Evil Dead Rise brings the horror series back in bloody style (2024)

In an era of legacyquels and requels, it's refreshing to see Evil Dead Rise revive those pesky Deadites without any need for a convoluted or retconned link to what's come before.

Evil Dead fans might be disappointed not to see Bruce Campbell back as Ash Williams, but Evil Dead (2013) showed that this universe is big enough for another Deadite slayer. And we have a feeling that Ash would very much approve of Lily Sullivan's Beth.

She's back in Los Angeles for a reunion with her estranged sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and her three children. But any thoughts of reconciliation are put aside by the discovery of a mysterious book in the basement of Ellie's building, and the sisters soon find themselves battling flesh-possessing demons.

After all, this is an Evil Dead movie, so a family reunion was always going to involve injuries by cheese-grater and not an afternoon tea in the park.

While Evil Dead Rise does switch things up and takes place largely in the city, writer/director Lee Cronin – responsible for 2019's standout horror The Hole in the Ground – does get to stage his own traditional Evil Dead movie at the beginning.

The cold open is set at a cabin by the lake as Caleb (Richard Crouchley) and Teresa (Mirabai Pease) come to realise their friend Jessica (Anna-Maree Thomas) isn't doing too well. Cue a scalping and a self-inflicted injury with a drone as Cronin sets the tone for what's to come. As Paul Thomas Anderson might put it: there will be blood.

After this shock to the system, the smartest thing Cronin does is to slow things down. Evil Dead Rise takes time to establish Beth and Ellie's fraught relationship, while also sowing the seeds for where the story will go and the themes explored. (Hint, it'll involve the horrors of motherhood.)

As soon as that Necronomicon is discovered and unwittingly opened, Cronin knows the shit has to hit the fan and gleefully makes it so, leaving nobody safe from the Deadite carnage. The movie shifts into an intense, gore-soaked horror experience with few pauses for breath, but the emotional work done in the first act means it's not just about the bloody thrills.

Those bloody thrills sure are excellent, though. The cheese grater has already gone viral, yet it's far from the only notable horror gag. From a murder spree filmed entirely through a door peephole to other household implements used in nasty ways, Evil Dead Rise will leave no horror fan feeling short-changed.

It might not be set at a cabin for the most part, but the new movie has the Evil Dead spirit because as gross as it can be, it's also very funny. The Deadites have always been the more playful of cinematic demons, a theme which continues here, although it never veers into slapstick like some of the original trilogy.

Another element of classic Evil Dead is in the use of practical effects that make the big moments – from an eyeball chew to a blood-filled elevator – more impactful. Bolstered by physically committed performances from Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland, the movie feels real, which heightens the wince factor.

The effective combination of scares, gore and dark humour make it clear this is a movie made by fans of the series. It's far from a slavish recreation of what's come before and more of a twisted love letter to the franchise. Fans will get familiar elements and plentiful Easter eggs, but the story has fresh bones (and blood).

By the time Evil Dead Rise's blood-drenched (soaked doesn't quite cover it) finale comes around, you'll realise that the most impressive aspect is that you don't even need Ash. Lily Sullivan's Beth is a new horror heroine and when she picks up the chainsaw, it's a crowd pleasing 'f**k yeah' moment.

You'll probably feel as exhausted as Beth by the end of Evil Dead Rise, but totally satisfied with the ride you've been on. It's the best horror movie of 2023 to date and you wouldn't bet against it remaining there by the end of the year.

Evil Dead Rise is out now in cinemas.