You Don't Look So Good. 4 / 5
Released in UK Cinemas: 21st April 2023
Directed by Lee Cronin.
Two estranged sisters' reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival.
Back to back bloody insanity is all Evil Dead needs to deliver and boy does Evil Dead Rise deliver. This new instalment in the iconic horror franchise leaves its cosy cabin in the woods and brings the evil home and no man, woman or child is safe from the brutality of the demons.
A quiet family night in is very quickly torn apart when one of the children just happens to stumble upon The Book of Dead. All hell literally breaks loose as the night turns into a blood-soaked nightmare full of possession, destruction and more gore than you can possibly imagine.
It's almost impossible to not have a blast watching this and paired with a sold out Prince Charles cinema screening, where the original Evil Dead has its UK premiere 40 years ago, made for a memorable first viewing. Writer/Director Lee Cronin isn't afraid to push the boundaries, going further than you'd expect, holding the shot long enough to test your limits and going through Hollywood's entire fake blood supply.
As the franchise moves away from Bruce Campbell's Ash, Lily Sullivan takes the lead/chainsaw in a more emotionally filled role due to the new family connection and maternal themes throughout. The cast is small but mighty with Alyssa Sutherland giving a terrifyingly menacing possessed performance and Nell Fisher delivering a needed dose of innocent vulnerability.
A bloodthirsty return to a franchise that isn't afraid to laugh in the face of horror before ceremoniously setting it on fire and chopping off its head.
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