Evil Dead Rise is the fifth installment in the Evil Dead franchise. Gone is the infamous cabin in the woods as Evil Dead Rise follows a family in Los Angeles as they fight to survive the demons from hell. Evil Dead Rise has been one of my more anticipated movies of 2023 and when the trailer dropped, I was all in. If you listen to our podcast, you might remember that Aaryn and I did watch-a-longs for the first two Evil Dead‘s, so this was high on my watchlist. It blew my expectations out of the water.
This movie is definitely the scariest of 2023 so far. Yes, there are loud audio cues, but there are some truly terrifying visuals scattered all throughout the film. The Deadite makeup was so stinking good, I know it’ll live rent-free in my nightmares. I liked the move from the woods to an LA apartment for the story. There is something really scary about being in a populated area and being attacked by the Deadites knowing no one can help. The apartment complex was a great backdrop for the story, making elevators and parking garages even scarier than they are in real life.
The performances were all around good, but Alyssa Sutherland was absolutely terrifying as our main antagonist. Her body twitches and line delivery once she becomes possessed had me sitting with my hat covering my eyes. The scenes where the characters look out the peephole from the trailer were enough to sell me on her performance and when they’re fleshed out in the movie they’re even better. Lily Sullivan, our Ash Williams stand-in, is a kick-ass protagonist. She matches Sutherland’s energy, and it shows.
The Evil Dead movies have always been chock-full of blood and gore. Evil Dead Rise is no different. The action and gore are still epic while never feeling excessive and the blood is aplenty. I am truly curious how much fake blood all five Evil Dead movies used. I found it interesting that the story would focus on a family instead a group of college-age adults like the others. In those movies, the characters can be possessed and killed off interchangeably. When it happens to a family, I was curious how the action would play out. Luckily, it worked really well.
It’s easy to compare this movie to any of its predecessors and I think it holds up well. The original is iconic, but the original sequels became campier and more comedic than horrifying. The 2013 remake/sequel goes back to its horror roots but feels like a modern retelling of the original. Evil Dead Rise stands out as having both gore and a unique story, meshing the two very well. It takes what worked with the other movies and blends it well here. I feel like I’m struggling to even put into words how much I liked this movie.
Final Thoughts
Evil Dead Rise is already one of the best horror movies of 2023. It is truly scary to watch, and I constantly found myself jumping from the action. The gore is incredible, its bloody all to hell, and there really is no relief from it. These movies aren’t for everyone, but if you’re a fan of horror, make this a priority watch.
