Evil Dead Rise jives with Fede Alvarez's underrated, 2013 remake/sequel. As such, it doesn't feature Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams, though the actor and his Evil Dead co-creator, Sam Raimi (along with the reliable Ron Tapert) perform as co-producers.
Director/writer Lee (A Hole in the Ground) Cronin takes over the Lovecraftian reins and transports the mayhem to an antiquated, Los Angeles high-rise apartment, in the roundabout manner of Poltergeist III and Gremlins 2.
Evil Dead Rise also unfurls ferocious, mother-attacks action. The mom, Ellie, is played by Alyssa (Vikings) Sutherland, who presses the terror full throttle, perhaps making the location change more incidental than essential.
Ellie's sister, Lilly Sullivan's Beth, becomes the story's pregnant, surrogate Ash, backed by her nieces and nephew: Gabrielle Echol's Bridget, Nell Fisher's Kassie and Morgan Davies' Danny. They fall victim to the challenging, forbidden fruit that The Necronomicon (Book of the Dead) dangles, after Danny discovers it stashed in a secret chamber. From there, the expected, demonic activity ascends, with the family matriarch becoming the main, unwitting vessel of Deadite domination.
Sutherland's crazed performance is Oscar worthy. She doesn't merely mimic possessed characters from other movies, but makes the Deadite takeover her own twisted thing. Her shimmering eyes draw one in, but it's her grin (like that of Karen Black at the end of Trilogy of Terror) that defines it all.
Deadite Ellie gives the kids much to fear with her vicious verbalizations and quick, creepy grabs. Though one might think her assaults (and all the accompanying possessions and gory antics that follow) would cover the entirety of the high-rise, most of the action stays as confined and claustrophobic as that of any cloistered cabin (even though brave neighbors, Gabriel and Mr. Fonda, played by Jayden Daniels and Mark Michinson, do make an honest effort to venture beyond).
As with its prior chapters (even the lampoons), Evil Dead Rise acts as an allegory for against-the-odds survival. Most horror flicks, in particular, those of the cat-vs-mouse breed, follow this trail. Nancy must overcome Freddy's nightmares. Laurie must battle Michael to the death. Hippies must avert Leatherface's chainsaw and hooks. Canoeing sojourners must eschew rednecks who want them to squeal like pigs. Get the drift? The Evil Dead movies pound the formula into the ground, though who's complaining? Life is a matter of survival, which is why horror yarns like Evil Dead Rise resonate.
Evil Dead Rise might be but another chapter in a long, familiar franchise, but its ability to frighten, to drag one through a regurgitated Hell, is top drawer. More so, the movie presents a worthy warning: All may seem fine on the surface, but don't be fooled, for there's generally something bad brewing beneath any given surface, itching for that coveted chance to pull one down. Watch Evil Dead Rise and prepare!
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