Evil Dead Rise

Sam Raimi produced and Lee Cronin directed Evil Dead Rise to make fans of the original as happy as possible. An audiovisually aggressive gore flick with great sound design and a lot of imaginative violence, it's a wild ride that goes by pretty damn fast even with its short running time. It also has fine heroes and even the derelict building setting works well enough to not mind that it doesn't bring much new to the table. I'm just not sure if a similarly off-the-rails horror film can capture audiences. (04/19/2023)

It's hard to believe a "rookie" like Lee Cronin could do this. He's pulled off a horror film that has managed to please 80% of the audience after God knows how long, is heading for massive numbers in the ratings, and is not just another generic entry into the genre, but the ultimate pleasure for die-hard fans of the franchise and the average viewer alike. Evil Dead Rise may not be as great as I would have liked, nor is it significantly more sophisticated or specifically its own, but it doesn't bore from start to finish, serves up great gore that in terms of quality and quantity and torrents of blood makes you feel almost disgusted, and visually wades into waters where other horror films fear to tread, and therefore scores full marks in terms of explicit scenes. Likewise, the soundtrack is nifty, and I wouldn't believe I'm about to say this, but the acting is top notch as well, as, exceptionally nobody here runs around like headless chickens, but behaves (within reason) quite rationally. I'm saving my fifth star for minor details like the characters' occasional sentimental "you'd be a good mom" talk while being chased by a knife-wielding psychopath (damn, I'm really waiting in vain for a movie that spares us these clichéd unconvincing chatterboxes... ) or the heroic monologues of the heroine while she's hacking the monster to bits, but outside of that and the fact that the curse jumps on whoever it wants to and how it suits it, I can't really complain in any significant way, because I can't remember a horror carnage this cinematically sound, purposeful and satisfying. A satisfying and I would say almost perfect first date movie. (04/20/2023)

I liked the opening and the brilliantly built-up finale, but between that, the new Evil Dead was nothing to write home about. What surprised me was that, compared to the film that started everything in 1981 (for a couple of bucks), this one is rather mild. What pleased me, on the other hand, was how they didn't mess around with it (thank you for the reasonable running time), and that there was no lack of black humour either. (07/09/2023)

Evil Dead Rise honors the classic trio of Tapert, Raimi and Campbell and is unrelenting in its intensity, amount of blood and high technical level. For the first time outside of a cottage in the forest, but in the no less inhospitable environment of a social housing complex without a functional elevator or fire escape. The diabolical make-up and behavior of the demon-possessed victims are a proven fan-service trademark of the franchise. The characters don’t act as stupidly as they did last time and their casting and “rock-emo” stylization are properly unconventional and bring to mind the ensemble cast of the last Hellraiser. The mysteriously beautiful Alyssa Sutherland was born for her role as a demon. And we are well aware that this franchise has the most cunning demons ever. And this time, even a little girl is exposed to them! It’s a pleasure to see such an outstanding genre treat made with so much love on the big screen again. (04/23/2023)

The nod to Raimi is clear right from the title, so expect more than just a monster under the bed. We're talking decapitations and characters going through medieval levels of bodily torment. It's brutal, twisted, and bloody — but in a way that’s traditionally entertaining for this horror franchise. (06/29/2023)