Evil Dead Rise is a 2023 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Lee Cronin. It is a standalone entry and the fifth installment in the Evil Dead film series. The film stars Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland as two estranged sisters trying to survive and save their family from deadites. Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, and Nell Fisher (in her film debut) appear in supporting roles.
The film's development was preceded by scrapped plans for direct sequels to Evil Dead (2013) and Army of Darkness (1992), and a fourth season of Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018). By October 2019, Sam Raimi announced that a new film was in development, with Rob Tapert producing, Raimi and Bruce Campbell executive producing, and Cronin writing and directing the project. New Line Cinema (the first film's distributor) was announced as a production company involved. Principal photography took place in New Zealand from June to October 2021. The film was originally set to premiere on the streaming service HBO Max, but distributor Warner Bros. Pictures opted to release the film theatrically first after positive test screenings.
Evil Dead Rise had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 15, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on April 21, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $147 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of the series. At the 51st Saturn Awards, it earned two nominations: Best Horror Film and Best Make-up.
Plot
Cousins Teresa and Jessica, and Jessica's boyfriend Caleb, are vacationing at a lakeside cabin when a seemingly ill Jessica scalps Teresa and decapitates Caleb before levitating above the lake.
One day earlier, upset at learning she is pregnant, guitar technician Beth visits her sister Ellie, a tattoo artist and single mother to teenagers Danny and Bridget, and child Kassie, in their home at Monde Apartments, a condemned Los Angeles apartment complex. The building is shaken by an earthquake while the children are in its basement parking lot, uncovering a concealed chamber. Danny investigates it, discovering religious artifacts, three phonograph records from 1923, and a strange book that he takes up to his room, believing he could possibly sell it and use the money to help Ellie. The initial record details rejected efforts by a priest to research the book, revealed to be one of three volumes of the Naturom Demonto. The subsequent record reveals the priest continued his research in secret and recites an incantation that summons demonic entities known as Deadites.
The building's power fails and Ellie is possessed by an unseen force. She returns to the apartment in a trance, menacingly threatens her family, and dies after pleading with Beth to protect her children. Beth and Ellie's neighbors help lay her to rest in her bedroom and search for a way out. They find that the staircase has collapsed, the elevator is damaged, and they are unable to access the fire escape before Ellie revives and attacks the family, wounding Beth and Bridget. Beth and the children lock Ellie outside the apartment after she pursues and massacres the neighbors.
Danny confesses to Beth about recovering the Naturom Demonto, and Ellie tricks Kassie into unlocking the door before attacking her. While Danny and Beth are distracted rescuing Kassie and locking Ellie out, Bridget becomes possessed via her wound. Bridget attacks Beth before turning on Danny and Kassie, who inadvertently impales her through the head with a broken broom handle.
Beth listens to the third record to understand how to exorcise the Deadites, but learns the priest failed and his allies were all possessed, with only complete destruction of the host stopping the Deadites. Bridget revives and fatally stabs Danny, who sets Bridget on fire before dying as Ellie infiltrates the apartment using the vents. Realizing Beth is pregnant, Ellie attempts to rip the fetus out of her, but Beth and Kassie are able to incapacitate her with scissors. Ellie fails to emotionally manipulate Kassie, who accepts that her mother is already gone.
Danny and the bodies of the neighbors are possessed, leading Beth and Kassie to take shelter in the damaged elevator. Ellie, Bridget, and Danny merge into a multi-limbed creature known as the Marauder[6] and climb atop the elevator to attack the pair as the elevator fills with blood. The combined weight causes the elevator to plummet to the ground floor, allowing Beth and Kassie to flee into the parking lot. The Marauder captures Kassie and attempts to behead her with a chainsaw, but Beth returns and distracts it, and she and Kassie destroy the Marauder's body by forcing it into a wood chipper. Ellie's severed head taunts Beth, saying she will be a failure as a mother, prompting her to kick Ellie's head into the chipper. Beth and Kassie escape the building together.
The next morning, Jessica goes to the parking lot to leave for her vacation, where she is attacked by an unseen force.
Mitchinson also voices Father Marcus Littleton, heard in a recording on one of the phonograph records from 1923.[11]
Bruce Campbell is featured in an uncredited voice-only cameo role heard in a recording on one of the phonograph records from 1923; Campbell voices an unnamed character who forewarns the priests to the dangers of the demon resurrection ritual, and demands they destroy the book. Writer-director Cronin stated that he had Campbell voice this role intentionally, stating that he considers it to be a time-displaced Ash Williams.[12][13][14][15]
Production
Development
At the film's South by Southwest (SXSW) premiere, Fede Álvarez announced that his film Evil Dead (2013), a remake of The Evil Dead (1981), would be getting a sequel.[16][17] In addition, Sam Raimi confirmed plans to write Evil Dead 4 with his brother Ivan Raimi; it was later specified that the film would be a sequel to Army of Darkness (1992).[18] At a WonderCon panel in March 2013, Bruce Campbell and Álvarez stated that their ultimate plan was for Álvarez's Evil Dead 2 and Raimi's Army of Darkness 2 to be followed by a seventh film which would merge the narratives of Ash Williams and Mia Allen.[19] Campbell confirmed that he would reprise his role as Ash in Army of Darkness 2.[20] Álvarez later that month tweeted to his followers that Raimi would serve as director on Army of Darkness 2.[21] By November, Campbell expressed doubts in a fourth Evil Dead film,[22][23] with Raimi's Army of Darkness 2 ultimately being redeveloped as a sequel television series, Ash vs Evil Dead,[24][25][26] starring Campbell and airing on Starz from October 31, 2015, to April 29, 2018.[27]
Following the cancellation of a fourth season of Ash vs Evil Dead in April 2019, that November, speaking on the future of the Evil Dead franchise, Álvarez announced that "They're just ideas right now. Nothing to announce officially. We do have a script for Don't Breathe 2. That's the only difference. We don't have a script for Evil Dead 2. But we do have a script for Don't Breathe 2 that we wrote." He also said that "When I tweeted that I was interested in seeing what people prefer. We were having some internal debates about what people would be interested in most. Unfortunately, Evil Dead 2 won. Which, I guess I would have preferred Don't Breathe 2 to win because it's one of my own creations. Obviously Evil Dead has the bigger following."[28] In July 2019, Raimi discussed the future of the Evil Dead franchise, saying that "We'd like to make another Evil Dead feature [film] and in fact we're working on some ideas right now." Raimi said that he would be interested in making another film with Campbell, however, Campbell earlier claimed that he had retired from the role of Ash. He said another option would be a sequel to the 2013 reboot, however, he is unsure if Álvarez would want to make a sequel at this point because the director is a successful "artist in demand" now.[29] Despite this, Campbell would appear in the film in a "teeny, tiny, little cameo" as a character identified by the film's writer-director Lee Cronin as a time-displaced Ash Williams.[30]
Pre-production
In October 2019, Raimi announced at New York Comic Con that a new Evil Dead film was in development. Robert G. Tapert was set to produce, while Raimi and Campbell served as executive producers only, all under their Ghost House Pictures banner.[31] In June 2020, Campbell revealed that Lee Cronin was handpicked by Raimi to write and direct the film, then titled Evil Dead Now, after Cronin previously collaborated with Raimi on the horror streaming series 50 States of Fright.[32][33][34] In May 2021, New Line Cinema (who distributed the first film) had picked up the film, with it scheduled to be released on HBO Max and retitled Evil Dead Rise.[35]
Casting
In May 2021, it was reported that Australian actresses Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan had been cast in the lead roles.[35][36] In June 2021, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher were added to the cast.[37] In July 2021, Mia Challis was reported to have joined the cast.[38]
Filming
I'm proud of the fact that we were literally able to create an imaginary building and take people for a ride, when I think about what actually existed before we started this film and what we ended up with. Everything being a set meant we were able to control everything.
Principal photography began in New Zealand on June 6, 2021,[40][41][42] with Dave Garbett serving as cinematographer.[43] Garbett previously served as a cinematographer on several episodes of Ash vs Evil Dead, as well as production designer Nick Bassett.[43][44] Interior settings, including the inside of the apartment building, the parking garage, and the underground bank vault, were constructed sets in a rented warehouse space in Mount Wellington.[45][46] The opening sequence at the cabin and lake was shot on private property outside of Auckland; the exterior of the cabin, which was only a façade, was built on location, while the cabin's interior was built in the warehouse in Mount Wellington.[46] On July 14, 2021, Cronin revealed that filming was officially half way done.[47] Filming officially wrapped on October 27, 2021.
Cronin stated the film used over 6,500 liters (1,717 U.S. gallons) of fake blood.[48] The fake blood is a mixture of food-based dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and water, a recipe used by special effects supervisor Brendon Durey.[45] Due to the amount of fake blood needed, a commercial food manufacturer was hired to produce the substance, and large bulk shipping containers were used to transport and store it.[45] As with past installments in the series, the film relied more heavily on practical effects than computer-generated imagery.[49] The bathroom in Beth's apartment was built on hydraulics to allow the set to shake.[45] The apartment elevator was built in a steel frame that allowed it to be lifted or dropped; it was outfitted with removable wooden paneling that was treated to avoid being stained by fake blood.[45]
The scene in which the elevator fills with blood was accomplished by lowering the constructed elevator into a 6,000 L (1,585 U.S. gal) tank of fake blood using a forklift.[45] The following shot, an homage to the 1980 film The Shining[45][50] in which blood pours out from the elevator into the building's lobby, took place on a full-size set made partly from plywood.[45] Two large "dump tanks" attached to a ramp allowed the amount of liquid to pour out from the elevator doors at the desired speed.[45] The special effects team ran rehearsals of the sequence using stunt performers and water.[45] The scene was shot in two takes—once for the wide shots and once for close-ups of the actors[45]—using a multicamera setup.[51] Cronin stated, "The cleanup would take about eight hours, and so if we didn't get it the first time, we would clean up and then shoot it again at the end of the day. But we got it in the first pass."[51]
Post-production
The editing of the film's visual components took over six months to complete,[52] in an editing suite in Cronin's hometown of Dublin.[53] In March 2022, Cronin tweeted that the picture editing process had been completed, writing: "Onto music composition and sound design we go."[52] Myk Farmer serves as the film's sound mixer.[52] The negative pickup cost was $19 million.[3]
Along with his voice cameo on the phonograph record, Bruce Campbell also contributed foley to the film, with Cronin stating, "There's a scene around an eye where there's some munching, and Bruce created that sound by eating an apple furiously for me".[54]
The film was originally set for a streaming-only release on HBO Max, but was switched to a theatrical release in August 2022 because of positive test screenings and the restructuring plan for film distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures that would see the studio relying less on HBO Max-only releases and more on theatrical releases.[57][58] The film was theatrically released in the United States on April 21, 2023, by Warner Bros.[59]
Evil Dead Rise had its world premiere at SXSW on March 15, 2023.[60][61] It also had midnight screenings at Fantastic Film Festival Australia, simultaneously in Sydney and Melbourne, on April 20.[62][63]
Home media
Evil Dead Rise was released digitally on May 9, 2023, and on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 27.[64] The film was available to stream on Max beginning June 23.[65] Warner Bros. collaborated with Best Buy on an exclusive special edition Ultra HD Blu-ray steelbook released on October 3. The release includes an audio commentary track by Cronin, Sullivan and Sutherland, as well as the featurette Raising a New Evil Dead.[66][67]
Reception
Box office
Evil Dead Rise grossed $67.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $79.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $147 million.[4][5]
In the United States and Canada, Evil Dead Rise was released alongside The Covenant, Chevalier, and the wide expansion of Beau Is Afraid, and was projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,402 theaters in its opening weekend.[2] The film made $10.3 million on its first day, including $2.5 million from Thursday night previews.[68] It went on to debut to $24.5 million, slightly beating expectations and finishing second behind holdover The Super Mario Bros. Movie. A total of 58% of the audience was male, with 66% being between the ages of 18 and 35.[3] The film made $12.2 million in its second weekend, remaining in second place,[69] and then $5.9 million in its third, finishing in third behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Super Mario.[70]
Outside of the US and Canada, the film grossed $17.9 million from 58 markets in its opening weekend. The top markets were Mexico ($1.9 million), United Kingdom ($1.8 million), Brazil ($1.5 million) and France and India $3.2 million (equivalent to INR 26.1 crores).[71][72]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 232 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Offering just about everything longtime fans could hope for while still managing to carry the franchise forward, Evil Dead Rise is all kinds of groovy."[73]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[74] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 71% positive score, with 57% saying they would definitely recommend it.[3]
In April 2023, Bruce Campbell stated that he, Sam and Ivan Raimi were planning a possibility for future films in the franchise "every two or three years" if Evil Dead Rise is a success, stating:[79]
"I think the stories will progress a little more now. We're going to try and do them more like every two or three years rather than every 10 years. It's also the first time Sam is working with his brother Ivan to create an overall Bible that will give future writers and directors an idea of where this thing should go next to potentially tie in some of these stories. So, I think it's going to get a little more tied in as the years go by. But because it's all about the books. It could be a book in the past, a book in the future. It's yet to be determined."[79]
Director Cronin also discussed his ideas for future sequels in the series taking place after Evil Dead Rise.[80]
