Evil Dead
What can I say…I’m a fan of the series and have been going back decades, to the original Sam Raimi / Bruce Campbell entries and all the bloody wackiness that they unleashed with the micro-budgeted, straight-up horror The Evil Dead (1981), the bloody and Loony Tunes adjacent Evil Dead 2, and finally the odd horror fantasy / screw-ball comedy hybrid Army of Darkness (1993), of which I have a specific fond memory of hitting up for the One Show Only midnight screening of here in the small West Coast town I reside in, while back in high school. Every geek / nerd in town showed up and it’s still one of the most fun and interactive movie experiences I’ve ever had.
By that time, however, Raimi and Campbell’s career trajectories were changing, with both men striking out to try material not based on ancient books of evil, demonic possession, gross body horror, and blood-soaked slap stick-like comedy gags. Years later and after much personal success, they would eventually both return to rekindle the disgusting hilariousness of old, with 3 successful seasons of the Ash VS Evil Dead (2015) series, with Campbell sliding back into the brawny dimwit role of ‘Ash Williams’, the role that granted him his career and renowned standing in Hollywood, and it was largely a success based on their return to form.
But sadly, as of the time of this writing, Campbell has revealed a terminal cancer diagnosis that is estimated to give him maybe 5 more years on this mortal plain and that has effectively (and understandably) derailed any further plans for any further blood-soaked adventures as ‘Ash’ and his epic battles against the nasty legions of Deadites born of the Necronomican Ex Mortis’ blood-inked, human-skin bound pages.
But that is not to say that Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi have fully turned their backs on the series that gave them the careers that they have long cultivated and enjoyed…just that they’re in a position to grant control of the series tone and direction to other, more enthusiastic filmmakers, with them quietly overseeing control from the Producer side of things.
Which then brings us to Evil Dead, the Fede Alvarez-helmed ‘reboot’ in 2013, produced by both Raimi and Campbell but notably missing our boy ‘Ash’ in the lead. Alvarez opted to take the ED series back to its roots, so to speak, purging almost all semblance of levity and replacing it with unrelenting gore and horror…which I think worked out rather beautifully, and successfully made the Deadite antagonists a frightening force to behold all over again. It worked, and the flick went on to land a very respectable $97 million at the Box Office, on a modest production budget of $17 million. Those kind of financial numbers almost always guarantee some kind of follow-up and this franchise was no different…which brings us to Evil Dead Rise.
I’d heard some decent scuttlebutt about Rise when it hit theatres but, as is the way these days, I missed it when it graced our tiny town theatre. I was curious, but distracted. And the world continued on. An off-the-cuff remark from a good buddy (about a techno track, of all things) reminded me that there were gaps in my Evil Dead viewing filmography, so onto the Interwebz I went and scored a Blu-ray copy in rather short order.
Evil Dead Rise moves the ancient evil and demonic possession narrative out of the backwoods and into the city this time around, having no real narrative connection to the 2013 reboot, aside from the aesthetic and tone. Focusing on a new menu of characters after a gnarly, tone-setting intro scene, we meet guitar tech ‘Beth’ (Lily Sullivan) who is reeling from a surprise pregnancy reveal. She turns to her estranged sister ‘Ellie’ (Alyssa Sutherland) for help. However, ‘Ellie’ and her 3 kids – ‘Kassie’ (Nell Fisher), ‘Danny’ (Morgan Davies) and ‘Bridget’ (Gabrielle Echols) are dealing with their own troubles, as her husband has recently left the family and their somewhat delapitated L.A. apartment, which becomes our primary setting. After a strong earthquake rocks the area, the older, sparsely-populated building is damaged, trapping them all inside. While poking around, the two younger kids stumble upon an old vault containing a strange book and some vintage vinyl, which grabs wannabe-DJ ‘Danny’s attention. He makes the mistake of playing them and the dark power of the Deadites is released onto all residents in the vicinity. And then, in true Evil Dead fashion, the shit hits the fan, in the most satisfyingly gory ways.
It was another lazy Sunday afternoon and the timing felt right for some serious cinematic blood-letting, so I brewed up a fresh cup of Joe, took a pull from the joint left over from the night before, and tossed the newly acquired disk in.
Out came the pad and paper, and we were good to go.
Hits PLAY
Maniacal, possessed scribbles were unleashed…
-Classic ‘Deadite’ POV shot…and fake out. Swooping through the woods (and the opening credits), we open on what feels like a gyro-stabilized rendition of that defining first-person view of a Deadite flying through the foliage in search of a host / victim…which it actually turns out to be…in a way.
*cough cough…drone…cough*
-Good first scene. Definitely setting a grim tone. Just a bit of scalping, facial mutilation, and decapitation…it’s all good.
-Slick cinematography. In sharp contrast to the gritty, warts and all film aesthetic of the 1981 original, writer / director Lee Cronin gives this one a slick, polished sheen that does not take away from the grit and decay of both the setting and the circumstances.
-Vinyl! I approve. As a former DJ and current vinyl record enthusiast, I always appreciate seeing vinyl turn up onscreen, made all the better by a young character who’s esoteric appreciation for the wax is a defining trait.
-Many a brutal weapon being set up. This cinematic tactic is noticeable but not obnoxiously overt…and not presented in a bad way. More of an ‘oh, shit…how’s THAT going to fuck someone up?!’ way.
-Score effective. Reminds of Christopher Young or Howard Shore. If you know the works of these two accomplished film composers…then you know. The tonally-perfect music here came from a composer I’m unfamiliar with named Stephen McKeon, but will certainly note for future scores.
-Good casting. Adult siblings. This was directly related to a two-shot of ‘Beth’ and ‘Ellie’ in discussion where the resemblance between Sutherland and Sullivan was rather uncanny and I had to note it.
-Do ya think that mulcher might come in handy later?! More potential set-up for ‘gruesome’.
-Kid + hole = moron. Dark, eerie hole cracked open in basement of earthquake-damaged building…let’s climb in!
-OK. New design for the Necro. Cool update. Different…but sweet and unsettling in its own way.
-“Weird shit like this gets locked away for a reason!” You said it, kid…you said it. It’s amusing when characters spout out the thoughts the audience is thinking.
-Cool record use. Vinyl is creepy, yo! As mentioned…former DJ. Also, I’ve always loved it when mysterious records from Days Gone By get used to further a horror movie’s plot.
-Oh damn! Elevator. Several elevator related hi-jinks ensue.
-Mother of the Year. Alyssa Sutherland does a kick-ass job as the evil-as-fuck possessed incarnation of ‘Ellie’ and her near otherworldly look serves the role well…well enough to grace the movie’s creepy poster. And she’s also a nasty violent bitch to her kids.
-Of course there’s twisted, weird body horror! And how can there NOT be, in an Evil Dead flick. A statement of truth.
-Eye see you! ED 2 homage! An eyeball is chomped out of a still-living head and spat across a room, straight for the open maw of a screaming character, much like the grossly hilarious flying Deadite eye from Evil Dead 2 that redneck babe ‘Bobby Joe’ gets a taste of.
-Woah! Not even the kids are safe in this one! This one wears it’s hard R rating proudly, and enthusiastically adds the unflinching murder and gruesome possession of children into the mix. Rise has teeth! Fun for the whole family!
-Stupid fuckin kid! Clearly possessed and fucked up parental unit lurking and taunting outside locked door. Kid unlocks door. *facepalm
-Agh! Cheese grater!! Not spoiling the surprise…but fuck me, THAT would hurt!
-Great ‘Deadite’ performances. Every actor whose character is doomed to a self-mutilating demonic possession scene commits, each bringing their own version of creepy and / or nasty to the role.
-Good ole double barrel. Though I’ll bet they didn’t score this shotgun at S-mart. “Shop smart…shop S-mart.”
-“Dead by dawn!” There it is. One of the franchises key quotes is unleashed.
–Nod to The Shining? Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 classic prominently features an elevator that unleashes an ocean of blood. Just saying.
–Shades of The Thing? John Carpenter’s 1982 classic prominently features a grotesque creature combined from multiple human bodies. Just saying.
-Sweet! I like! There it is.
When it’s all said and done, I really enjoyed this most decidedly dark and mean-spirited addition to this ongoing franchise, and that has me genuinely curious about the most recent installment that just recently hit theatres, that I’ve yet to catch up with. Note to self – acquire soon. The cast here was all in for the viewer-friendly 1 hour 37 minute run-time, dedicating equal effort to both the human and Deadite versions of their beleaguered characters as they navigate the perils of these violent and sadistic scenarios they encounter as they try to understand and survive with their souls and sanity intact. As to be expected by now, the gore effects were off the charts, bring loads of torn flesh, thrown bodies, and splashing blood in regular intervals. Rumour has it that something ridiculous like 1600 gallons of fake blood was used onset and holy shit…you can believe it. Many kills are entertainingly cringe-inducing, with some inventiveness behind them, further complimenting that which came before.
If I had to dredge up a Negative, the only real element springing to mind would be how Cronin’s script occasionally has characters do conveniently dumb shit just to progress the plot…but then some gnarly splattering of the red breaks out onscreen…and I happily let it go.
Beyond that, to put it simply, if you’re a fan of the previous Evil Dead installments, appreciate a good demonic thriller, or are simply a sick-ass gore-hound, then I firmly believe that you’ll be well-served by the terrors of these Deadites, as they definitely bring the pain and torment, and the series is all the better for it.
“Dead by dawn!…Dead by dawn!”
