Evil Dead Rise (2023)

*Get a physical copy of "Evil Dead Rise" on Amazon here*
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*Get a physical copy of "Evil Dead" (2013) on Amazon here*

The "Evil Dead" franchise continues with this gory prequel, showing how things began and how we eventually ended up out in a cabin in the woods.

Semi-estranged sisters, pregnant Beth (Lily Sullivan) and mom Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), are reunited in Los Angeles on the same night that an earthquake shakes Ellie's gorgeous but dilapidated high rise apartment building that is due to be torn down. Ellie's kids- climate warrior Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), aspiring DJ Danny (Morgan Davies, and young Kassie (Nell Fisher) discover an abandoned bank vault in the basement of the building, and Danny unwisely grabs some old vinyl and a strange book from the now unsealed vault. Danny plays the recordings, the book does some odd things on its own, and literally all Hell breaks loose.

From the opening attack, and a very memorable title sequence, writer/director Lee Cronin starts things off with a bang and never lets up. There is no exposition, no "let me get this straight..." dialogue, the broken family and the audience are thrown into the melee and left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, this is sometimes a detriment, as Cronin can't keep all the plates spinning at once. A couple of scenes suck all the tension out of the film, and it takes a little while to pull the viewer back in. This is a modern horror film, so stupid decisions and predictable plot points abound. The cast, unfamiliar to me, is top notch. Sullivan and Sutherland stand out, and are bolstered by a capable supporting cast. Stephen McKeon's musical score is a triumph, and Cronin doesn't feel the need to resort to jump scares. The art direction and set decoration were Oscar nomination-worthy. This was shot in New Zealand, which gives the film a nice, off-kilter feel.

It was nice to watch a franchise film where I didn't have to "do homework" by viewing hours of preceding films and television episodes to get caught up. The positives barely outweigh the negatives, and I am warning anyone who might want to watch this- "Evil Dead Rise" is one of the goriest mainstream films I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot.

Stats:
(2023) 96 min. (* * *) out of five stars
-Written and Directed by Lee Cronin
-Cast: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, Nell Fisher, Jayden Daniels, Mark Mitchinson, Mirabai Pease, Richard Crouchley, Anne-Maree Thomas, Noah Paul, Tai Wano, Bruce Campbell
(R)- Very strong physical violence, strong gun violence, very strong violence involving children, extreme gore, profanity, some sexual references, very strong adult situations, tobacco use