Evil Dead Rise

Evil Dead Rise honors the classic trio of Tapert, Raimi and Campbell and is unrelenting in its intensity, amount of blood and high technical level. For the first time outside of a cottage in the forest, but in the no less inhospitable environment of a social housing complex without a functional elevator or fire escape. The diabolical make-up and behavior of the demon-possessed victims are a proven fan-service trademark of the franchise. The characters don’t act as stupidly as they did last time and their casting and “rock-emo” stylization are properly unconventional and bring to mind the ensemble cast of the last Hellraiser. The mysteriously beautiful Alyssa Sutherland was born for her role as a demon. And we are well aware that this franchise has the most cunning demons ever. And this time, even a little girl is exposed to them! It’s a pleasure to see such an outstanding genre treat made with so much love on the big screen again. (23/04/2023)

It's hard to believe a "rookie" like Lee Cronin could do this. He's pulled off a horror film that has managed to please 80% of the audience after God knows how long, is heading for massive numbers in the ratings, and is not just another generic entry into the genre, but the ultimate pleasure for die-hard fans of the franchise and the average viewer alike. Evil Dead Rise may not be as great as I would have liked, nor is it significantly more sophisticated or specifically its own, but it doesn't bore from start to finish, serves up great gore that in terms of quality and quantity and torrents of blood makes you feel almost disgusted, and visually wades into waters where other horror films fear to tread, and therefore scores full marks in terms of explicit scenes. Likewise, the soundtrack is nifty, and I wouldn't believe I'm about to say this, but the acting is top notch as well, as, exceptionally nobody here runs around like headless chickens, but behaves (within reason) quite rationally. I'm saving my fifth star for minor details like the characters' occasional sentimental "you'd be a good mom" talk while being chased by a knife-wielding psychopath (damn, I'm really waiting in vain for a movie that spares us these clichéd unconvincing chatterboxes... ) or the heroic monologues of the heroine while she's hacking the monster to bits, but outside of that and the fact that the curse jumps on whoever it wants to and how it suits it, I can't really complain in any significant way, because I can't remember a horror carnage this cinematically sound, purposeful and satisfying. A satisfying and I would say almost perfect first date movie. (20/04/2023)

"You don't look so good, mom..." The technically-satisfying Evil Dead in a high-rise building can’t rely much on the child actors (especially during the possession phases), but that’s balanced out by Madam Sutherland, who would make Russell Crowe in an XXXL robe look small right now! Tailor's scissors under the bed, a broken mop handle, a wood chipper parked in the underground garage (if the entrance were bigger, there’d be a combine harvester too)—all of these are predictably put to use while testing if they can surpass the maximum weight capacity of the Overlook Hotel's elevator. The only remaining question is: after the intro at the lake house, will Ripley, Newt, and the trio avoid the evil from the vents and fly off the planet Monde? (11/05/2023)

I expected a film that would completely break free from the conventional bounds of bloody and explicit horror! Evil Dead Rise didn’t quite deliver on that front. Don’t get me wrong... Technically, it’s a flawless film, set this time in the intriguing environment of a dilapidated apartment building somewhere in LA. I even managed to warm up to the main protagonist during the enjoyable hour and a half. And when it comes to gore, it’s absolutely top-notch (though by my standards, it’s disappointingly sparse... the trailers promised a bigger dose). However, the story ultimately let me down. Adding in a few illogical situations (especially the bizarre way the blood-borne infection behaves) and some stupid character actions, it just can’t reach the genre's peak. On the plus side, Alyssa Sutherland played the demonic mother brilliantly... And the final chainsaw sequence? I genuinely squealed with delight :D It ends up with a weaker 7/10. (23/05/2023)

Evil Dead Rise is a solid horror flick, but if you're familiar with the franchise, you'll just be mentally ticking off a list of must-haves. The setting of an old tenement house is not as atmospheric and interesting as a cabin in the mountains, and while the filmmakers attempted to bring evil to a new cramped location, they didn't miss the tried-and-true cabin, giving the film a framing device that's quite impressive but completely unnecessary to the main story (but at least it brought the best reveal of the film's title in years). The 2013 remake was far more impressive, engaging and entertaining in its reinterpretation of a well-worn formula; this one is just OK. (28/04/2023)