EVIL DEAD RISE (2023)
The Evil Dead series is an unusual set of films, unusual in the most complimentary sense. The first film was a horror movie with unintended humor throughout. The second film is a blatant horror comedy while the third completely leans into comedy, the horror elements merely window dressing. Each of these films are either brilliant or absurd or both. The television series ASH VS THE EVIL DEAD is a wonderful continuation of these films, arguably better than its predecessors. And it is precisely this strange space of horror, humor, and absurdity that the Evil Dead franchise inhabits that has endeared it to audiences.
EVIL DEAD is the fourth film in the series and is a reboot or off-shoot of sorts. It's an attempt at the idea that was perhaps originally what director Sam Raimi intended with the first film: an intense, grueling experience in terror. Serious, realistic, terrifying. Released in 2013, Evil Dead (#4) is a film I hold in high regard, right up there with the original trilogy, albeit for different reasons. In terms of gore and sheer intensity, few films of the last decade have rivaled its heights. Not every fan enjoyed this take on the franchise however, the lack of humor and Bruce Campbell being a point of contention. Although I love Evil Dead 4, I easily see this other point of view.
EVIL DEAD RISE obviously had big shoes to fill. And a curious choice to make. Between Evil Dead 4 and Evil Dead Rise we saw all three seasons of Ash Vs. The Evil Dead, which perfectly channeled the unique esthetics and tone of the original trilogy. But despite unanimous praise from critics and fans, it failed commercially, citing very poor ratings. So, which direction do you go with the series from here? The choice seems simple: the grim serious route of 2013. Evil Dead per Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell is something to which no other filmmaker except the originals can replicate. But that isn't to lessen what the 2013 film achieved either.
So, how does Evil Dead Rise measure up? Well, it can't be compared to Sam Raimi's and Bruce Campbell's Evil Dead quadrilogy. Those films stand in a realm all their own. But against Evil Dead 4 and its contemporaries of modern horror? I'll give the film the gore, but not much else.
THE SYNOPSIS
An earthquake in Los Angeles breaks the seal on a forgotten tomb below a dilapidated high rise. A curious boy unearths the fabled Necronomicon to the ruin of all. Demonic spirits flow free throughout the high rise and one family must fight to survive the horrors of the Evil Dead.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
The film starts fairly strong with a solid opening sequence set in a classic "cabin the woods" location. I particularly enjoyed a demonic recitation of a passage from Wuthering Heights. There's solid tension and horror in this first five minutes and then we hard shift from the Californian countryside to inner city Los Angeles and a high rise that looked all too similar to the Continental from John Wick. Immediately the tension of the first five minutes is defused and we start all over again. This "restart" isn't a bad thing at this point, but becomes endemic of my biggest hang-up with the film.
Evil Dead Rise has a momentum issue. It constantly builds to these scenes of tension and suspense only to defuse them moments later and lose all energy and drive. Normally this makes sense in a narrative as there will be breaks in the action from time to time. Yet, in most cases the tension remains and slowly ratchets up towards the climax. This film loses all tension after each horrific sequence and falls flat between set-pieces. Not only does this undercut the work of the previous scenes, but it also makes the film's pacing feel stuttered. This constant stopping and starting kept my pulse from really racing.
Part of this could be from a mostly nondescript film score. Horror films, unlike most other genres, either live or die depending on their soundtrack. All-time greats like JAWS and HALLOWEEN would be terrible movies if not for their incredible film scores. Evil Dead Rise has no such score to speak of. When the score finally does kick in it is right at the end, doing its best impression of Christopher Young's HELLRAISER (not a score evocative of the Evil Dead... well, maybe a little of Army of Darkness, maybe). Maybe it was the theater we were in, but the sound design in general just didn't stand out (which is ironic as two of our main characters where either into deejaying or tech crew members for a heavy metal band). Going back and watching the previous Evil Dead films, the sound design is always a key element.
There are other nitpicks I could go over, such as every member of our core family has some major quirk or extreme personality trait. Such characters work against "down to earth" personalities. When they're all quirky it just becomes obnoxious and grating. The actors themselves are fine, but the direction they're given results in a bizarrely subdued performances (as if they're trying so hard to be serious that they hold back on moments where they should arguably "swing for the fences."). The lead Deadite, Ellie (actress Alyssa Sutherland) looks absolutely terrifying though and really carries the tension in the film. And Lily Sullivan, our lead heroine, does well with what she's given, but I wish she would've "went for it" with her performance in spots.
The gore is top notch! Really the star of the film is the blood, guts, and splatter bathing this film. I've longed for such copious levels of red since, well, 2013's Evil Dead (which still stands above the rest in this regard). If I could caution a piece of advice though: don't watch any trailers for this movie, especially the red band trailers, which give away a lot. There is a homunculus creature towards the climax of the film that is impressive and a blood-soaked finale that mostly lands.
THE VERDICT
Damn, if I didn't want to like this movie more, but it failed to maintain momentum and tension, at least for me. It's strange as individual elements are strong, but edited together it didn't work as a whole. The gore was good and the actors, I feel, were capable of bringing it. But a lack of a noticeable film score and a juttering pace really hampered the experience. A strong and atmospheric score could've really maintained the suspense between set-pieces and carried the slower moments.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10 = Above Average
It was fine, but in dire need of a solid score. Still waiting on the great horror film of 2023 that makes me want to buy it the moment it comes out on blu-ray.
For more thoughts on Evil Dead and horror, check out these other posts below!
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