The opening seven minutes of “Evil Dead Rise” are stunning. Despite relying on familiar jump scares, the director’s skillful use of cinematography, excellent staging, and immersive first-person perspective effectively amplify the film’s terrifying atmosphere.
A Striking Opening
The title reveal is particularly impressive, showcasing a level of style and coolness rarely seen in recent films.
The sequence where the sister tears off her sibling’s scalp, then uses a drone to commit suicide by the lake, is incredibly memorable. When the sister’s boyfriend dives in to save her, only to be turned on, and the sister slowly rises from the water as the chilling “Evil Dead Rise” title appears, a sense of dread washes over the audience.
Echoes of the Past
The opening forest scene cleverly mirrors the film’s ending, paying homage to the classic original while also introducing fresh, innovative elements.
From Forest to City: A Change of Scenery
The shift from a group of ill-fated individuals in the woods to a family in a city apartment brings about a change in the narrative. While the film still leans on the familiar theme of family, its avoidance of current Hollywood trends, such as political correctness and diverse casting, is refreshing.
A Disappointing Descent
However, beyond its promising start, “Evil Dead Rise” becomes unremarkable. The remaining 90 minutes are largely mediocre, lacking creativity and relying on superficial visual and auditory tricks. The demon’s presence feels like a contrived MacGuffin, failing to deliver genuine scares or the outlandishness expected of a B-movie.
Once the film moves to the city, its “deliberate” nature becomes glaringly obvious. Every plot development is predictable, robbing the audience of any genuine surprise. The apartment transforms into a haunted house, and each character becomes a mere tool, performing unnatural actions solely to startle the audience. This is a significant flaw in the film’s structure.
The Art of Authentic Horror
Classic horror films create terror through natural, seamless progression, careful buildup, and the support of visual and auditory elements. Characters who don’t make foolish decisions enhance the sense of dread. In “The Shining,” for example, Jack Nicholson’s axe attack on the wooden door, the line “Here’s Johnny,” the flat perspective of the twins, and the camera’s focus on the boy all contribute to a narrative that engages the audience, making the camera a participant rather than a mere observer.
A Lack of Subtlety
“Evil Dead Rise” lacks this level of finesse. Everything feels forced and contrived. The dilapidated building is meant to create a sense of confinement, the heavy rain to evoke a gloomy atmosphere, the dark visuals to instill fear, and the earthquake to unearth the “Book of the Dead,” setting the stage for the events that follow. None of it feels organic.
The director even reveals the source of the demonic possession and the characters’ fates early on, turning the film’s scares into predictable events. This undermines the potential for suspense, as the audience is already prepared for what’s to come.
A Shift in Genre
Perhaps aware of the film’s shortcomings in horror, the director shifts towards B-movie territory in the latter half. This allows for the abandonment of logic and structure, replacing them with gratuitous gore and shocking scenes, such as the blood-filled elevator and the meat grinder sequence.
A Missed Opportunity
Unfortunately, the film misses a crucial opportunity in its climax. When the mother, son, and eldest daughter merge into a spider-like creature, the failure to include the youngest daughter in the transformation diminishes the impact of the final confrontation. The film devolves into a mediocre splatter-fest, relying too heavily on makeup and lighting while neglecting other essential elements.
This is a common problem in modern horror and B-movies. While film technology has advanced, screenwriting has declined. Censorship limits the level of gore, and audiences have become desensitized to familiar tropes, leaving horror films stuck in a creative rut.