Ten years following our return to the Evil Dead franchise, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis is found when an earthquake dislodges part of an underground car park and intrigued teen Danny (Morgan Davies) investigates an old bank vault. His curiosity leads him to play the LP records found with the book, with devastating results.
Alyssa Sutherland’s performance as Ellie was truly phenomenal when she becomes possessed by a demon. She carries the film that feels familiar yet fresh, as we see a different side to the Evil Dead franchise. It has easily become my favourite, even beating the original The Evil Dead (1981).
The cinematography is effective and makes the film feel even more brilliant – drawing the audience in and providing a dizzying effect that is very realistic. One of my favourite moments is a homage to The Shining (1980), one of the greatest supernatural horror films of all time. You’ll have to watch to understand what I mean as I remain spoiler free.
As we have become accustomed to gore in the franchise, I was expecting a high level of it in the rundown apartment building. Thankfully I was far from disappointed. It also helps that the special effects make-up was realistic thanks to the talents of SFX make-up artist Colin Ware.
The pacing is mostly fast and energetic, slowing only when the plot requires tension to build. The only thing I would have preferred is spending a little more time on character development in order for the audience to resonate with them as we would then care about their survival far more.
The setting of the apartment ensures this is set apart from the earlier films and gives it a more realistic feel. Besides, the cabin horror theme has been far overdone since 1981.
Review by Poppy Blundell
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8
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