Created with the blessing of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell (so much blessing, in fact, that the pair signed on as executive producers), Evil Dead Rise does rise, indeed, to the standard set by its predecessors.
The first thing that struck me was how faithful director Lee Cronin was to the style established by Raimi in the original trilogy of films. The first-person view from something buzzing through the woods shows up right away, but is also turned immediately on its ear in a way that pleased this viewer. One particularly cool scene is viewed through an apartment door peephole, and is a perfect homage to Cheryl Williams (the girl in the basement from 1981). The fast-twitch, video game style is very present, although Cronin does not attempt humor nearly as much as Raimi.
Yeah, this movie is pretty dark. There are subtle shout-outs to Ashley Williams, the series’ original putzy hero,with a few one-liners spread throughout the film, but Beth (played by Lily Sullivan) is not some arrogant, accidental conqueror. Both protagonists are reluctant heroes, but Beth is a tragic and sympathetic figure, with a real-life problem far more complex than any the aspirational (in a horny, Schwarzenegger-esque way) Ash Williams faces prior to opening the Necronomicon.
Watching any film in the Evil Dead family should come with an expectation to see some very over-the-top, creative executions. This film delivers them, in absolute abundance. Buckets of them. In the initial press run for the film, director Cronin stated that his tombstone will now have to come with an engraving of a cheese grater. I’ll let that statement marinate with you.
Alyssa Sutherland continues the recent run of sinewy female leads in horror films (I was reminded of Toni Collette in Hereditary), and she fit right in with Cheryl Williams and Betsy Baker as the female Deadite of primary concern.
Apparently, there can never be an internet community without toxic members, and the Evil Dead franchise is not spared. There seems to be some minor backlash around the casting of Morgan Davies, as if any normal or decent person has any time to actually be bothered about things like that. I never would have even known Morgan Davies was a trans male unless the right-wing incel community pointed it out. Too much time on their hands. He does a great job in this film.
Not all 9’s out of 10 are created equal. If I give this film a 9, that doesn’t mean it is up there battling it out as film royalty with Pulp Fiction or Boogie Nights. It just means that as horror films go, this one hit the sweet spot for me. If Evil Dead and its successor are perfect 10s of horror, this one is nipping at their heels. Rise is right there with Dead Alive in the gore department. I will indulge in repeated views, and I especially cannot wait to show it to someone who hasn’t seen it before. Fantastic. Long live Evil Dead.
A Fool Speaks Loudest 