Written & Directed by Lee Cronin, Evil Dead Rise, is a sequel to Evil Dead from 2013 which has migrated its demonic zone from woods to a city tower. Honestly, we were anxious if this relocation would play out well as the wood’s location and isolated cabin came with their perks of seclusion. But Director Lee Cronin and Cinematographer Dave Garbett have infused an equivalent amount of horror and gore we would feel at a lone cabin in the woods.
The foremost thing that came to our mind is the brilliant performances of leads Lily Sullivan as Beth, Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie, and supporting characters Morgan Davies as Danny and Gabrielle Echols as Bridget, and Nell Fisher as youngest Kassie. The flawless amalgamation of lead and supporting characters has massively influenced the film’s overall exposition and lifted the benchmark from its predecessor.
Evil Dead Rise’s thought-provoking storyline strains the relationship between two sisters, a mother, her children, an aunt, and her nieces. The chain of events is set in motion when Danny, in the parking lot trying to gratify his curiosity, enters a massive hole resulting from an earthquake. Danny explores a secure abandoned bank locker and, in a way, steals some religious artifacts, phonographic records, and the gothic Book of the Dead, the cover of which we would never dare to skim after glimpsing.
Danny plays one of the phonographic recordings, and the demon waiting to be unleashed hovers over Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland). Ellie, unfortunately, pays the price for her son’s curiosity and becomes the prime host of the insanely powerful demon. Ellie’s unending stream of havoc to her children, sister, and neighbors follows. Before giving up to the devil, Ellie conveys her sister to save the kids, and Beth does an incredible job of trying to keep them. However, the first half isn’t very engaging or terrifying. Judging from the first half, we may feel that Evil Dead Rise needs to be more up to the mark of its predecessor and may start to wonder if the makers put up a bad show.
But wait a moment! The absolute horridness starts snaring in the second half! The second half is where it gets fascinating and damn horrifying. The power is out; elevators are stuck; fire exit won’t open; it is raining heavily; no one in the vicinity can hear them; they can’t call out for help, locked outside the room in the alley is demon-possessed, Ellie. While Beth takes a breath of relief after closing her demonic sister outside of the house, things are about to go haywire inside, with Bridget now responding to the vibrations of the demon.
Director Lee Cronin has raised the stakes in the second half. The second half is where it gets all bloody nasty. The suspense & gothic sound by Stephen McKeon is undeniably alarming. The last 20 minutes of the film are the best scenes you will binge on watching. It has everything you can ever think of gore screams, amputation, skin peeling, scissors, knife stabbing, gothic thousands of liters of blood, shotgun shooting, decapitation. Evil Dead Rise indeed hops on another level towards the end. Ultimately, the sheer tension and rush it unleashes is mind-boggling and bombards your adrenaline.
Final Verdict on Evil Dead Rise:
The storyline is satisfactorily thought out. Pitching a mother against her children and sister against a sister does appear fresh. In a nutshell, Evil Dead Rise is a film driven by women against women. Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) delivered stunning performances and carried the weight of the film. Danny (Morgan Davies) and Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) shine in their supporting cast, and the youngest, Kassie (Nell Fisher), is truly a hidden gem to watch out for. The first half is not so exciting or scary, but the second half is where all the nightmare truly kicks in. In the second half, you get a tidbit of an actual Gothic Evil Dead, where it begins to rise indeed. Consider reserving your seat to witness this horror which can be genuinely enjoyed only in theatres.
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