Evil Dead Rise

EVIL DEAD RISE by Irish director/writer Lee Cronin is the latest example of so-called horror resurrection movies like the ‘Halloween’ or ‘Scream’ franchise. Not only is it the fifth instalment in the Evil Dead series (with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell on board as executive producers) but there is another connection linking this latest instalment with two previous Evil Dead films, namely the Book of the Dead.

When it comes to the obligatory splatter factor, little time is wasted as things kick off with a brief prelude taking place on a lakeside jetty. This opener comes full circle towards the end of the film… not wishing to give the gory details and the connection to the main plot away, I will say only this much: at the end of the film, watch out for a character called Jessica (Anna-Maree Thomas) and the beginning will become clear. Briefly bouncing back to the prelude: a female demon rises full length from the lake and above it the film’s title comes up (in blood red, naturally) - a truly brilliant and inspired opening!

Can the rest of the film live up to this? Bit by bit we find ourselves in true Raimi territory but with a Cronin twist. The film starts properly as we go back one day earlier (before the lakeside happening) to a badly lit apartment block in Los Angeles (actually filmed in New Zealand with a largely antipodean cast) marked for demolition. One of these Monde apartments is occupied by single mother Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) – a tattoo artist - and her three kids, that is teenagers Danny (Morgan Davies) who, by the looks of it, is an aspiring DJ, Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) and little Kassie (Nell Fisher). When Ellie’s younger and pregnant sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) comes to visit them, she is subjected to rude remarks by Ellie along the lines of being “a groupie slut” as a result of her job in the music biz. Beth is in fact a guitar technician and not a groupie.

To ease the overall tension and leave Ellie and Beth to a one-to-one conversation, Bridget suggests that she, Danny and Kassie step out to get a pizza for everyone. Just as the youngsters arrive back at the basement parking lot, the entire building is subjected to a sudden earthquake (a common occurrence in LA). Scared Kassie drops the pizzas but Danny’s eyes aren’t set on the pizzas scattered on the ground for he discovers a hole in the ground which the quake had ripped open. Curious like a cat and despite Bridget’s warnings, he climbs down the hole and to his astonishment finds a concealed chamber containing various seemingly religious artefacts – including three phonograph records from 1923 and a bizarre looking book sealed by what looks like long, curved and spiky teeth. Back in the apartment and attempting to open the book (oh, Danny should have listened to his sister and left the artefacts in the chamber) he attempts to open the book and promptly cuts his hand on its strange spring mechanism. The blood dripping from Danny’s hand brings the book to life one might say. Inside are the most horrendous illustrations depicting all kind of unspeakable horrors and depictions of demons and torture.

Bridget quickly realises that this must be an evil book from hell and damn right she is, because the book in question is a so-called Naturom Demonto or Book of the Dead. Overcome with increasing unease, Bridget once again urges her brother to return the artefacts to where he found them but will he leave it? No, of course not, although initially he pretends to do so. But later he sneaks out of the apartment and secretly retrieves the demonic book and the phonograph records, which he starts playing. Well, curiosity killed the cat and soon Danny learns the hard way that curiosity isn’t always a good thing… for example, when he plays the records and hears the voice of priest from over hundred years ago pronouncing a dreadful warning to anyone who may be unfortunate enough to come into touch with this evil book (the voice btw is none other than that of Bruce Campbell). With the cursed (so it would seem) voice continuing and despite Danny's attempts to lift the stylus - the fearful and all-powerful demon is unleashed (how on earth can you kill these demonic entities – is it even possible?) and the first to undergo a truly shocking transformation (in an elevator of all places) and become possessed (you’ll have to see it to believe it) is the unfortunate Ellie. Of course, this scene provides the cue and soon all hell breaks loose – quite literally! One by one, she will 'demonize' anyone who she comes into contact with, which puts the rest of her family into mortal danger. In case you are wondering why they simply don’t do a runner then the answer is they can’t: thanks to the earthquake, the staircases have collapsed, the elevators are out of order and so is the electricity. The battle for survival commences and quick-thinking Beth and the kids are going to have to put up one hell of a fight to keep this mother demon at bay – no easy feat seeing how this monstrous entity not only reads thoughts but is usually one step ahead.

The film is literally awash with blood and gore by the bucket full. As for estimable London-born Nell Fisher who plays Kassie (only 10 years old at the time of filming) we can only hope this schlock fest won’t give her too many nightmares. Cronin and team are to be congratulated for a worthy successor to Raimi's earlier entries. I can smell a sequel around the corner…

EVIL DEAD RISE will be available on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra-HD, DVD plus limited edition SteelBook. Bonus material includes: Exclusive audio commentary with director L. Cronin, plus his haunting 2013 short film GHOST TRAIN.