Rent Evil Dead Rise (2023)

"Come get some." - Evil Dead Rise review by NP

I wondered if there was some kind of competition going on as we were being introduced to this film’s quota of stoned/horny young characters. “Hey, that’s culturally insensitive,” reprimands one, as her contemporaries attempt to beat their friends’ smart-arsed barbs with smart-arsed barbs of their own. A bunch more willed to be slaughtered by whatever evils Evil Dead Rise produces I have rarely met this side of a Wrong Turn sequel. Why do characters have to be so entirely horrible? Adolescents can be tricky company, but there’s no need to paint them all with the same broad strokes of dreadfulness. Imagine liking some of these characters – just imagine that – and actually caring whether they live or die. It doesn’t happen here (incidentally, there’s no ‘I got to go pee’ moment, but one girl warns us ‘I think I peed my pants’ just over 11 minutes in – so that’s one box ticked. The response? ‘Is it warm?’ Scintillating).

I’m giving the impression I don’t like this film. That’s not entirely true. The run-down apartment block is a good setting and well realised, and the acting is at least intense - but the characters are a real problem – and their lack of appeal isn’t restricted to the younger ones. The story and effects are alright; as a whole, the film does exactly what you’d expect it to, but not an iota more. Curiously, any humorous elements present in the original Evil Dead films are jettisoned here, which is an emission I’m not dissatisfied with – that is, if this version brought in some new elements to replace the dark grins. It doesn’t.

The original film was a notorious independent gore-fest that took years to produce and was a revolutionary horror production. In 2023, the latest reimagining is the same as most other mainstream genre offerings.

Perfunctory. My score is 4 out of 10.

More franchise milking - Evil Dead Rise review by JD

A new version of evil dead made for modern audiences, by modern film makers.

As you can imagine it has no relationship to the original at all. Apart from a book and some minor details in how the evil operates. Oh and there is a chainsaw in it.

As with many modern remakes affairs you get the feeling the writers and director never actually watched any evil dead or really cared for what it set out to do.

They have scanned over it, made some notes and then made there own film and dropped in the odd half hearted reference.

What you do get now however is something much better.

Your introduced to the evil and horror at the very start, so dont worry about boring tension building. There is also a mystery for you to solve. Which one is the daughter and which one is the son. That one had us stumped for most of the film.

and never fear, men are either bad in conversation (the main characters are a pair of who needs men go getters) or simply there as red shirts. Perfect.

And the gore is mostly just thrown in 'coz horror' Its copies scenes from far superior films, only in a way that makes it naff, pointless and out of context.

Id highly recommend you watch the series instead, its brilliant.

This, for all my sarcasm really only misses on 2 points. It doesnt have Bruce Campbell in it and it isnt directed by Sam Raimi. If it had those 2 things it might of been good.

Pretty Good Horror... - Evil Dead Rise review by TB

Pretty good horror (I'm not a fan of most), but I kinda feel it's not really an Evil Dead film (though it seemed better than the 2013 remake).

The same rules apply (albeit in a completely different setting), and has nice little nods to the originals (eyeball, chainsaw, & shotgun), but it lacks any humour or slapstick, or the Raimi directorial touch.

Still better than most horrors out there though... 3 1/2 stars.