Evil Dead Rise

Is the franchise with the maggots now?

Let's start at the beginning... When Sam Raimi was asked to describe ' The Evil Dead' he said " It is a Rock'em Sock'em rollercoaster ride of screaming horror" - Sam Raimi for tvdays.com (1982)

and I couldn't agree more.

Raimi describes visiting drive-in movie theaters around Detroit before the making of Evil Dead (1981) to see a plethora of low budget horror, ultimately leaving feeling underwhelmed. The films just didn't deliver the bone-chilling horror experience that they promised, and with a mind like Raimis' it would take more than a little blood to get him going...

Five friends set out for an overnight stay in a cabin deep within the woods. Looking forward to a night of drinking and … possession ? Ash (Bruce Campbell) is forced to endure the horrors awakened by the Necronomicon, as evil posses' his friends and threaten the boundaries of death itself. This was the start of Evil Dead's journey into becoming one of the most famous horror franchises to date. With the continuation of the franchise occuring in 1987 with ' Evil Dead II' (Sam Raimi) , followed by the cult classic 'Army of Darkness' (1992, Sam Raimi). Each film took what we thought we knew about horror and threw it back in our face, with unmatched wit and humor being blended into these scenes of grotesque body horror and carnage. But don't just take a ghouls word for it, look at most of your horror favorites! In Scream (1996) Randy gives two film options between "Evil Dead" and "Halloween" ; references are made to "Ash" in Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Nancy from ' A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984) can be seen watching scenes from 'Evil Dead' (1981) on her TV.

Various projects involving the Evil Dead universe have continued throughout the years, but all good things must come to an end. That is, until 'Evil Dead Rise' was announced to be in cinemas by April 12th 2023, directed by Lee Cronin. I couldn't contain my ghoulish joy and stalked any mention of Evil Dead on the internet, it wasn't until I sat waiting for 'Renfield' (2023) to start in my local cinema that I finally saw the Evil Dead Rise trailer in all its glory. I gazed up in wonder as some of my fellow audience members twitched and jolted in my peripheral. This trailer promised me a spine-chilling deep dive into new deadite adventures and all I had to do was wait.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

SPOILER WARNING!

Beth and Ellie are sisters with a rocky relationship to say the least. Beth returns from being a guitar technician for a touring band to come and visit her sister in LA as she faces one of the hardest questions in her life so far, am I ready to be a mother? It is clear to the audience that Beth has come to lean on Ellie for support in this time, but comes to find out that her sister is not in the best place to play Mum to a fourth child. Ellie and her three children are living in less than ideal conditions in a run down art deco inspired apartment building, soon to be condemned. During an earthquake, one of three Necronomicons is found ( The Book of the Dead) by Ellie's teenage son along with records containing the horrific truth of what the book can do. Ellie is unfortunately taken over by this evil force and becomes the Mommy Dearest of deadites, leaving Beth to take on the burden of protecting not only herself and her unborn child but Ellie's own children.

Good things first... Alyssa Sutherland's performance as Ellie was truly a tantalizing one for all my horror senses. Her movements felt corrupted and dark and coupled with the amazing character visuals achieved for this deadite, it was positively haunting. In an interview for 'Collider's Ladies Night' Sutherland describes how she brought this deadite to life...

" I had to tap into some real rage , and I think a lot of women have rage, I think society ingrains some self- sacrifice in women... I lived a lot of my life doing that and I don't think it served me" - Alyssa Sutherland for Collider's Ladies Night (2023).

Now that I think of it, contourting myself into impossible positions, emerging from dark corners of the room screaming, and lunging myself up to my bathroom ceiling after a shower are all things I too have in common with deadites! But Sutherland delivers a show stopping performance that is worth paying the overpriced cinema ticket for.

The visuals of this film just keep on giving, whether it is the prop design of the Necronomicon, the makeup department , set design and shot composition or the gore elements coming in clutch for the third act ( more on this later). If you want buckets of gore and lots of it then you will definitely get your moneys' worth. Overall, I did have fun watching this film and I don't regret spending my money to experience it on the big screen.

Did you watch 'Evil Dead Rise' on the big screen ?

• Yes, of course!
• I'd rather become a deadite.

Now for the parts I really want to talk about. Whilst I enjoyed my time watching the film, I couldn't help but feel let down. When I heard there was going to be a new addition to the franchise I was already running the plot possibilities through my mind. From watching the trailer, I was left with the impression that Raimi's style of writing would feature a bit more than in the 2013 remake. I still love 'Evil Dead'(2013) for the serious tone and brutal gore it features, but if Evil Dead was coming back I definitely wanted a more Raimi tone. Glimpses of this came through with witty one liners punctuated throughout the film, but it was in between unfinished story concepts and plot dumping scenes. My viewing experience began to feel like a scavenger hunt as soon as we were introduced to the family dynamics. Constantly making note of scissors being hidden, car park gates not working, the use of a tattoo machine and remembering a gun wielding neighbor that has a cat in the vents all felt very overwhelming. I knew these story beats would pay off later so the first two acts were spent waiting for the pay off and it took me out of the experience as a whole. I have seen some reviews slating the acting by the children but this didn't impact my opinion of the film. My main issue revolves around Beth's , in my opinion, underdeveloped pregnancy storyline. This comes from Ellie being an already well established mother figure, down to becoming a deadite mega-mum, so having another 'mother' character felt redundant and kind of half-baked. The throw away lines about motherhood blurted at Beth at random intervals really did feel jarring to me, specifically...

"You'd be a good mom someday, Auntie Beth... You know how to lie to kids"- Kassie , Evil Dead Rise (2023).

Because Kassie is a strange character to me, she seems to be intelligent and creative yet she opens the door for her mother who clearly looks like the crypt keeper? Also by the dead kid count I kept throughout the film, we end with 2 dead children and 2 surviving ( if you count Beth's unborn child) so as far as Beth being fit as a mother... The answer is still 50/50 when thinking about child to deadite child conversion rate.

Whilst I have previously stated that the gore is worth watching for, it is concentrated to the last act of the film. The infamous cheese grater scene went viral within the horror community as buzz built around the film. I sat patiently waiting for this scene during my trip to the cinema and when it finally came... It was just okay. My expectations included some type of vile skin wound, maybe some hanging skin? Some blood? But it just came across as an after-thought , not the eye catching moment we were expecting from the trailer. As a personal aside, I cut my hand not too long ago via a cheese grater. The side of my index claw had a deep cut that would not stop bleeding, with pieces of my flesh hanging from my appendage. Usually the sight of blood fills me with ghoulish delight, but not when it's my own. So the inaccurate portrayal of cheese grater related incidents offended me personally. You will be happy to know that my claw has fully recovered and my nightly scare sessions of my neighbor can continue.

I think the biggest draw of the film was the Marauder , a type of super-deadite that combines body parts from various deadites to create its' final form, that appears in the final act. It was interesting to find out that there was a suit the actors used to create this vision, with stunt actors taking over when the deadite was required to walk/run quickly. The payoff is worth it for me, I can see the effort that has gone into creating this deadite and I appreciate it. The production was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic for 8 weeks ( originally planned to be 2 weeks), this meant that Cronin dedicated a lot of time in crafting the final act of the film...

"I spent that time working on the finale of the movie... I think the final 10 minutes downstairs in that basement is quite the high point in the story, it's both action and terrifying and it's got emotion and it's got fear" - Lee Cronin for Collider Interviews (2023).

You can feel the attention to detail within the final quarter, and maybe having the time to sit and mull over it whilst the world burns around us helped that process. The level of blood used at this point is ramped up in a slightly disappointing rendition of the famous 'The Shining' (1980) elevator scene. There was nothing wrong with it specifically but it is a reference I am tired of seeing since the original is such an iconic moment. However, it does mark a turning point for the body horror escapades about to take place in the basement. Think copious amounts of blood splatter and crushed limbs, with mounting tension as our final girls are stalked throughout the basement.

Another issue I had with the film was that taking 'Evil Dead' to the city was a big draw for many audience members. Moving away from the rural forest setting would allow us to see the deadites on a new playing field. Seeing them in new arenas that opened us up to new scares and chances to showcase how deadites can cause chaos and destruction to a domestic environment. However, I don't feel that Cronin delivered on this front. The apartment building works as a giant high rise cabin due to the rundown nature and overall darkness of the shots. The whole film takes place in a building that looks like it should be haunted. The decor is outdated, with hallways looking like a haunted house attraction in which scare actors pop out from picture frames. Although it may sound confusing, I am complaining about a 'creepy' set design for a horror film , this is because I think it would have worked in the film's favor to subvert what we expect from 'Evil dead' locations. On top of this, the apartment building is not really used, when we break down the areas we see the apartment of Ellie and the kids, the adjoining hallway and the basement. As the film continued, the novelty of deadites in the city quickly wore off and it just started to feel redundant. We end the film where we started, at a cabin in the woods, with the deadites returning to where they are most comfortable and where it seems directors are most comfortable orchestrating their movements.

The excitement I felt for this film before it came out was pretty high, and this may have led to why I felt so let down. Taking this into account and everything we have discussed, I still would recommend watching 'Evil Dead Rise' (2023). Overall, it is still a fun addition to the franchise and I'm sure Lee Cronin will take this opportunity to work on some new exciting material. The film doesn't break boundaries or take fright to new levels like 'The Evil Dead'(1981) did but it does offer some interesting directions for the franchise to take. I'm sure I am not alone in secretly wishing for Ash's return, but regardless I am looking forward to seeing new conversations about the 'Evil Dead' franchise taking place online. We have all become wary of modern adaptations and continuations of our beloved horror franchises, and with good reason, but I am choosing to ignore some of the red flags in 'Evil Dead Rise'(2023) and I can't wait to see what the franchise has to offer in the future.

PSA: Thank you for taking the time to read this blog! Being a ghoul in this modern age is not easy and comes with some challenges, because of this my upload schedule has suffered. Thankfully, due to some dark rituals and ghoul self-care, I am able to spend more time focusing on 'News For Ghouls'. I appreciate you all. - MegTheGhoul.

Evil Dead (1981) IMDb

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/

Evil Dead Trilogy

Evil Dead Rise (2023) IMDb

Sources Google Doc