If you are expecting an Evil Dead movie... well, I guess it depends on what generation you're from. If you are expecting Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, the films of the unholy trilogy... you are going to be gravely disappointed. This isn't Sam Raimi's Evil Dead. This is, well, this is the Conjuring just like almost every other Horror movie past 2014. It doesn't really breathe "new life" into the franchise, instead it takes the Evil Dead and breathes the PG-13 Neo-Horror Movie breathe into a franchise that used to be a heck of a lot of campy immature fun. Here you get the same as everything else.

This is certainly a triumph for the visual and audio effects folks. Otherwise, I found it all a bit derivative and frankly a rather classless rehash of the much more entertaining original. It's tough to just keep on re-inventing these themes - they do tire, and as I reckon with the recent updates of the "Halloween" franchise, they maybe just rely too heavily on a current generation who were not around to see the originals in the cinema first time round, and who maybe just don't appreciate that the acting and the writing - though never exactly crucial to these plots - did have more of a role than just relying on well made-up (virtual) demons spinning around the ceiling emitting threatening shrieks. It's not terrible - it moves along quickly for ninety minutes and might just put you off a bath anytime shortly afterwards, but there just isn't any real sense of menace or jeopardy and to be honest I wasn't entirely sure that the family weren't nightmarish enough - before their visitor arrived. Perfectly watchable on the telly around Halloween with a drink in your hand, and it's a sort of gift that keeps on giving because you'll be able to watch it again the next year without the faintest recollection of what is going to happen!

Evil Dead Rise puts a creative spin on the classic franchise while also remaining faithful to the core experience. The story is not overly complex and admittedly somewhat generic, as the main characters find the Book of the Dead, read it, and all hell breaks loose. But the conditions surrounding this plot are what truly set it apart. For one, the high-rise setting was brilliant and created a very claustrophobic environment that worked really well. I found the earthquake to be an original idea not only for the discovery of The Necronomicon but also for the entrapment of our main characters. Speaking of our cast, this film does a really great job of setting up these characters. I genuinely liked all of them, which made it difficult to see some of them go, unlike in Evil Dead (2013). The familiar bond between them was palpable, and this could not have been done without a fantastic cast. Alyssa Sutherland is by far my favorite Deadite in the entire franchise. Her motherly connection was haunting, her facial expressions, and mannerisms are nightmare fuel. Lily Sullivan was genuinely fantastic as a final girl. Her badass nature to defend the children is incredible, and she had some really great moments to stand out in the film. The kids overall did fine, nothing that was too amazing but nothing that took away from the film either. The direction was my favorite part of the film by far. Lee Cronin did such a fantastic job with haunting camera work with subtle tilts and use of reflections. The action was top-notch, and the practical effects were amazing. So many scenes had me physically wincing with some insanely creative violence mixed with stomach-churning blood and wound effects. It is definitely a worthy successor to Evil Dead (2013) in the gore department. Overall, this may not be the best in the franchise, but I think it is one of the most refined. The story lacks in some areas, but the direction, performances, and violence really cement this as one of the best horror films of the year. Score: 84% ✅ Verdict: Great

Okay supernatural horror and entry into the long-running franchise that really takes off during the blood-drenched finale. Can't say I loved it and it was far too dark at times to even tell what was going on, but thought it was on par with Evil Dead 2013. **3.5/5**