I liked this movie so much more than the 2013 Evil Dead reboot. I had so much fun watching this that I am 100 percent going to catch it again in the theatre before its run is over. The trailers made this look great, but this is a movie that actually saved all the good stuff for the actual movie!
How to Download Evil Dead Rise
You can expect to be able to download this movie from HBO Max. It should become available for streaming 45 days after its release date (April 21, 2023). Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the current availability.
The Movie Review
While Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have producer credits here, Evil Dead Rise is directed by Lee Cronin and he did a wonderful job. He puts his own stamp on this movie, but there were many moments that looked just like something Sam Raimi would have done. So much so that if I had not known this was directed by Raimi and someone told me it was, I would have believed it.
If you have seen the trailer, you know what the deal with Evil Dead Rise is. We have Beth who is visiting her estranged sister Ellie and her kids, Danny, Bridget, and Kassie. Beth is like the cool aunt and a real badass and she is a fantastic “hero” in this movie and you really do pull for her.
The three kids are fantastic, seriously, this is some of the best acting I have seen from kids in a horror movie. It kind of reminds me of the way that Blumhouse does things with child actors in their movies. It had to be a pretty terrifying movie to make as some of the scenes were pretty damn brutal.
Then we have Ellie. Ellie is played by Alyssa Sutherland and she is the one that ends up possessed and causing all of the chaos. I know that the movie is fresh in my mind as I write this, but Ellie may be one of my all-time favorite demons/possessed people in a movie ever.
The setting of the apartment building is really cool and something I did wonder about before I saw it as it is not your typical Evil Dead setting. However, it worked and made for some really tense and more tighter-spaced trouble which helped keep the tension super high the whole time.
Beth is trying her best to keep the kids safe and away from this demon all the while wondering what is really going on. No spoilers here, but there were a few twists and surprises that I did not see coming and the whole movie had me on the edge of my seat, just having such a great time.
I want to go back to Ellie as she is really what drives this movie. She is so evil, dangerous, vile, and kind of playful about it. While I think the whole cast does a great job and Beth is the hero. I do feel that if I had to say who is the main character that makes this movie, it is possessed Ellie hands down!
When I saw the first trailer for Evil Dead Rise, I was sure it would be a movie that I liked. It ended up being a movie that I loved and while I love the goofy nature of Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, I also think this new horror Evil Dead series is great. It is just such a fun horror thrill ride that I cannot wait to jump on board and get creeped out again!
