h my popcorn and orange soda ready to be scared, or considering the franchise, I was about to at least be entertained. Except, in the end, the scariest part of watching Evil Dead Rise was the fact that a lady brought her children (who were clearly too young to be watching this movie), into the screening. While the movie isn’t the worst thing I have ever seen, it’s also not the best by any means. This isn’t director Lee Cronin’s first rodeo into horror, but it is his first time he is credited for an Evil Dead movie, and it shows. Cronin seems to be given creative freedom for this installment in the franchise, and I would argue that this is a huge benefit.
Viewers begin the movie in the woods, where we meet a female character that is slightly off (spoiler: she’s possessed). Where I thought we would be getting the typical cabin-in-the-woods beat, instead, viewers get one of the best openings in horror I have seen in a long time. If you’re like me (someone who did not watch any trailers going into this viewing), then you will be surprised at how things unfold. Seeing a possessed woman rise from a lake with the title card behind her seemingly mimicking oozing blood got me incredibly excited for what the next 90 minutes had in store.
The core setting for this film is really genius. Instead of an isolated cabin — a staple in the franchise — it takes place on a single floor of an aging apartment complex. With barriers and obstacles leading to lack of escape routes (demolished stairs, bloody haunted elevators, and an inaccessible fire escape), the characters seem just as isolated as they would be deep in the woods. This setting does wonders for making the characters and the audience feel claustrophobic. Normally when I watch horror I can think of a few ways to escape; to think of loopholes in every scenario to get out of there! Yet, I left thinking, Wow! I would’ve given up! There is no way! I think the setting really served the story. It made the non-possessed ready to fight with everyday objects they knew like the back of their hands, and it gave the possessed a leg-up by mostly seeing all the defences coming.
Of course, the film has lots of moments where you want to yell at the characters for being so incredibly stupid, but at this point it’s almost fun to see characters be dumb in new, non-typical ways. My biggest complaint with this movie was that it felt half-baked. Maybe if it had gotten a little more time on the editing table, perhaps it would carve out a name for itself in horror rather than just serve as another installment. For many, there’s a certain humour that comes with the borderline camp feel of the Evil Dead franchise, but Rise has too many instances where the one-liners fall flat, or are trying to rely on people thinking this movie will be camp too. They forget that the originals are a cult classic for a reason, and Evil Dead Rise has the challenge of being its own thing while also paying just enough debt to the originals. I wish this movie found its ground more. A few tweaks and it would be great; sadly it is just plain okay.
To end on a positive note, the acting is the strongest part of this movie. Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie (the possessed) and Lily Sullivan as Beth (the non-possessed) bounce off of each other incredibly well. Sullivan played both the caring motherly role and that of the demonic killer, yet managed to pull off both of them. Sutherland deserves a roster of movies where she plays horror villains — she plays them that well — and Sullivan has cemented herself as a final girl in my books. When she walks away drenched in blood with only her eyes visible, I practically got chills and wanted another movie just to see her in this role again.
Like Evil Dead? Go into this with low expectations and you’ll be alright. Enjoy not-so-scary scary movies? You’ll love this one… but maybe close your eyes once you see a cheese grater pop up. Trust me.
Eva Davey is a UFV student majoring in English Literature and minoring in Media Communications. She is a fan of poetry, oat milk lattes, and the final girl trope. Currently, her worst enemy is the Good Reads app.
