SPOILERS AHEAD!!! IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THIS FILM, GO WATCH NOW!!
Can’t start talking about this movie without talking about the opening scene and title card. Holy fuck what an intense scalping coupled with the demonic monologue done perfectly by Anne-Maree Thomas. Truly spine-chilling feels before that title card that totally fucked and set the tone. Plus it gave us the cabin feel we are so familiar with in Evil Dead movies before transitioning us to a new take on the story, bringing the Deadites to a confined L.A. apartment. Where we will get an entertaining family dynamic where you actually do end up caring about their actions and fates.
This movie also uniquely introduced the Necronomican and how the voices are then heard to induce the demon filled fun. Through the airwaves of a record player that releases the madness onto Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) in an elevator being restrained by many wires and cables for a brutal possession scene. At least they got away from the tree rape type possession like we got in Evil Dead 2013. Nonetheless the immediate toll the possession has on Ellie takes the film to it’s next level. The one where Ellie, well the Deadite possessing her, wants to rip her family apart. There is no shortage of gore in her attempts after coming back to life and creeping around the apartment corners testing out how shards of glass and a tattoo gun would do as weapons to her carnage. Beth also takes her next step as horror final girl but vigorously defending the family, taking many afflictions in the process. Beth kicks-ass once we get her untapped edgy heroine activated. Ellie does not let that stop her from taking casualties though once locked out the door.
I can’t talk about this scene without using this truly horrifying photo through the peephole. Just terrifying and so much scarier to actually see the scenes that include it even after I saw it on so many thumbnails. We watch Ellie go bat-shit crazy in the hallway dismantling neighbors as the audience watches through the peephole, in a truly unique scene shooting style that was awesome to witness. Leading us to the cutest little girl actress in Nell Fisher playing Kassie. Kid actors can make or break movies for me, and she rocked it. Her torn emotions of wanting to help her mom and struggling to believe what she is witnessing is real was above and beyond what you are used to expecting from kids in horror movies. The Deadites being passed on to Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) brought me back to what makes these movies so great, where the Deadites just can spread to wreak havoc. She teaches us that glass shards aren’t so easy to swallow, and cheese graters work on flush just as well as it’s intended namesake. After trying to kill her brother Danny (who is the reason for all of this because he couldn’t leave the damn book alone), her death truly was shocking at the hands of Kassie and “Staffanie.”
Fuck the scene where Ellie crawls back into the apartment. Fuck. That. Creepy as hell. The record offers only more damning news, that it won’t be stopped until the host is dead, and even then it’s near hopeless to stop what is coming in the form of a disgusting multi-deadite abomination crawling through the complex. Kassie and Beth flee and almost are drowned in an elevator of blood after being mocked with crude humor by the deadites combining as one. The crude humor popping back up really let us know we were back in the wheel house of the Evil Dead franchise. Love it when a Deadite throws out a “cock-sucker” or “titty-loving cock-sucker” in their threats. Kassie and Ellie almost becoming mush in the woodchipper had me gripping my arm rest. Thankfully Beth was able to push that bullshit abomination that was Ellie, Danny, and Bridget Deadites all as one into the woodchipper to end this current attack by the Deadites (not really of course but for now it’s on pause).
My final thoughts on this film, it took risks with its gore and combining elements of the original Evil Dead and the 2013 remake, and it fucking BANGED. This was terrifying, creepy, and a tough watch in the best way for a horror flick. They wanted to reintroduce audiences to the Deadites with a bang, and they delivered. Beth covered in blood wielding a chainsaw like she is Ash-incarnate as she saws through Ellie’s head was pretty groovy I have to say.
The Cinema Speakeasy Theatre Room 
Leave a comment