Taken as an entry in the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Rise can only be described as a humorless exercise. As a stand-alone horror film, it’s a solidly made, if entirely predictable, gorefest.
One of the charms of the original Evil Dead franchise was its sense of humor. When the series was rebooted in 2013 with Evil Dead, the film was billed as the “most terrifying film you will ever experience.” That was never the aim of the original series, which was always about the fun and then the gore. Similarly, the new sequel, Evil Dead Rise might feature a few callbacks to the old series but none of them involve the original series’ levity.
This time around, the action moves from the usual cabin in the woods setting to a soon-to-be-demolished apartment building in Los Angeles. Tattoo artist and single mom, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland,) lives with her three children. Her usually touring guitar tech sister, Beth (Lily Sullivan,) comes by for a visit. Beth’s hiding the fact that she’s pregnant and wants to ask Ellie for help. This reunion is interrupted by an earthquake, which uncovers a hidden vault in the basement of the building. While exploring the vault, Ellie’s son, Danny (Morgan Davies,) discovers the “Naturom Demonto,” a strange book filled with disturbing illustrations and three vinyl records. When Danny plays the vinyl, the recording unleashes a demonic force which latches on to his mom. Soon, Ellie is terrorizing Beth, Danny, and his sisters, Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) and Kassie (Nell Fisher.)
And, honestly, that’s the entirety of Evil Dead Rise. Ellie’s possessed form attempts to murder Beth, Danny, Bridget and Kassie. Some random neighbors are served up as fodder. Thanks to the earthquake, the family is unable to leave their floor of the apartment building. This negates any possibilities of the new location having a different feel than an isolated cabin in the woods. Now, the action is confined to an apartment and a hallway.
None of the initial character setup matters in the end. Aside from Beth’s skills with a soldering iron, it doesn’t matter that she was a guitar tech. Or that she’s pregnant. Or that she wasn’t living in suburban Cleveland with a house and a white picket fence. She’s just someone to stand in the way of Ellie’s demonic path. The same is true of Danny, Kassie, and Bridget. They’re just bodies.
Taken as an entry in the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Rise can only be described as a humorless exercise. As a stand-alone horror film, it’s a solidly made, if entirely predictable, gorefest. There’s nothing especially unique about it. And, honestly, that’s the biggest disappointment.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
