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Beth’s surprise reunion with her sister Ellie is interrupted by an earthquake that shakes the foundation of her apartment building. Amidst the rubble, Ellie’s kids discover a secret vault hidden in the basement, inside which they find an ancient book bound in flesh and inked in human blood – the Necronomicon. As the building’s residents are possessed one by one and the evil rises floor to floor, the family get-together becomes a fight for survival.

Never have the Deadites been so terrifying in this bold and blood-soaked revival of the classic series, now in a definitive extras-packed, director-approved edition.

What We Thought:

I first saw Evil Dead Rise in 2023 and didn’t think much of it. At no point in time since then had I considered rewatching it, but when the new 4K disc came my way I decided to give it another chance. I’m a big fan of the original Evil Dead films from Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell and because of that, I have certain expectations from a movie that has the name Evil Dead in its title.

Watching Evil Dead Rise for a second time almost 3 years later I unfortunately have similar takeaways as I did in 2023, Evil Dead should not be in the title. Nothing about this new film feels like a Raimi/Campbell film. The director uses some similar camera movements and The Book of the Dead plays a major role in it, but the campiness and indie film vibes of the original trilogy are nowhere to be found. It lacks the comedic elements Campbell provides and the setting didn’t work for me.

The cold open of the film is the best part. It’s out at a lake, it has some Raimi-esque shots and it feels like an Evil Dead film. But then it moves to the city and we are introduced to the main characters, 2 sisters and three kids. The Book of the Dead is discovered after an earthquake and characters become Deadites, but beyond that it’s not what I want. It relies on jumpscares and despite some great blood and gore, it’s not scary in the slightest. If you aren’t going to be scary you should at least make me laugh, but it doesn’t.

The fact that Evil Dead Rise is the highest grossing film in the franchise is sad. If you like the remake you’ll probably like it if you haven’t seen it already. I enjoy the original trilogy and the TV series and Rise is nothing like those. If it was called Evil Dead Presents and not not Evil Dead maybe my expectations would have been different. I got a movie closer to something in The Conjuring Universe and not a Raimi film. The idea of The Book of the Dead taking over a building and us getting a horror version of The Raid or Dredd could have been cool, but a second viewing was no better than the first time. If you are a fan of the film the 4K looks and sounds great and has some new interviews with cast members, commentary with the director and more.

Bonus Features:

  • 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
  • 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
  • Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio options
  • English audio descriptive track
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Audio commentary with director Lee Cronin and actors Alyssa Sullivan and Lily Sullivan
  • Come Get Some, a brand new interview with actor Lily Sullivan
  • Mommy Deadite, a brand new interview with actor Alyssa Sutherland
  • The Deadite’s Daughter, a brand new interview with actor Gabrielle Echols
  • The Levitating Dead, a brand new interview with actor Anna-Maree Thomas
  • Conjuring Deadites, a brand new interview with special make-up effects designer Luke Polti
  • Chopping Up Deadites, a brand new interview with editor Bryan Shaw
  • Sonic Possessions, a brand new interview with sound designer Peter Albrechtsen
  • Music to Swallow Your Soul, a brand new interview with composer Stephen McKeon
  • The Sound of Evil Dead Rise, a 2023 interview with Cronin and Albrechtsen by Glenn Kiser, director of the Dolby Institute
  • Raising a New Evil Dead featurette
  • Ghost Train, a 2013 short film directed by Lee Cronin
  • Behind-the-scenes video clips and still gallery
  • Concept artwork gallery
  • Storyboard gallery
  • Trailer and TV spots
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Waldemar Witt
  • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Waldemar Witt
  • Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Gingold

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