Right up there with others such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween, The Evil Dead franchise is one of the most beloved in Horror cinema history. Like the others mentioned, Evil Dead’s original 1981 classic, The Evil Dead, was an independent production made with creativity and minimal financial backing. Featuring impressive special effects, that some with less of an imagination might call cheesy, the film also featured some wildly inventive camera work, plus a fantastic balance of Horror and Comedy.
Fast forward, 1987’s Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, what some consider the best in the series, was preceded by 1992’s Army of Darkness, before over two decades passed when what was called ‘a soft reboot’ arose in 2013 with Evil Dead. Fancy modern language for remake, initially 2013’s Evil Dead had many praising the new direction which was excessively gory, but without question ultra modern and completely lacking any humor at all.
This stated, in a modern world of instant gratification, in truth, 2013’s Evil Dead has not held up all too well a decade later, but thankfully Evil Dead returned to its roots in the extremely entertaining Starz series Ash vs Evil Dead. Airing from 2015 to 2018, the series gave hope for Evil Dead fans that any future creations would remain true to the origins of the franchise. Now in 2023 Evil Dead returns with the brand-new installment Evil Dead Rise.
Theatrically released in the United States on April 21, 2023, by Warner Bros, Evil Dead Rise also arrives on 4K UHD, Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD June 27th. A project in the works for some time now, it initially sparked interest for many because Robert Tapert (long-time Evil Dead franchise producer), Sam Raimi (original Evil Dead creator), and Bruce Campbell (legendary Evil Dead lead Ash Williams) all were announced as producer and executive producers. Giving hope that the film might stay true to something long-time fans would appreciate, it was then announced that Irish Filmmaker Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground 2019) would serve as the film’s writer and director. Keeping an open mind, the question that really remains is, what direction would Evil Dead Rise go? Well, let us just say it is more along the same trajectory of 2013’s Evil Dead than anything else.
Evil Dead Rise story picks up following a recently separated mother named Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland: Vikings series, The Mist series) with her three children Danny (Morgan Davies: The Hunter 2011, Storm Boy 2019), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols: Reminiscence 2021), and Kassie (Nell Fisher: Northspur 2022, My Life is Murder series), who are then joined by Auntie Beth (Lily Sullivan: Mental 2012, Monolith 2023). Unfortunately, Danny’s curiosity opens the gate of hell with the recently discovered Book of the Dead, mom (Ellie) is the first to become possessed, and chaos ensues from there on.
In enough words, this brief description pretty much sums up Evil Dead Rise with not much else more needed to be said. Painted red with excessive blood and gory for most of the film’s 97-minute runtime, the story is extremely mundane and often slips so easily into every modern cliché one can think of. The characters are less than likeable and consistently showcase weak and powerless behavior. What does this mean? It means if you are looking for a strong protagonist like Ash Williams to take charge, it is nowhere to be found within Evil Dead Rise. In fact, be prepared to accept the characters in Evil Dead Rise to exhibit the same blank stares, weeping eyes, and looks of terror throughout the entire film.
A big disappointment, but of no surprise in today’s modern culture, the other big mark against Evil Dead Rise is the complete absence of any humor whatsoever. Some of the most legendary Horror film directors of all-time would agree that humor in Horror is imperative, and striking the balance between terror and laughter is the true art. Unfortunately, most modern Horror filmmakers by and large do not subscribe to this ideology, and Evil Dead Rise is no different. Delivered as straight-ahead Horror, mixed with real life drama and emotion, the fun is completely sucked out of the room, leaving you with most scenes featuring characters crying or just screaming their heads off as obscene amounts of blood literally flies through the air. Void of any clever dialogue, amusing lines, it is a flatline of the same transparent emotion all the way through, and as a result takes itself entirely too seriously.
All criticisms aside, there is still an audience for Evil Dead Rise. There are some who enjoy this type of modern Horror film, and that is fine, because we are all entitled to our tastes and opinions. Nonetheless, those looking for something that is new and fresh while still resembling an Evil Dead film, perhaps should turn back the clock to Ash vs Evil Dead or earlier.
Although, this is not the end of Evil Dead, because Rami and Campbell have stated they are going to try and do a new film every 2-3 years moving forward. Is this a good thing or bad thing? Well, it depends on who you ask, but let us hope it does not go in the same direction as 2013’s Evil Dead or the subject at hand, Evil Dead Rise. Only time will tell, but let us end this with something positive, because there is entirely too much negativity in this world. The light at the end of the tunnel is that Bruce Campbell himself has stated he would reprise his role again as Ash Williams, if and only if Sam Raimi is the director on said Evil Dead film. Hopefully striking inspiration in Rami, and a sign of hope for dedicated viewers, until then, and stuck in the purgatory of speculation, Cryptic Rock gives Evil Dead Rise 1 out of 5 stars.
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