Good, Great or Excellent?

Starting out, I have a disclaimer: I am a HUGE fan of the Original “Evil Dead”. I remember watching it with friends (on VHS), in a tiny trailer in Maine while the winter wind howled outside and being creeped out of my skin by those white eyed demons. Of course, I was probably more than a little stoned and/or drunk, but that just added to the nightmare.

Now,  let’s chat about Evil Dead Rise. Yeah, that’s right, they brought back the Deadites, but this time, they ditched the cabin in the woods for… an apartment building in LA. Talk about an upgrade, right?

So, picture this: two sisters, Beth and Ellie, who aren’t exactly BFFs, are trying to reconnect. Then, BAM! Earthquake. And wouldn’t you know it, Danny, Ellie’s kid, stumbles upon the Naturom Demonto (aka the evil book) and some vinyl records. Because, you know, why not? Big mistake. Huge.

Cue the demonic mayhem. Ellie gets possessed, and it’s up to Beth to protect her nieces and nephews from turning into Deadite snacks. It’s a classic *Evil Dead* setup, but with a fresh coat of urban decay.

Now, let’s get real about the production. This movie came out during the whole pandemic craziness, which meant they had to get creative. Like, the music? They recorded it in separate sessions, which is wild. But they still managed to nail that classic *Evil Dead* sound, which is pretty impressive.

And the sound design? Forget about it. They went all out. Peter Albrechtsen and his team cooked up some seriously creepy vocal effects for the possessed characters. Like, Bridget’s voice? They layered her regular voice with high and low pitches, just like they did back in the OG films. It’s that kind of attention to detail that makes this movie so damn good.

But let’s be honest, we’re here for the gore, right? And *Evil Dead Rise* delivers. Big time. Lee Cronin and Bruce Campbell (yes, *that* Bruce Campbell) were like, “Let’s crank up the violence to eleven.” And boy, did they. The scalping scene? The wine glass eating scene? Yeah, those took some serious work. But they nailed that perfect balance of “OMG, that’s gross!” and “Hell yeah!”

Now, some fun facts for my fellow horror nerds:

* The Naturom Demonto? It’s the same book from the 2013 remake. So, yeah, they’re tying it all together.

* The Marauder? That multi-limbed monstrosity at the end? Pure nightmare fuel.

* They threw in some nods to other horror classics, like *The Shining* and *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*. Because why not?

* The score? It’s Atmos-enabled, which means the music swirls around you in the theater. It’s like being trapped in a Deadite mosh pit.

* And yeah, no Ash this time. It’s all about new characters facing the Deadite apocalypse.

Honestly, Evil Dead Rise is a blast. It’s got that classic *Evil Dead* feel, but with a modern twist. It’s gory, it’s funny, and it’s genuinely terrifying. If you’re a fan of the franchise, or just a horror junkie in general, you need to see this movie. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. They really did this franchise justice.