root for them as they will keep fighting, no matter how dire the situation gets. In the horror world, this is unique, and this might be the only “big” franchise I would love to see pop up every couple of years with a new instalment, as long as they keep hiring people who understand what makes these movies great. Lee Cronin (the writer and director) seemed to get it; if he wants to do a sequel or another standalone film in this universe, I will be there.
Overall, Evil Dead Rise is the fifth movie of what might be the bloodiest horror franchise out there, and it still felt fresh. The two major changes (the environment and having a family instead of a group of young people) have worked brilliantly due to a great cast and people behind the camera, who seemed to understand what makes this beautifully twisted and gory world… Well, beautifully twisted and gory. Sure, can I nitpick and find a tiny flaw or two? Yes. But I had a great time, didn’t get bored and was left pumped and wanting more by the end of this movie. The ending, by the way, was so satisfying to watch. What else could I possibly want from a fifth movie in this franchise? If you are a fan of everything Evil Dead, you shouldn’t miss this one.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke