Evil Dead is a powerhouse of a franchise when it comes to horror and last night proved that to me. It’s been ten years since the previous Evil Dead movie which came from Fede Alvarez in 2013. In my opinion, it is a very well-made movie and one I consider great when it comes to horror. Of course, with such a long wait between Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise (2023) the excitement was going to be electrifying. The hype was visible, as the lines to get into The Paramount were wrapped around the building.

Evil Dead Rise Is Everything You Wanted and More

Evil Dead Rise is definitely the movie I wanted as it delivered not only the horror, but everything we love from the Evil Dead franchise. The story takes us out of the woods and into the concrete jungle of a high-rise apartment where we meet our family that’s about to be tortured by deadites. The movie really does wonders with its one location and even gives you a claustrophobic feeling throughout. The film feels like cross between Raimi’s Evil Dead and Alvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead with scares and laughs mixed throughout.

The story differs from the other Evil Dead movies where instead of a group of friends at a remote cabin, you now have a family in an apartment building. I enjoyed the fact that we were moving away from the woods as I felt the story there got too repetitive and just like with Scream 6, new settings are always great. We also get a little bit more backstory when it comes to the book of the dead which gets me excited for the future. The film does a good job at setting up the characters and the relationships with one another so when things start going, they hit harder.

Outstanding Performances from Lilly Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland

Performances here are outstanding, especially from the two leading ladies Lilly Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland who plays the lead deadite. During the Q&A, Alyssa talked about their process of bringing this character to life which included looking at contemporary dancing. Her movements are slow and meticulous giving you more chills as you watch her character squirm around the apartment. The rest of the ensemble outside of the protagonists were great as well and provided some of the more memorable moments in the film. Lilly also gives some very iconic deliveries and will surely become a new fan favorite in the horror world.

Lee Cronin also delivers some amazing shots and camera work that feel inspired by Raimi’s Evil Dead movies. Cronin also gives his own spin on setting up the atmosphere for the film. It will be exciting to see what Cronin has cooked up next if he were to do another Evil Dead. The scares are here and there are genuinely terrifying and upsetting moments in this film. It also continues with some of the more wacky and comedic bits that Evil Dead is known for without taking away from the horror. The run time is also perfect at about an hour and 30 minutes meaning you’re dropped right into the action and it never stops.

All in all, the film is great and exactly what I wanted this movie to be. Evil Dead Rise continues the legacy of its predecessors but also carves out its own path for future installments. The film shines and dare I say rises with riveting performances, great scares, haunting atmosphere, and just enough callbacks to the originals. We can’t wait to see it again and give Evil Dead Rises 4.5/5