Movie Reaction: Evil Dead Rise

Formula: (Evil Dead * Scream 6) / Scream 5

I don't remember the last time I was this nervous going into a movie. The 2013 The Evil Dead remains the only time I've ever nearly passed out from watching a movie and the only time I ever walked out of a movie midway through*. While there were specific circumstances surrounding that, I can't ignore the association I had with the Evil Dead and passing out. So, I made sure to be well rested, got a coke and copious snacks, and tested my luck with Evil Dead Rise.

*Some context. I did see The Evil Dead at an earlier showing in the day while I had a hangover, so I wasn't in the best state going in. I was actively enjoying watching the movie. However, at one point, there's a sequence with some needles, I think, and I could feel the blood leave my head. I got up to buy a soda, because I figured it was some kind of blood sugar thing mixing with my aversion to needles. Halfway to the concessions, I realize I was not going to make it. I was getting very lightheaded. So, I ducked into the bathroom nearby. I went into a stall where I proceeded to lay on the ground for a minute (I think) for it to pass. Thankfully no one else came into the restroom at that time, because that would've been super awkward. Once I came to, I got up and decided it was better to just walk home instead of trying to press through. So, there's some context, but yes, the headline is "The Evil Dead made me pass out".

I'm not the biggest Evil Dead fan. I've seen them all and I liked them. They aren't top tier horror for me. I do enjoy the playfulness juxtaposed with vicious violence. The movies manage to be scary while also acknowledging that this is fun for the audience. So far (ignoring Army of Darkness, which barely the same series), The Evil Dead has worked in a very specific premise: young people in a remote cabin in the woods. Evil Dead Rise moves it to the city, and I wasn't that sure it could work there.

The way Evil Dead Rise gets around this problem is by recreating the cabin feel in the middle of a city. It's set in an apartment building. It's a condemned building with only a few tenants left. There's an earthquake, which makes the stair unsafe and knocks out the power. So, functionally, the movie takes place in an isolated floor of a mostly empty building: the closest thing to the remote cabin setting.

The basic plot is what you'd expect/want from an Evil Dead movie. Someone finds the Book of the Dead. An evil force takes over someone who proceeds to kill a bunch of people. Instead of a group of young people this time, it's a family. The mother (Alyssa Sutherland) is the one who becomes the Deadite. The protagonist is her sister (Lily Sullivan).

The movie delivers. Sutherland is nice and creepy as the Deadite. This leans a lot into making the Deadites taunting malevolent forces. It's basically a game for the Deadite. Writer/director Lee Cronin mixes plenty of scares in though. Cronin definitely gets that the gnarly imagery and buckets of blood are what made this franchise so beloved.

I guess I didn't pass out from the movie, so you could call the movie a let-down? Perhaps it means it's less intense. I thought it was a solid entry in the franchise though. I hope it doesn't take another decade for a sequel, because this is one of the horror franchises best suited for endless sequels.

Verdict: Weakly Recommend