Evil Dead Rise (2023) Dir: Lee Cronin

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This Lee Cronin directed horror works as an indirect sequel to 2013's 'Evil Dead', as well as a continuation, again indirectly, of the Evil Dead franchise as a whole. It is also once again produced, and executive produced by the trio of Robert G. Tapert, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, who have produced every entry into the franchise thus far.

This 2023 installment takes things, like many survival sequels, to the city. I'll be honest, this had me worried, as it is not exactly an original concept. That said, I think this was executed pretty well, all things considered. The story itself has a little bit of a slow start, beyond a great opening scene that sets the tone for the rest of the events in the film.

Once the first act is out the way, the film picks up hugely, in intensity and quality. The third act then brings it home excellently with the franchise's typically insane levels of blood, guts and horror.

Visually, this one can't quite match the excellence of the prior film's third act, but I will say I enjoyed the references to The Shining, as well as some relatively unique shots that featured in the third act.

Lily Sullivan makes for a good protagonist, who gets more likeable as the film progresses. She delivers the best in act 3, with some very strong sequences that were led by her.

Alyssa Sutherland is terrifying as the film's main antagonist. She absolutely nails the disgusting and frightening levels of evil that were needed for her character.

The young Nell Fisher was superb in her role. It is so often the case for child actors to struggle with horror films, but Fisher produces a really strong performance considering.

Morgan Davies has a couple of moments where he over-acts just a little, but beyond that, he's pretty solid, especially in act 2.

Finally, I'll mention Gabrielle Echols, who faded a little towards the end, but was regardless a pretty decent performer in her supporting role.

Overall, I enjoyed this quasi-sequel a lot, despite some mild concerns about the setup. First act aside, this is an awesomely gruesome and intense horror, with a tonne of gratuitous violence to satisfy even the most sick-minded of fans.