THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
When a franchise gets older, it’s easy to assume they would run out of steam until proven otherwise. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise has proven to be so consistent where the steam feels unlimited. Getting experimental by mixing comedy with body horror was also a gamble worth taking with the likes of the three-quel Army of Darkness and the follow-up series Ash vs Evil Dead. However, nothing really tops pure horror as proven with the 2013 remake. 10 years later, we were reminded of it with Evil Dead Rise.
PLOT
The spin-off follows tattoo artist Ellie who lives in Los Angeles with her three children (Danny, Bridget and Kassie). She has broken up with her husband and the family are on the verge of moving out of their condemned apartment complex. They get an unexpected visit from Ellie’s sister Beth, a guitar technician who is seeking out her sister’s help after an unplanned pregnancy. Before she could tell the family, an earthquake occurs. When the kids come back from buying pizza, the earthquake breaks the floor of the basement parking lot, uncovering of what was once a concealed chamber of a bank. Danny snoops around and ends up taking 1923 phonograph records and a unordinary book, hoping to sell it for money to help his mother. When listening to the records, he hears the voice of a priest named Father Marcus Littleton recording the book’s research, revealing it to be one of three volumes of Naturom Demonto. Although many priests insisted for the book to be destroyed, he continued the research in secret and made the mistake of reciting an incantation that would summon the demonic entity of Deadites. As Danny hears this, an unseen force would attack and possess Ellie. When she returns to the apartment, she would transition from threatening her family to pleading Beth to protect her children before vomiting and dropping dead. Shortly, she would wake back up only to attack them all. She would injure Bridget by pricking her face with a tattoo needle. Beth would lock her out of the apartment, only for her to kill all of the neighbors within the floor. When Danny confesses to Beth of the book he found, Ellie would trick Kass to unlock the door, giving her another chance to attack. When Beth keeps her out, Bridget becomes possessed as well via her wound and attacks Danny. Kass would inadvertently stop her by impaling her with her hand made staff ‘Staffanie’. As Beth listens to the third and final record, she hears the priest confessing he dismembered everyone that got possessed as a result of failing to exercise the Deadites. As she hears this, Bridget attacks Danny again and stabs her, but he sets her on fire dying. As that happens, the possessed Ellie infiltrates the apartment via the vents and tries to kill Beth. She attempts to rip out her fetus, but her sister defends herself by stabbing her in the face with scissors. With the staircase collapsed, Beth and Kass take the elevator to escape. However, all the Deadites within the floor merge into a singular, multi limbed creature dubbed the ‘Marauder’. After the merge, the Marauder fills the elevator with blood, causing the combined weight to plummet into the ground floor. Beth and Kass survive the fall but as they try escaping through the parking lot, the Marauder snatches the latter. Beth would protect her niece by wielding a chainsaw using it to push the monster into a wood chipper, which finally kills it. Beth and Kass get to leave the building together, but the terror does not go away. The film would end with a tenant from another floor named Jessica (Anna-Maree Thomas) heading out for a vacation the following morning, only to get possessed as well and later attack her cousin Teresa (Mirabai Pease) and her boyfriend Caleb (Richard Crouchley) at a lakeside cabin.
THOUGHTS
I didn’t really have any expectations upon hearing of this film because past entries delivered in quality. I definitely didn’t worry once I heard the test screenings were so positive it guaranteed a theatric release, rather than go straight to streaming on (HBO)Max. While I would ironically re-watch this film on the said streaming service, it didn’t beat the first viewing I had in theaters. Writer/Director Lee Cronin keeps the ball rolling by scaring us in ways we’re familiar with and makes it feel new, only to also merge it with new forms of terror. Cronin even has enough respect of the franchise by maintaining continuity; Saying the book here is one of three volumes not only clarifies Ashley Williams had one, but confirms the second one comes from the 2013 canonical remake. Hearing Bruce Campbell’s voice in the record does imply he was playing Ash (if not another priest) and demanded the book to be destroyed, which only makes me a share a simple theory: He at one point travelled back in time and tried to have the third book destroyed but failed. Had he tried to steal it to prevent another Deadite takeover, troubles would’ve been over before it could start with the characters we followed here. Putting aside the respect towards franchise's continuity, I have to again say the violence is just as groovy as before if not more. Every time the Deadites were in action, they continue get under your skin mentally & physically, and refuse to stop until the protagonists stop them personally. I got tattoos, so I know the pain of a needle. I cannot say the same with swallowing glass or getting scratched by a cheese grader which were so brutal to witness back to back. While the practical and visual effects are what make the violence be as realistic as you think it is, it’s not the only thing that makes it memorable. This one stands apart from past entries due to its shocking message. Believe it or not, this is a story of motherhood at heart and it fits into the mold better than one would think. I’m not a parent as of writing this, but I’m aware it is something that is challenging yet worth taking part of in the long run because you will come to cherish what has become your greatest creation and the last thing you want is to be in danger. And as a parent, you also create the instinct to protect it no matter what because you can’t always depend on others to do so. With that being said, the responsibility of a parent especially a mother makes you more stronger willed of a person than you realize. Had it not been for such a talented ensemble, I would’ve not picked up on this. Alyssa Sutherland had us mixed with emotions throughout in incredible fashion. She has us rooting for her to get by as a loving mother trying to figure how to get by, only to root against her as the blood thirsty demon. The transition is not an easy feat and she pulls it off oh so well. Everytime she tries to fool her family, you see right through her which is the whole point. You definitely frown as she begs her sister to protect her children before it’s too late. No one is prepared to lose a loved one, which made it hard to watch her disappear in our very eyes as well as her kid’s. Since we saw how caring she was at the beginning, we knew she raised a trio that were pure of heart like hers. It’s easy to hate on Danny since the chain of events originate from him taking the book. However, Morgan Davies assures he’s someone who had good intentions from the get go as he wanted to help out his mom however he could. When you’re aware of that, you respect he admitted regret since he couldn’t have known what would happen despite being warned by his oldest sister. Gabrielle Echols had us respect Bridget for playing as the one who’s sense of being pragmatic also made her protective towards her family. Even when she didn’t know the origin of the book, she knew it was a bad idea to take it anyway. Like her brother and her mother, you definitely feel bad for her to be possessed because their innocence proved neither deserve it. In the end, what remains of their family overcame the odds at the cost of a tragic sacrifice. We adored Kass in the blink of an eye because Nell Fisher showed her to be an imaginative kid who was able to create her own set of bravery in the darkest of times. There is no way for anyone no matter the age to be prepared for demons taking over, you don’t blame her for being fooled by what was once her mother. But once she comes around and accepts Ellie’s gone, it was a big step to be proud of because acceptance over loss ain’t ever gonna be easy. Had it not been for the sole adult protecting her, it wouldn’t feel unlikely for her to pull it off. Last but not least, Lily Sullivan blew me away in the role of Beth. She was someone who came off afraid of everything and wasn’t sure how to deal with it because she never prepared for it especially when things happen past her control. Even though she got by as a guitar technician, she wasn’t taking responsibility when having unprotected sex that led to her pregnancy. When she lost the one person that would help her figure it out, she accepted that she had to take on the next set of obstacles alone from now on. It’s not the ideal wake up call one would have in mind, but it was enough for her to defend herself and her remaining niece from the hell that came their way. Since she pulled it off overnight, you’re just as relieved as they are for now getting the chance to figure out the rest of their lives peacefully. Because Beth didn’t take the book, you can only hope someone else can take the stand to figure out how to defeat evil as well. There is no exaggeration when I say this is another bloody joyride in a positive sense, but my respect for it doesn’t change some issues I picked up on. For instance, I’m kinda thrown off on how Jessica was still able to pick up Teresa after getting possessed? I know it’s takes time for the Deadites to take over their hosts, but I doubt they should take that long after seeing past entries. I then wonder how come no one found the book after the bank went under? I don’t want the Deadites to make a comeback, but it surprises me it didn’t happen sooner for someone to find the third book. And I’m not the only one who thought the kids should’ve thrown it out once it took blood to open it. Even if the records were to play on their own, they would’ve saved themselves some time before the inevitable occurred. As for throwing things out, the same should’ve happened to Bridget after Kassie impaled her. If they threw her body out the window, her head would’ve splattered and it’d be one less Deadite to worry about. I’m even surprised Beth didn’t get possessed after she got scratched by Ellie’s neighbor Mr. Fonda (Mark Mitchinson). I mean I don’t want her to die, but that should’ve guaranteed trouble for her. However, I still think this film remains entertaining once ignoring all Saïd flaws. In short, Evil Dead Rise is another hit in the body horror franchise for continuing to push the boundaries in its graphic violence and creative storytelling. If you’re still groovy with horror, especially with this franchise, I assure you won’t be disappointed with this spin-off either.
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