Year of Release: 2023
Director: Lee Cronin
Starring: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, Nell Fisher, Mirabai Pease, Richard Crouchley, Anna-Maree Thomas, Billy Reynolds-McCarthy, Jayden Daniels, Mark Mitchinson, Tai Wano
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
Director Lee Cronin who has assuredly been making a name for himself in the horror genre, follows his well received "The Hole in the Ground", with a new take on the Sam Raimi classic series "Evil Dead", which originally had its start in 1981. This time around the film focuses its narrative on two sisters, the elder by the name of Ellie and the younger named Steph, who get back together after some time apart, when Steph comes for advice on an unexpected pregnancy that she wants her sister's advice on. Ellie on the other hand is dealing with a collapsing relationship, the abandonment of her partner and father of her three young children, not to mention the building where they live is being demolished and they have a month to pack and find a new place to live. While there's some tension between them, they slowly start discussing what's going on in their lives, while the kids are out getting pizza for everyone. Unexpectedly an earthquake puts a halt to these conversations, and the kids uncover in the garage what seems an almost untouched lower floor, in which a bank used to exist, including vaults and lockers. Danny descends to explore more, and grabs a series of records, and an ancient book from a special room filled with crucifixes. Danny and his older sister Bridget browse through the book, and the horrifying illustrations scare her. Neglecting her sister's advice, Danny plays the records, which recite some of the contents of the book, unleashing a malevolent spirit that latches on to Ellie who then starts attacking the family.
Unlike the mediocre take from Fede Alvarez in 2013, which essentially tried to "modernize" Sam Raimi's now considered cult classic, Lee Cronin smartly takes the action and dynamics of the narrative out of the whole concept of Cabin in the Woods with long forgotten demonic book hidden or left behind. Instead the writer/director moves the action and context of the narrative into a disintegrating family unit, who are dealing with challenges of their own, and who suddenly have to portend with this malevolent entity, who eats away at each and every one of the family members. It also smartly moves the focus of the narrative into Steph, and her newfound resilience to protect a family that is also her own, but also her unborn child. All these make for interesting and solidly crafted story points. The characters however fail to be as well materialized as the overall mechanics of the narrative, with both sisters having unresolved issues that are never really addressed, the same going for their past family life. The kids are also generically described and showcased, which also makes them less compelling as the action continues to evolve. Placing the entirety of the narrative within a decaying building is also both claustrophobic, also illustrates the pains and further deterioration the characters themselves go through. Stylistically, the film does pay a heartfelt and worthy homage to Sam Raimi's style, but also has nods to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". The director however also manages to have his own point of view, amping up the gore and some grotesqueness to the narrative, while introducing new layers to the lore of the "Evil Dead" vernacular. The cast is satisfyingly solid, with Lily Sullivan and Alissa Sutherland making for compelling watches. The production design from Nick Bassett is solid, as is the cinematography from Dave Garbett and score from Stephen McKeon. It's a compellingly executed extension of a classic series. Worth watching.
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