TheEvil Deadfranchise has had a wild history. The first movie was like Sam Raimi’s brainchild and he kept hammering away at it to seemingly get it right.The Evil Deadpremiered in 1981 followed byEvil Dead 2in 1987. That movie was both a sequel and a retelling of the first movie, making it a weird experience.
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In 1993,Army of Darknesswould release in North American theaters which also redid some canon lore. Sam Raimi was done directing the series at that point, but then things got rebooted ten years later withEvil Dead. That movie was reviewed well but it went nowhere. Now, after another decade, things are getting rebooted again withEvil Dead Rise.
There will be spoilers in this discussion to see what this latest reboot did better than the other four movies.
6A Strong Female Led Cast
Females have always had a strong presence in this franchise. They were relegated tothe bad guysafter they got possessed though and when they weren’t possessed, they were practically helpless.Evil Dead Risechanges that by giving power to females on both sides of the equation. There are males also present in the movie such as Danny, Ellie’s son, and a few neighbors.
Overall, it’s a strong cast of female characters though. That’s something the movie gets right overall: characters. It gives the audience just enough to be satisfied with everyone’s backstories without slowing things down to a crawl. Horror movies shouldn’t be two-plus-hour affairs. The best horror movies are short, clean, and concise likeEvil Dead Rise.
5Setting Up Connections
Thebest horror moviesknow how to foreshadow plot points well. It’s not that the other movies in this franchise were bad at it,Evil Dead Riseis just the best. There are so many small little details that get showcased later in the movie. Those not paying attention won’t be missing anything major but the keen-eyed fans will be rewarded. This goes for hunting for Easter Eggs too of which there are plenty.
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A great example is Kassie’s creepy little doll staff. Earlier in the movie, Kassie and Bridget get into a play fight with it. The staff breaks so that the end becomes pointed. Later, Kassie uses this staff to impale her sister right through the head. It’s one of the most brutal deaths in the movie which is saying something because the gore is plentiful inEvil Dead Rise.
4No One Is Safe—Not Even Kids
Bridget getting impaled is one example to showcase how little this movie cares about hurting kids. It is a refreshing change of pace to see a horror movie go this far. In most horror movies, kids are relatively safe. If they do die, it’s usually offscreen, or at most they can get injured. This year’scult horror surpriseMeganis a great example of that. Kids aren’t killed in that movie but they are maimed.
Evil Dead Risegoes all the way and lets audiences know pretty quickly that no one is safe. The only two survivors are Beth and Kassie and that may not even be the case. They could go on to get possessed in the sequel if it happens. How the curse spreads is never truly explored in the franchise. It’s not likea zombie bitein movies. Keeping things unpredictable is one of this movie’s best features.
3A New Type Of Escape Scenario
Pacing is one of the key things this movie gets right. It helps build suspense which is obviously important fora horror movie. Some may think it is slow for the first third, but when it ramps up, it ramps up quickly. This movie is also unique in that it is a new type of horror scenario from most other entries.
The first two movies find Ash and his fellow survivors trapped in the woods in a cabin with no way to escape. Beth and her nieces and nephew are also trapped, but on the top floor of an apartment building instead. The stairs and elevator are broken, so they are even more screwed than the characters in the past. It’s a real nightmare factory inEvil Dead Rise.
2The Design Of The Necronomicon
The Necronomicon changesbetween most entries in the franchise. The past iterations make it look silly and unrealistic. In Evil Dead Rise, it’s not that hard to imagine this book existing in real life. The tome is huge, filled with disturbing images, and the teeth that bind it together are completely horrifying.
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The addition of the records was something this reboot added to help explain what the Necronomicon was. There were past audio cues in the franchise but these records fit in well with a character’s backstory. Danny wants to become a DJ and get into the music industry in general like his aunt, Beth. Things, unfortunately, do not go well for Danny or his family upon discovering this monstrous book.
1The Excessive Gore
The gore is so over the top in this movie like the past iterations in the franchise. The effects, while good in the early films, look silly by today’s standards. The second and third movies were going for amore comedy horrorangle anyway, so it’s fine that those effects are goofier nowadays. There’s nothing silly about the effects inEvil Dead Risethough.
It can sometimes be hard to watch between limbs getting lobbed off, eyeballs flying into mouths, and someone eating glass. There are a lot of uncomfortable moments in the film, but it fits well for the horror genre. Again,Evil Dead Riseis not afraid to overstep boundaries with the gore and safety of its characters. It’s one wild, bloody red ride straight into hell.
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