Connor Bynum // Film Critic
EVIL DEAD RISE
Rated R, 96 min.
Now available on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital.
Long established horror film franchises can’t seem to help getting revived with either a reboot or legacy sequel these days. Whether it’s HALLOWEEN, CHILD’S PLAY, or Sam Raimi’s cult classic EVIL DEAD, like their on screen antagonists these franchises simply refuse to die. And sometimes, this can be a very good thing. Such is the case with this year’s fantastic entry into the Evil Dead saga, EVIL DEAD RISE which is available now on 4K UHD.
Movie Grade: B
From our Theatrical review:
“EVIL DEAD RISE does just enough to pay homage to its predecessors while innovating its own brutally bleak, twisted tale about an ancient demonic entity infecting a fracturing family unit. Filmmaker Lee Cronin (THE HOLE IN THE GROUND) constructs the frights with a gleeful grin, making the audience scream and squirm long enough to go in for the kill. With two nimble actresses anchoring the horrific hijinks, it proves to be a frightfully fun time.
Guitar engineer Beth (Lily Sullivan) has just found out she’s pregnant when she decides to travel to her sister Ellie’s (Alyssa Sutherland) home to seek sanctuary and counsel. However, once there, she learns her wise sibling is getting a divorce and her three children – Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) and Kassie (Nell Fisher) – are having a difficult time accepting it. Making matters worse, their apartment building has been condemned and will be demolished in a few days’ time.
An earthquake strikes, opening up a hole in the parking garage, revealing a long-buried chamber in which Danny goes snooping. He finds a box containing copious handwritten notes, a photo of priests and a set of dusty vinyl records. He also unwittingly uncovers and, much to Bridget’s chagrin, subsequently unlocks the Necronomicon, a.k.a. The Book of the Dead, with pages made of stretched human flesh and illustrated in blood. The records, filled with incantations, unleash a demonic entity that craves a human host to possess. It wreaks havoc on unsuspecting Ellie, transforming her into an inhumane, wicked monster, who kills without compunction. It’s then up to Beth to protect her nieces and nephew from the evil that’s arisen.
Like others in the franchise, EVIL DEAD RISE has been crafted with care, achieving a sufficiently successful mix of the Raimi classics and Fede Alvarez’s 2013 remake/ reboot/ reimagining. It gets under our skin, but blessedly doesn’t (cheese) grate on our nerves.”
Video/Audio Grade: A
EVIL DEAD RISE is presented in a native 4K resolution and it looks phenomenal. With so much of its special effects being done practically, it’s very easy to appreciate the level of detail on screen. Chunky bits of flesh and gore are gratuitously well defined, so much so that I felt the genuine need to shower after the credits rolled. Other details are also wonderfully captured, such as the very well-decorated apartment set, filled with clutter, knick-knacks, soda cans, and all kinds of DJ equipment. The amount of detail put into the set dressing makes the apartment feel lived in and helps convey just how long they’ve lived there and how little time Ellie has had to clean up around the house ever since becoming a single mother of three.
Even with the impressive level of detail provided by the 4K resolution, the real star of the show here is the inclusion of HDR10. Given that the vast majority of the film takes place throughout a single night in a darkly lit apartment complex, it was imperative that the darkness on screen never drowned out the rest of the picture, and I only counted one or two instances where I noticed any sign of crushing or artifacting. The increased color palette is also very noticeable during scenes involving fire which stand out wonderfully without feeling overexposed.
The audio options are also outstanding. The standout, of course, is the Dolby Atmos track which downgrades to a DTS TrueHD 7.1 mix, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is also very well balanced for those who have yet to upgrade to a 7.1 or atmos setup. The sounds of creaking ceilings, distant thunder, and blood-curdling screams are all deeply immersive and are quite fun to experience in a solid, surround-sound home theater.
Extras Grade: F
In a decision that left me completely dumbfounded, Warner Bros has elected not to include any special features of any kind on either disc in this release. Nothing. Not even a director’s commentary track shows up. For a film that is a part of a series with such a cult following and an obsession with using practical effects wherever possible, it feels like an absolute no-brainer to include behind-the-scenes content for how the numerous gory effects were captured in camera. But sadly, they completely dropped the ball on this one. There aren’t even any features included in the digital version. There are definitely films where I probably wouldn’t care very much if they didn’t include any extras, but this film was begging to have them included, and I simply can’t understand why Warner Bros chose not to have them.
Final Grade: B+
Were it not for the exclusion of special features, this would have been an easy A-rating. The visual and audio presentation in this 4K disc is simply fantastic, and watching in a dark room with friends and some beer makes for one hell of a good night. Yes, it’s disappointing not to have any extras, but it’s still one of the easiest recommendations to give for a home review. Pick this one up today and enjoy the nightmares for which it will undoubtedly be responsible.
