Evil Dead Rise Review - IGN (2024)

Evil Dead Rise opens in theaters on April 21.

Writing and directing a sequel to a beloved horror franchise is no cakewalk, despite how easy Lee Cronin makes it look with Evil Dead Rise. His continuation of the iconic series about Deadites and boomsticks is as vicious as Fede Alvarez's stupendously malevolent 2013 remake/sequel, opens the door for future entries to explore the lore in exciting ways, and owns its place in the series as a standalone horror bombshell. Cronin's ability to make signature Evil Dead staples his own (like the whooshy "Demon Vision" camera zooms made famous by Raimi) makes Rise its own three-headed beast. It's aggressively scary, it's sickly hilarious, and it's a stone-cold killer.

Rise finds a comfortable middle ground between 2013's rip-your-heart-out Evil Dead and Sam Raimi's more humorous trilogy of sequels. Cronin's special effects team challenges the whole series’ nastiest mutilation scenes with gnarly practical effects as swallowed glass protrudes from bodies or elevators gush waves of blood. Rise somehow keeps up with Fede Alvarez's reported 70,000 gallons of blood used in 2013's Evil Dead while keying into a more heartfelt, yet still traumatic battle against Deadites that reclaims some of Raimi's comedy chops, and uses that dark humor to contrast the darkest plunges.

Alyssa Sutherland maniacally teases victims as single mother Ellie, our new patient zero Deadite. After her brilliant transformation into this hellish, screeching vessel of evil, she manipulates her motherly playtime voice as a sick trick to mock whatever flickers of her soul still exist. Sutherland spews a handful of funny-yet-freaky lines like "Mommy's with the maggots now!" that hit even harder when chased by a nightmarish rotten smile. She puts on a Deadite acting showcase by enduring squeam-inducing body horror while cackling madly around discarded corpses.

Sutherland puts on a Deadite acting showcase by enduring squeam-inducing body horror while cackling madly.

Rise isn't as comedy-forward as Evil Dead II, though, and the setup is genuinely unsettling. Cronin's newly introduced Necronomicon, which is latched by jagged teeth like a venus fly trap, unleashes the same merciless Deadite obscenities on Ellie's three children and her visiting sister Beth. Neighbors stuck on the same floor as Ellie's apartment add themselves as body count fodder to keep the slayings plentiful, but it's her family who withstands the most physical, psychological, and surreal attacks that gorily weaponize everything from cheese graters to sharpened staffs with baby doll heads crafted by littlest daughters ("Staffanie" will be a fan-favorite prop). Lily Sullivan plays Beth as a strong hero to Ellie's Deadite villain, and together with Morgan Davies as DJ-in-training Danny, Gabrielle Echols as free-spirited protestor Bridget, and Nell Fisher as teeny-tiny Kassie they endure trials with performances that bravely meet any moment: pure fear, familial loss, and wherever the story veers.

Cronin doesn't lose any of the ruthless Necronomicon action by leaving isolated woodland settings for a cluttered Los Angeles apartment complex. Much like how Scream VI uses New York City as a fresh metropolitan backdrop for familiar Ghostface assaults, Rise translates signature Deadite brutality to the claustrophobic confines of a boxy rental with just a few rooms. Instead of roads or bridges becoming unusable, the damaged building becomes a death trap of crumbled stairwells, broken elevators, and exposed wires that look like tree vines – that’s clearly a nod at a recognizable possession from Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Evil Dead (2013). Cronin's clever and precise about the ways he honors imagery from prior films without outright replication, as he dominates the challenge of problem-solving how the Necronomicon's demonic curse would wreak havoc in a more populated location.

An array of depraved Deadite extremes ensure no scene allows us to catch our breath.

As a standalone horror movie, Rise brings the thunder with an array of depraved Deadite extremes that ensure no scene allows us to catch our breath. When Ellie's inside her apartment, she's crawling out of vents with homage paid to the Hereditary wall scare or bounding around the apartment giddily trying to slaughter her loved ones. When she's locked outside, we watch through the front door's peephole as the possessed mamma dispatches floormates like she's out for a Tuesday stroll. Cronin keeps the pedal pressed hard as bodies eject all sorts of colored fluids or gallons upon gallons of blood pour from fresh wounds, all while Ellie does the Necronomicon's bidding with a joyful skip in her step. Rise hardly relents as the ferocity of unspeakable violence only becomes gorier and more graphic – and that's even before Cronin throttles into a third act that births a brand-new canon “final boss” that highlights the morbid imagination this franchise encourages.

16 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Evil Dead

When Rise stumbles it’s with minor storytelling choices, like introducing Beth as an expecting mother (Cronin borrows some moody motherhood tension from his first film, The Hole in the Ground) and religious symbolism that tees up this new Necronomicon. It's not that either aspect fails, but both feel underserved once the familiar Evil Deadiness kicks into gear and heads start rolling.

Those unserious dings aside, Rise delivers everything Evil Dead fans will want and more. Cronin tosses in plenty of Easter eggs on pizza boxes and tree-cutter vans parked in garages as tokens to those who worship Ash Williams, but does his best to veer Rise away from being "just another Evil Dead," with minimal hiccups. What you expect from an Evil Dead movie is delivered through chewed-up carnage, spit-out flesh chunks, and demonic excess that pushes the franchise forward with an attitude of reinvention for future decades of creative Evil Dead supremacy.

Verdict

Any way you slice this sticky-gooey-bloody charge into the next chapter of Evil Dead storytelling, it's a success. Evil Dead Rise is a fantastic blend of franchise adoration, fresh storytelling, and all-out horror entertainment. Lee Cronin delivers an Evil Dead film that's disgustingly slathered in gory bits and offers the fun-loving vibes. Whatever stumbles there are while developing newer Necronomicon lore or leaning into motherhood themes barely break its momentum, as performances hold strong through thick blood eruptions and thinner moments of storytelling (which are few and far between). Rise plays the hits, takes risks that pay off, and leaves us salivating for more — everything an Evil Dead sequel should.

Evil Dead Rise Review - IGN (2024)

FAQs

Is The Evil Dead reboot good? ›

Fede Álvarez's reboot of Evil Dead in 2013 boldly ditches comedy for pure, terrifying horror, earning praise for its bold new take. Jane Levy's portrayal of Mia in Evil Dead dives deep into addiction themes with outstanding performances and a fresh story that sets it apart.

Which Evil Dead is better? ›

While the original introduced the franchise to the world, Evil Dead 2 is the best Evil Dead movie. What really sets Evil Dead 2 apart from the other Evil Dead movies is the formation of Ash into the iconic horror hero that millions of fans know and love, cementing Bruce Campbell as a genre sensation along the way.

Does Evil Dead Rise have Jumpscares? ›

It is torture to watch Kassie slowly but surely believe that the demon is Ellie. It's a psychologically thrilling sequence mixed in with jump scares that keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Which is better, Evil Dead 2013 or Evil Dead Rise? ›

Personally, I'd argue that Evil Dead (13) is a “scarier” movie, but that Evil Dead Rise was a better movie. For the sake of brevity, I'll simply refer to the 2013 Evil Dead as Evil Dead, and if I refer to the original, I'll simply type “OG.”

Why was Evil Dead 4 cancelled? ›

Speaking to Collider at the time, Campbell opened up on how people's unfamiliarity with Starz at the time led to a drop in viewership and ultimately sealed the show's fate: “We knew the ratings were bad after the end of the second season. We just knew it. No one knew what Starz was.

Which movie has the scariest jumpscare? ›

30 Best Jump Scare Movies That Will Terrify You Every 30 Seconds (more or less) !
  1. The Conjuring. 20131h 52mR. 7.5 (565K) Rate. ...
  2. Dead Silence. 20071h 29mR. 6.1 (103K) Rate. ...
  3. Sinister. 20121h 50mR. ...
  4. Insidious: Chapter 2. 20131h 46mPG-13. ...
  5. Alone. 20071h 45m. ...
  6. REC. 20071h 18mR. ...
  7. The Strangers. 20081h 26mR. ...
  8. Shutter. 20041h 37mNot Rated.

Does Evil Dead Rise connect to Evil Dead? ›

While Evil Dead Rise is set in a new location – an almost derelict Los Angeles apartment building – away from the familiar cabin in the woods of the first two movies and 2013 reboot/sequel Evil Dead –, and features a cast of new characters, there are still lots of moments, and a very toothy book, that connect it to the ...

What horror movie has the least jump scares? ›

Scariest Horror Movie With No Jump Scares
  1. Psycho. 19601h 49mR. 8.5 (728K) Rate. ...
  2. Tumbbad. 20181h 44mNot Rated. 8.2 (61K) Rate. ...
  3. Rosemary's Baby. 19682h 17mR. 8.0 (239K) Rate. ...
  4. Misery. 19901h 47mR. 7.8 (240K) Rate. ...
  5. Halloween. 19781h 31mR. 7.7 (311K) Rate. ...
  6. The Innocents. 19611h 40mApproved. 7.7 (33K) Rate. ...
  7. Saw. 20041h 43mR. ...
  8. The Fly. 19861h 36mR.

Is the new Evil Dead Rise good? ›

Evil Dead Rise remains a downright depraved, groovily gory fifth entry in this horror series. Fresh score. Evil Dead Rise may lack some of the dark comedy of its predecessors, but the tankards of blood and intensity of its horror more than make up for it.

Is The Evil Dead remake scary? ›

Parents need to know that Evil Dead is a remake of Sam Raimi's classic early-'80s horror movie The Evil Dead. Like the original, it's filled with over-the-top gore, including spraying, dripping, and raining blood; stabbing; slicing; bashing; shooting (with both nail guns and regular guns)

Is The Evil Dead reboot canon? ›

However, due to legal reasons, aspects of Army of Darkness couldn't be mentioned in the series, though the cast and crew still consider the events of that movie part of the canon timeline. A remake titled Evil Dead was released in 2013, but it actually turned out to be a soft reboot that's also canon.

Is Ash in The Evil Dead reboot? ›

Created by Sam Raimi, he is portrayed by Bruce Campbell and is the only character to appear in each entry of the series, including a post-credits and audio cameo in the 2013 and 2023 soft reboot films, respectively.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Prof. Nancy Dach

Last Updated:

Views: 6156

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (57 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Prof. Nancy Dach

Birthday: 1993-08-23

Address: 569 Waelchi Ports, South Blainebury, LA 11589

Phone: +9958996486049

Job: Sales Manager

Hobby: Web surfing, Scuba diving, Mountaineering, Writing, Sailing, Dance, Blacksmithing

Introduction: My name is Prof. Nancy Dach, I am a lively, joyous, courageous, lovely, tender, charming, open person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.