Today we are discussing the fifth film of the Evil Dead franchise, and we’re talking about Evil Dead Rise. Got a chance to see this in theaters, and we’re gonna be talking about things I like, things I love, and things I didn’t like about the film. But ultimately, I’m gonna let you all know it’s worth checking out in today’s Evil Dead Rise Spoiler Free Review.
So as far as my fandom goes, I’m a fan of the OG Sam Raimi films. I really enjoy the 2013 Fede Alvarez Evil Dead remake. So getting into this new one when I heard they were making a new one. Because I wanted to continue with Fede Alvarez in 2013, I was disappointed there.
But then when I heard it wasn’t in the cabinet, in the woods, they’re taking it to LA. And I was like, “What are they doing with this franchise? This isn’t the evil there that I know.” But then, ladies and gentlemen, I can’t think of a movie. The last time this happened to me where I was lukewarm on this new one. But as soon as I saw that red band trailer, I was sold. I’m like, “OK, this is one of my most anticipated films of the rest of this year. Did it live up to those expectations?
Let’s talk pros, let’s talk cons, let’s talk about the direction, the story, and the performances in Evil Dead Rise.
Evil Dead Rise Review
I wanna start this Evil Dead Rise Review with my positives, but I will say this, the first 10-15, maybe 20 minutes, were OK. I wasn’t all that excited, I wasn’t really like into what was going on with the family drama, and I’ll talk more about that a little bit later in the review. But then, at a certain point, I want to say the last 45 minutes to an hour, the film puts its foot on the gas pedal and never lets its audience go.
The tone was so perfectly balanced to me with the thrills, the scary moments, and the disturbing moments that we know from the Evil Dead franchise. This is why that’s on top of mind you might be asking yourself, “I’ve never seen an Evil Dead film; I don’t know if I wanna see this one; it’s the 5th entry, and I’m gonna be lost”.
To address that problem, while there are homages, Easter eggs, and nods to the previous films, those that have seen the films can appreciate that. But it shouldn’t make you nervous or not wanna see this film because you haven’t seen the previous four, because you don’t have to have seen those films to understand what’s going on here. So I want to address that now.
Alyssa Sutherland As Evil Possed Mother
But getting back to what I was talking about with the positives here. I want to talk about my MVP and the character that completely stole this film. Now the character goes by the name of Ellie. She’s the mother of the children, the sister of one of our Co-leads in this film, and she’s played by Alyssa Sutherland.
Never seen Alyssa’s work, and I was not too familiar with her work and her as Ellie, the mother’s first 15-20 minutes; we get a little back story too. They show us what she’s going through with her husband, her kids, and her sister and all the family drama. That stuff was fine, and her performance was OK.
But then Ellie turns on the switch, and if you’ve seen the trailer, you know Ellie gets possessed, and she becomes the mother of evil. And when she becomes the mother of evil, Oh my goodness, she was literally perfect as the demonic entity, as the mother. She was dark, she was twisted, she was cruel, and she was pure evil.
I’m torn right now because, as I mentioned, I really enjoyed that 2013 Evil Dead and the Mia character. But I’m telling y’all, it’s a time for me right now as far as seeing a character that you were kind of rooting for turning completely evil. Again, she was fantastic, like there are so many great lines if you’ve seen the trailer. A line like “Mommies with the Maggots.”
There are so many moments where she just says some sick things to her children and the things she does in this movie… Oh, I’m a big fan. I’m a big fan of Mother of Evil; I wanna see some cosplay of some costumes this Halloween because she is iconic in my book. And she’s one of my favorite six sadistic characters so far in 2023, and I’m such a big fan of her portrayal.
Direction And Writing In Evil Dead Rise
Speaking of a big fan, I wanna pivot over to the direction of Evil Dead Rise as well as the writing. We have Lee Cronin, who I did see in his first feature film; I believe it was called “A Hole in the Ground,” which was OK. But by the time he gets to this film, I feel like he definitely kind of sharpened his tools with this movie.
Not only does he do a great job in recreating the Sam Raimi vibes within his franchise, but then he also showcases his skills behind the camera, and I thought he did a great job again balancing the different kinds of tones that we’re used to in Evil Dead film. This isn’t, as you know, Hammy or Campy as the original three, and it is in the same tone as 2013 as far as there are funny moments if you want to call it that, but it’s a mostly dark, sick, sadistic type of things going on.
So I thought his writing was really well done, and I thought his direction was really solid in this film. So again, from his first film to this film, I don’t wanna say it was night-day, but you can see the progression of him as a filmmaker. So I thought he was great in that department.
The Production Of Evil Dead Rise
Speaking of the department, let’s talk about the production of Evil Dead Rise, which I thought was incredible. Whether it was the sound design, or the practical effects, as a horror fan, I can’t stress enough Hollywood, can we get more practical effects. But the CGI blood versus the blood in this movie, which, let me just go on a side tangent. I haven’t seen so much blood in the movie; of course, 2013 was bloody as hell.
But IT Chapter 2, which wasn’t the greatest film, but that scene when there was Beverly’s in the elevator, and it was like just gallons and just gallons of blood, this movie might have a scene that can challenge that. And it’s a scene in an elevator that was the number one homage to one of my favorite horror films of all time, The Shinning, but just the levels of violence in this scene blood was just insane.
Again, practicality was just MVP; I love what they did from a production standpoint. As well as, as I mentioned, the sound design score is fantastic.
So the production team did their thing, especially when it came to a certain creature. I’ll say that towards the end, which kind of actually brings me into the third act of this film, which is everything I want from Evil Dead film: Bloody, violent, gruesome, incredible practical effects, and just the tension was all there. I can’t complain about the Third Act, it’s so unsettling, and I just love the third act so much.
The Negatives Of Evil Dead Rise
So let me get off my pedestal, get off my high horse and talk about some of the things that didn’t work for me about Evil Dead Rise. I kind of briefly mentioned up top in regards to the first 15-20 minutes. They’re setting up the story with this kind of dysfunctional lack of communication between the two sisters, Beth and Ellie.
Beth is on the road, she doesn’t really be there for her sister, but whenever she needs something, she goes to her older sister. And involving the kids and something going on with their father, all that stuff to me, I see what they were going for, but I feel like, and I don’t know if this would ever be revealed, I feel like there was like 15 or 20 minutes left on the cutting room floor to really establish and really kind of give me an understanding of the dynamics relationship.
If I’m being honest, as far as my criticism goes, it fell a little flat for me. It didn’t really give me the fulfillment I was looking for. It really makes me believe, “Oh, this is a tight-knit family. Even though they have their issues, they’re gonna be there for each other”. Because there are moments in this film where things happen to these family members, and the response to what happens feels a little dry.
It was just like this person. Something really bad just happened to this person, and your response is kind of on Level 3, where it should be on Level 15. So I feel like there was more for me, I wish it were more fleshing out of the character relationships, and the reality hit home that this is someone and the family I should be caring for.
I didn’t really feel the emotional gravitas that I was looking for as the film was trying to portray. Because I felt like it was just a bare minimum level of like, “Oh, I love you guys, let me hug you, protect my family.” It was just a very bare minimum which, again, ‘s where the first 15-20 minutes are trying to establish. I don’t think they did a great job in doing so.
Acting In Evil Dead Rise
Getting into my nitpicks in this Evil Dead Rise, I won’t reveal the opening in the film, but I wish the placement of the opening were somewhere else in the movie. I’m going to talk about that further if I do a spoiler review. And then, when it comes to the acting, I talked about Ellie, but everyone else was fine. Beth was OK when she kicked into gear in the second and third acts; she was great at that moment. But again, as for the more dramatic stuff wasn’t the biggest fan of her acting there.
As for the teens, we have Danny, Bridget, and Kassie. Out of the three kids, I thought Kassie did a really good job. She has some really good lines and some really great moments. But the Danny and the Bridget characters in the dramatic moments didn’t really hit me. When something happens to them, I enjoy that element, but again the more grounded stuff to me was a little bit lackluster.
Of course, teens in these movies make some really dumb decisions, so I’m going to let that pass by. But as far as the acting goes, I wasn’t all the way invested in that.
Then the last thing I’ll mention. I do feel as though they could have added a character that I’ll talk about in a spoiler review that probably would have added a little bit more drama and more compelling nature to the whole family dynamic.
But those are the nitpicks, and the biggest thing was I wish it were more moments to flesh out the relationship more. But outside of that, those are my main criticisms, and those are my positives.
Overall Review On Evil Dead Rise
Overall as an Evil Dead fan, I got what I wanted in this film. It’s bloody; it’s glory; it’s brutal. I have one of my favorite characters now from this franchise and Ellie’s character. I do wish the family dynamic was a stronger element of this film for my personal taste. But again, as far as taste, Blood, blood, blood, evilness, demandingness, I was here for it all. I’m a big fan of this film.
So with that being said, I will give Evil Dead Rise 4/5. I recommend you all give this a watch for #1. My personal reasons: I want more. I want more stories from this set of characters. And when you see the film, it ends in a way where you can see more happening, especially if you’ve seen other films in this franchise. You can see where this one can go if they decide to move on. So please, just for my sake, can you go see it for more of it?
But no, taking my personal enjoyment out of this film, I do recommend you all give us a watch. If you’re a fan of horror, if you’re a fan of brutal horror, and just some really great practical effects, it is worth watching. Now if you’re not a fan of horror, if you saw the trailer and you say that this isn’t my cup of tea, then no, it’s not for you. But if you like to have a good time, you like to be freaked out, you like to have some weird imagery in front of you, this is the film Go check out this weekend.
So hey, that’s my thoughts on Evil Dead Rise – 4/5. Give it a watch, and when you do, let me know your thoughts. Pros, Cons Favorite moments, and Least favorite moments.
Let me know if you are a fan of the franchise and if you are excited to see this new one. And of course, once you’ve seen the movie, did this feel like an Evil Dead film to you all, or were you left disappointed? And if you have seen all five films, how would you rank them? Do you want more from this franchise? And again, if you’ve seen all five films, how would you all rank them?
Our Rating: ⭐ (4.1/5).
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