Evil dead rise

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©2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment

Horror shock pure

Teresa, Jessica and Caleb meet in a beautiful forest cabin by the lake. Jessica, however, feels bad after the car ride and lies limp on the bed. Shortly afterwards, she seems possessed and rages as if the devil had gotten into her.

 

The day before, evil forces flared up when an earthquake uncovered an old shaft under an underground car park. The boy Danny was rummaging through the ancient stuff and found a box of records and a creepy tome. Reading from it is not a good idea, but Danny didn't know that, so the horror had to take its course.

 

The real hard way

Evil Dead Rise is of course set in the gruesome world of the horror classic Evil Dead and the following films. Although the plot is new, it is still very much based on the original. This applies to the camera work, the chosen colours, the action in a closed room and the strong surviving characters.

 

There is no black humour as in Army of Darkness or the great series Ash versus Evil Dead, although the madness of the possessed characters does indeed make for a few laughs now and then. Evil knows no inhibitions.

 

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My Name is Ash

Fans of Ash Williams actor Bruce Campbell and directing legend Sam Raimi might be a bit disappointed, as the gentlemen almost entirely limited themselves to their activities as producers.

 

After all, Bruce Campbell not only contributed sounds, but also pronounces the warning on the record played backwards: "Destroy it! It's called the Book of the Dead for a reason!"

 

 

Music and sound

This is no B-movie. Just like the rock-solid picture production, the music by Stephen McKeon is also well suited. The man knows his way around creepy sounds, having already created terrifying music for The hole in the ground and The cellar.

 

A lot of effort has obviously gone into the sounds as well. Everything appears very rich and juicy here, as usual. Nethertheless, it is a bit too brute and noisy for my taste.

 

Shortcomings

At 97 minutes, the shocker is tight and entertaining. The plot elements are not enough for me and more locations are lacking. Even the first Evil Dead offered more dynamics in and around that old hut back in the days. Unfortunately, no new elements are added.

What succeeded?

Strong actors throughout

Unfeignedly faithful to the original

Good mix of old-fashioned and new

 

Summary

Shocker quality comes to the screen - exactly what Evil Dead veterans and younger horror fans have wanted

 

Although the story offers practically nothing new and a lot of familiar things in a different guise, each film department took great care to evoke the old flair.

 

For example, each character was given a first name of the actors from Dance of the Devils. Ash Williams' beige Oldsmobile Delta is missing this time, although another well-known tool is easily recognisable, though differently coloured.

 

Actors

I saw the horror film in advance as part of the Splatterday Nightfever film festival in the original English language.

 

Nell Fisher, who played little Kassie, is British and couldn't always hide her accent, which is of course no criticism.

 

Infos to Evil dead rise