Evil Dead Rise (2023)
The off-the-wall, totally bonkers, time traveling Army of Darkness aside, each film in the Evil Dead franchise – which has yet to produce a bad or even disappointing film, by the way – has taken place in the wilderness, predominantly a cabin in the woods. Which is perhaps the biggest reason why the setting within Evil Dead Rise was so intriguing – the Deadites have made their way to a high-rise apartment building in Los Angeles.
Rise still starts within that familiar cabin-in-the-woods setting for a chillingly effective cold open that succinctly sets the stage for the gore fest that is to transpire over the next 96 minutes. The film then shifts gears to the City of Angels, where Ellie lives with her three kids in the apartment building. An earthquake takes place, the older two kids find the dreaded Naturom Demonto buried beneath the building, and we’re off to the races.
The film’s relationship dynamics, specifically between Ellie and her sister Beth, are often underexplored but intriguing nonetheless. A month-old missed voicemail encapsulates the estranged state of their sisterhood, but you can see how close they once were through their small interactions. An empathetic glance or a tender smile signify that they were once inseparable. Once the Deadite shenanigans start popping off, there’s not much by way of those little character moments, which actually enhances the film’s effectiveness (more to come on that).
Speaking of the Deadite shenanigans, they are gnarly. Maybe not quite as depraved and in-your-face as the 2013 installment, but nevertheless, the movie’s bloodshed happens early and often. There are numerous never-before-seen moments, which is always a plus when looking at the history of horror movie gross-outs. The high-rise setting was underutilized; the sense of claustrophobia is palpable, but fire escapes, stairways, and elevators are underused, which was slightly frustrating at times.
The aforementioned lack of character moments assists in imbuing that hopeless pit-in-your-stomach feeling that pervades throughout the majority of the film, except for the end, where you clearly see one character fight through their love for another to do what needs to be done. It’s a crowd-pleasing finale that works. As a whole, Evil Dead Rise is a sufficiently entertaining and well-crafted film, both within the franchise and horror as a whole.
Rating: 3.5/5