By Geno McGahee
In 1981, EVIL DEAD was released and it became an instant hit, maintaining momentum and impacting the world of horror since. The EVIL DEAD franchise took a turn in the comedic direction, but the scares have returned in EVIL DEAD RISE, released now on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.
The film starts off with purpose with a woman possessed and spilling blood and then levitating over a lake. It was a great visual and it set the tone for the film. It was intended to be impactful and it doesn’t end there. The film is a no holds barred approach to horror with no shortage of gore.
There’s always that moment in horror where somebody does something very stupid and Danny, a curious youngster, explores what he believes to be an old bank vault, but it’s not and he stumbles upon the book of the dead and takes it home, opening it and giving the demons a way to return.
The film does a great job in creating a tense atmosphere and definitely tries to stay true to the original EVIL DEAD but maintains originality. The way that the demons come back is very similar to how they showed up in the 1981 film and it’s pretty creepy.
The demons possess Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland). Her three children and sister are now stuck in an apartment building with a demon. The film becomes a fight for survival against the evil dead and there it is a gore fest. This is one of the goriest recent films in history.
EVIL DEAD RISE is a nice tribute to the original with a focus on visuals and gore. I recommend it.
EVIL DEAD RISE has a lot of bonus material and is available now for purchase.
