Today: Mar 29, 2024

Movie Review: Evil Dead Rise

Sofia RositaniEditor-in-Chief

The horror genre has risen with the new “Evil Dead: Rise” film being released in theaters.  

The film, produced by both Sam Raimi and the original Ashy Slashy, Bruce Campbell has gone into a darker route this time.  

“Evil Dead Rise reimagines the franchise through Cronin’s gaze, so it’s okay to approach it as a reboot of sorts, which might result in direct sequels being developed in the near future. However, we can also see Evil Dead Rise as an independent story that happens in the same universe as Ash’s and Mia’s adventures. After all, some elements connect all of the movies,” according to Collider.  

This movie comes the week that Campbell hosted his “Bruce-o-rama” which I also attended in Buffalo, New York. This event we were able to meet Campbell, be a part of his game show, and finally ask him questions about the works he had been in, not just the “Evil Dead” franchise but also other projects such as, “Burn Notice.” The event was really interesting and fun, he was kind of rude, but he is older and played one of the most sexist guys on tv, Ash Williams.  

This movie begins as all of the “Evil Dead” films begin, in a cabin in the woods. Going into it you would think the first five minutes will not be scary or too crazy, wrong, the opening is just as scary and wild as the rest of the film. There is no build up you are completely thrown into it, but there are anxiety inducing scenes throughout the movie.  

The director of the film, Lee Cronin, did an amazing job with making the characters likable and causing reactions throughout the theater. The younger actors such as Nell Fisher, who played Kassie, Morgan Davies, who played Danny, and Gabrielle Echols, who played Bridget, were absolutely phenomenal actors who played their parts extremely well.  

Sadly, we do not see Campbell revive his role of Ash Williams, but we do see hints of his character in it. The character Beth, played by Lily Sullivan, picked up not just his iconic chainsaw but also his “boom stick” aka a shot gun. This scene was so cool, and it really tied everything together making you remember this is an “Evil Dead” movie.  

This brings up how this is a continuation of the franchise, because “Army of Darkness” the third film in the franchise talks about how there are not one but three Necronomicon’s, aka the “Book of the Dead.”  

“There are actually three Books of the Dead, and Ash needs to figure out the real one. Until recently, we thought there was only one Necronomicon, and the other two books were decoys. However, in a recent interview with Collider, Campbell revealed the three books are real. As the star puts it, “There are three of these books out there, as we found out in Army of Darkness, so you never know where they’re going to pop up. So, this story is really ‘where is the book now,’” according to Collider.  

It would not be an “Evil Dead” without gore or blood, this film having a lot of both. It had more blood in it than any other in the franchise and it was all practical effects.  

There was very little CGI in the film, something I really liked since horror should have more practical effects in it than CGI. The CGI in it was not terrible, and you could tell it was a passion project.  

For those who are extremely into horror this movie is definitely the horror film of the year and it will make you feel extremely anxious and on edge the entire time in the best way possible, this is coming from a horror fanatic who grew up with the genre. All I can say is that it is a “groovy” film added to the franchise and may leave you traumatized.  

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