Evil Dead Rise had its world premiere March 15 at SXSW. It is written and directed by Lee Cronin, the film stars Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, and Nell Fisher.

Synopsis

The film follows two sisters, Ellie (Sutherland) and Beth (Sullivan). Beth is a guitar technician and Ellie is a tattoo artist and mother of three. Following a gap of contact with one another, Beth discovers she’s pregnant, leading her to visit Ellie and her kids. While she’s there, it becomes clear that Beth missed a lot, including Ellie’s separation from her children’s father.

After becoming reacquainted, Ellie sends her kids Danny, Bridget, and Kassie off to buy some pizza. Once they return, the apartment is rocked by an earthquake, unveiling a hidden underground area. Despite Bridget’s protests, Danny explores the underground tomb, picking up some records and the cursed book, the Necronomicon. Once they return to their apartment, Danny does not hesitate to play the records, which unknowingly unleashes the book’s evil.

Overall

Following is a film filled with tons of blood and gore. I’ve never attended a film that induced the types of reactions that I heard with this film, so I would definitely recommend watching this with a crowd. The film sets everything up quickly and does not stop once it starts. Although the relationships were set up rather quicky, Ellie, Beth, and the kids felt like a real family. Sutherland as Ellie transformed into the creepiest character, and you could tell how much physicality she brought to the role. Likewise, Sullivan’s role as Beth involved a lot of physicality, and she brought a lot of intense emotion to her new role as protector.

Overall, the film is unrelenting, absurd, and a whole lot of fun. I give Evil Dead Rise a 4/5.

Are you excited to watch Evil Dead Rise?

Evil Dead Rise releases April 21.