“Evil Dead Rise” (2023) is the fifth feature in the “Evil Dead” franchise, which currently consists of six movies, four graphic novels, a ton of comics, a television series and a partridge in a pear tree. It expanded a proof-of-concept short film “Within the Woods” (1978). It is the second film without Sam Raimi at the helm or Bruce Campbell as one of the main characters. There is a strong argument that it may be the best in the bunch, but that distinction belongs to the movie that started it all, “The Evil Dead” (1981), so let’s put it in second place before watching “Evil Dead Burn” (2026). Mom and tattoo artist Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), her sister and the movie’s protagonist, touring guitar tech Beth (Lily Sullivan, who resembles Eva Green and in the denouement, feels as if she could helm a remake of “Resident Evil” as Alice), and Ellie’s three children, social justice warrior Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), aspiring DJ Danny (Morgan Davies), and youngest child and doll head cutter extraordinaire Kassie (Nell Fisher), and everyone else in a LA apartment building are dealing with the fallout after one of them discovers the Book of the Dead and a record that plays the chant unleashes a demonic force who wants to eat all of their souls and starts with Ellie. Does Bridget have what it takes to be a good mother and protect the kids? Writer and director Lee Cronin understood the assignment and nailed it. Come get some.
“Evil Dead Rise” leaves the woods behind and heads to the city. It centers a family in a building instead of a group of friends or couples in a cabin though Cronin starts with a cabin in the day in a brutal, merciless sequence that feels like a demonic spin on “Friday the 13th” (1980). While Cronin does not offer a lot of details about the family, they still feel real thanks to the ensemble cast, which has plenty of chemistry and act as if they have known each other for a lifetime. The family appears to be unconventional, but tight knit and easy to root for. When the proverbial crap hits the fan, only Bridget has any survival skills and see how well that works out for her.
Their neighbors offer enough red shirt supply that Cronin can show the evil force’s indomitable nature without slowing the pace or decreasing the interest in having someone to root for, but they are also easy to sympathize with as fundamentally decent and knowable people without giving a lot of exposition. Gabriel (Jayden Daniels) is a kind, hot, young neighbor who busts out in prayer at the first sign of weirdness. Mr. Fonda (Mark Mitchinson, who also plays the voice on the record) is the oldest neighbor, and he has an orange cat who lives, but unintentionally puts the family in danger. Jake (Billy Reynolds-McCarthy) and Scott (Tai Wano) are the kids next door, but instead of asking if people want to play, they invite people to “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie marathons, which is frankly better. Fun fact: Cronin is going to work on a reboot of that franchise, which seems unnecessary, but there you have it.
Sutherland is the MVP of “Evil Dead Rise,” and the greatest Deadite of all time. Cronin is brilliant for making the mom into the first victim because duh. It is every child and single mom’s worst nightmare that the mom will die before the children are adults. It is also particularly pernicious to have that person say the vilest things to you and try to kill them. Basically, it is revenge for the opening sequence, and the horror portions inside the apartment feel like a reprise of the kids bothering their mom They also showed that no rape was needed for the possession scene, and the result could still be devastating. Sutherland would fit in well if she decided to join the “Smile” franchise, and as the focal point of evil, she is essentially the main character for most of the movie. Ellie may be the best possessed person in recent history, and the peephole hallway scene is worth the price of admission. It is a merciless gauntlet of mayhem. Even kids can kick the bucket. If they ever decide to make a second gender bended Joker, Sutherland can just send in clips from this movie.
It is also one of the first times that an “Evil Dead” movie elaborates on the mythology and makes the prior movies seem more cohesive. This book wants to be found, and the building’s history holds some promise if anyone is interested in making a prequel. It also implies that “Evil Dead” (2013) is not a remake, but a sequel, which is not obvious while watching it; however fun facts about the filmmakers’ process validate this theory. Like the 2013 movie, “Evil Dead Rise” embeds it into the usual Christian trying to battle evil without diluting its Lovecraftian nature. While the 2013 movie had better production values than Raimi’s now dated special effects, production values without story does nothing for audiences. Here the story and production quality are on point, which makes it an excellent horror movie, but more importantly, Cronin understood Raimi’s editing style, which usually underscored humor, adapted it to his own purpose thus making it work in an entirely different tonal setting. In addition, Cronin gives the faithful fans buckets of blood, people drenched in it, chainsaws, shotguns, and bodily fluids while bringing back some of the memorable lines without seeming as if he is simply imitating the greats without understanding them. It is a perfect sequel in spirit because Cronin keeps the proceedings grim and unremitting.
Maybe Cronin was taking a page from the “Rec” franchise because a lot of the horror relies on being trapped in an apartment building. There is also a bit of a homage to “Earthquake” (1974), which is better than a lot of survival disaster movies. The carnage is all Cronin though, and I have a strong stomach, but one scene set in a kitchen had me screaming at my television screen. For a horror film to be effective at home in broad daylight on a small screen, it must be magnificent. I cannot imagine the terror if I saw it in the theater. Cronin is Irish, and there is a bit of a banshee scream. There are a couple of homages to “The Shining” (1980), one with a nod to “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972). He uses ghost and zombie imagery to amplify the Deadite scares without feeling derivative. It also feels as if Cronin wondered what it would be like to mash up “Fargo” (2014) with “Aliens” (1986).
Ultimately, “Evil Dead Rises” is a pro-family, not just a pro-motherhood, movie. The real test is whether Beth will be there for her entire family, not just focus on herself. Also, because the family is so unconventional, androgynous and countercultural, it is likely that she will not have to change as much as other mothers. The one who gets a brutal end is the sex shamer. Cronin proved that he did not suffer from a sophomore slump, but his third movie, “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” (2026) proved that lightning did not quite strike twice. I need to check out “The Hole in the Ground” (2019).
