Is there another horror franchise as reliable as the Evil Dead series? Forty-one years on from Sam Raimi's original slice of cabin-in-the-woods carnage, we're still waiting for a turkey.
Gorehounds will know the drill: cabin in the woods, sinister incantation, demonic possession, harrowing violence, dismemberment by chainsaw. But Evil Dead Rise shakes up the formula, with the horror unfolding in a rundown apartment building after an earthquake leads to the discovery of a Necronomicon in a forgotten underground vault. Soon mother Ellie is taken over, leaving her visiting sister Beth tasked with protecting her three kids.
It's a film of gleeful, wince-inducing extremity, which pulls off the tricky balancing act of striving for faithfulness while innovating enough to make things feel fresh. SFX's reviewer called it "A film of blood-drenched brio, which Deadites should find delightfully disgusting."
Evil Dead Rise is available to buy now on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and download. Bonus-wise, you get a commentary by writer/director Lee Cronin, plus his 2013 short film "Ghost Train". Thanks to StudioCanal, we have five Blu-rays to give away. To put your name in the hat for the chance to win one, simply answer the question below.
