After many years, the mastermind behind the Evil Dead franchise, Sam Raimi, produced a fourth film in the iconic horror franchise. Up and coming director, Fede Alvarez helmed the reboot/sequel in 2013. The 2013 entry was a smash hit both financially and critically. Alvarez paid homage to the franchise legacy while bringing a modern tone to the old demonic tale. An immediate follow up was in the works, but actress Jane Levy declined to return due to emotional and physical trauma she suffered during her shoot. Raimi brought back the iconic Bruce Campbell to reprise his role of the legendary Ash Williams. This time the duo that started it all decided to take the franchise into television format. Together with the Starz network, Ash vs Evil Dead gave fans old and new a tremendous three season send off for the Horror Nation’s favorite chainsaw wielding anti-hero. Much like the impossible to kill Deadites, the franchise has come back again with a new feature film, Evil Dead Rise. Raimi and Campbell hand the helm to Irish writer/director Lee Cronin for the latest installment, which has abandoned the cabin in the woods setting for a big city high rise. Can Cronin maintain the high level of gory gold the fanatical fan base expects, or have we finally seen the first slice of decline for a franchise that has thrived for four decades?
After finding out she is pregnant, Beth (Lili Sullivan), hurries to her sister Ellie’s home. Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) is a tad standoffish toward her world traveling sister as she has attempted to contact her for months regarding her family’s recent emotional and economical trauma. Ellie’s children, Danny, Bridget, and Kassie are excited to see their “cool” aunt. They go out for pizza to celebrate her return. An earthquake strikes the area, creating a crack in the parking garage which is supposed to be torn down in a month. Danny discovers an ancient book along with vinyl recordings inside the hidden vault that lays beneath the crack. Against his sister’s wishes, Danny plays the recording and unleashes the demons that have laid dormant for a century. Ellie becomes the first host of the dead. Evil Ellie attacks her family and neighbors with reckless abandon in an attempt to bring more demons into the fold. Beth attempts to save her family while unraveling the mysterious series of demonic events.
While Fede Alvarez deserves much of the credit for the 2013 entry, Lee Cronin must take most of the blame for this entry’s stale story. Evil Dead Rise is a feeble attempt to carry the franchise into the future. All of the hallmarks of the series are there. Very good practical effects, some great looking Deadites, and several uncomfortable self-mutilation scenes. The younger cast along with Sutherland put in good shifts, however, Sullivan’s performance as a new demon slayer is stale. The film, like the 2013 film along with the television series was filmed in the Oceania region. From the opening scene and throughout the film, Aussie and Kiwi accents slip through several scenes. The film is set in Los Angeles, and nothing is alluded to that the characters are from the pacific. This is unacceptable for a film rolling on a 19-million-dollar budget. Though there are a few good attack scenes, they are few and far between. The plot lags entirely too long with the written script not giving any character too much to play with in order to make the audience connect with them. This is replaced by the ultra-lazy empathy card of having children under attack. The horror is exemplified by the innocent age of the characters under duress, which sacrifices any prolonged development for the lead. A sub-par Evil Dead film is still better than the vast majority of big budget releases, which has been exemplified by the massive opening weekend numbers, but the film should have been titled, Evil Dead Sinks, because every element of this entry takes the high standard of the franchise down a few notches.
Scream Score: 6.9/10