Evil Dead Rise review: Fearless, spirited and a screaming five stars

The fifth movie instalment in the Evil Dead franchise has no right to be this good. After the 1981 to 1992 low-budget horror trilogy that launched the careers of Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell, there came a 2013 movie, directed by Fede Alvarez, which rebooted the 1981 original The Evil Dead.

That was followed by a three-season TV series, Ash vs Evil Dead, which ended in 2018, and even a proposed animated series. But how much more demonic possession do we need on screen?

Well, it turns out quite a bit, if Evil Dead Rise is anything to go by. Irish director Lee Cronin (who made 2019’s The Hole in the Ground) has written and directed a film entirely in keeping with the terrifying spirit of the Raimi originals. Insane, gory and catch-your-breath intense, it’s a full-throttle horror experience the likes of which have not been seen on screen in years. You won’t know what’s hit you, until you come out the other side, relieved you’re still alive.

More a continuation than a direct sequel, the film begins in familiar territory. The very first shot is a deliberate nod to the "shaky-cam" that Raimi pioneered, when two crew members ran through the woods with a camera strapped to a plank of wood, emulating the film’s fast-breaking demonic presence. This time, it’s not a demon but a drone flying through the air towards a tranquil rural lake — a clever sight gag that fans of the original will surely find amusing.

Here, a group of teenagers are holidaying in a cabin in the woods — which might sound all too familiar for anyone who has seen an Evil Dead movie. But the horror that soon ensues is just the pre-credits warm-up. Cronin’s idea is to take audiences to the urban jungle that is Los Angeles, the first time an Evil Dead movie has been set in the city. The recent Scream VI did the same (moving from Woodsboro to New York City), but barely utilised its refreshed setting. Cronin, however, takes full advantage.

The story follows single mother-of-three Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), who lives in a soon-to-be-condemned tenement building with teenagers Danny (Morgan Davies) and Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) and the younger Kassie (Nell Fisher). On the night in question, Ellie’s younger sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) arrives unannounced, after a couple of months on the road. Unreliable (“I screwed up again, like I always do,” she sighs), Beth hasn’t been returning her sister’s calls following the latter’s painful break-up.

Then comes the intriguing bit. The children head off to get pizza for the family, but as they return, an earthquake strikes the area. In the basement, a huge crack appears, exposing an old bank vault. Inside are some dusty old records and — believe it or not — the Book of the Dead, the ancient occult tome that first appeared in The Evil Dead filled with demon-summoning incantations.

After Danny unwisely opens the book, he pricks his finger on its teeth-like lock and blood soaks into its pages. At this point chaos unleashes, as Ellie gets possessed, turning into the mother demon from hell. With the family all trapped in the apartment — the lifts aren’t working due to the earthquake — it becomes a battle of wills, as Beth must try and protect her nephew and nieces from their own mother. There are neighbours to help, but this is one very persistent evil spirit.

Utilising some brilliant practical special effects and make-up, as well as a gutsy performance from Sutherland, Cronin fully understands what makes an Evil Dead movie purr. Gallons of blood meets savage black humour — certainly judging by one scene in the apartment block corridor that involves the ingesting of an eyeball. Other moments will make you squirm in your seat (flesh being ground by a cheese grater anyone?). As for the chainsaw-wielding finale, with a nod to Brian Yuzna’s 1989 body horror Society, it truly defies belief. One of the truly great horrors in recent memory.

Evil Dead Rise will be out in UAE cinemas on Thursday