The Big Picture

• Evil Dead Rise takes place in a decaying L.A. residential building, where a family is targeted by flesh-possessing demons after an earthquake opens a rift to an ancient vault.
• The majority of the film is dedicated to the family's battle against the Deadite attack, with the mother becoming the main Deadite and turning her own children.
• The ending of the film reveals that the Deadite menace continues to exist and connects back to a scene in a cabin in the woods, setting up the potential for a sequel.

It was a good year to be an Evil Dead fan, as Lee Cronin’s take on the beloved horror franchise made a splash upon its release back in April. Now that Evil Dead Rise is available to stream on Prime Video, you can witness the gruesome spectacle that Cronin has crafted for fans from the comfort of your own home (if you dare). The good news is that the wacky fighting scenes are back, there are gallons of blood dripping from the walls, and Alyssa Sutherland’s Deadite Mommy is an unrelenting villain that underlines how cruel the Kandarian demon can be. Still, Cronin brings many new elements to the franchise, with a whole new cast of characters targeted by the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead. In addition, the franchise has finally stepped out of the cabin in the woods by following a demonic-possessed undead invasion in an L.A. residential building. There’s no questioning Evil Dead Rise is a solid horror movie that’ll certainly please fans of the genre. However, some people might wonder how Evil Dead Rise connects to the bigger franchise by the time the credits roll. And there’s also the matter of that bleak ending that proves evil cannot be defeated. So, grab your chainsaw and your boomstick. We have an ending to dismember.

What Is 'Evil Dead Rise' About?

Evil Dead Rise takes place in a decaying L.A. residential building, where tattoo artist Ellie (Sutherland) lives with her three children, Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and Kassie (Nell Fisher). In the evening Evil Dead Rise occurs, Ellie’s sister, Beth (Lily Sullivan), pays the family a surprise visit. Beth works as a guitar technician for a big rock band, which forces her to travel a lot. However, once Beth finds out she’s pregnant, she decides to ask her sister to help her decide if she will keep the baby. As soon as Beth gets to Ellie’s place, she realizes things are not going well. The family has been recently abandoned by the father, Jay, and since the building has been condemned, Ellie has only one month to find a new place to live.

Ellie sends her children out to get pizza while she has an adult talk with Beth. Surprisingly, when they return to the garage, an earthquake shakes the building, opening a huge rift in the ground. Ellie’s building was erected over a defunct bank, and when the hole in the ground appears, the children gain access to an ancient vault. Danny decides to explore the vault and finds what they think is a valuable book accompanied by some weird vinyl discs. Since they know their mother has been struggling with money, Danny takes everything back to the apartment, hoping these artifacts could be sold for a high price. Unfortunately, when listening to the vinyl discs, Danny inadvertently releases the Kandarian demon, which claims the body of Ellie and turns her into an unrelenting killing machine.

Ellie Becomes 'Evil Dead Rise's Main Deadite

While Evil Dead Rise doesn’t take place in a cabin in the woods, Cronin found the perfect solution to keep the action confined to a claustrophobic space. Since Ellie’s building is falling to pieces, most of its residents have already left, which helps to keep the focus on the family. In addition, the earthquake shattered the building’s stairs. And since the Necronomicon kills Ellie inside the elevator, the machine is partially destroyed and dangerously hanging by a thread. As a result, the only way out is to access the emergency stairs, which can only be reached through apartment 82. The apartment is empty, forcing the neighbors on the 13th floor to work on breaking into the thick door.

With such challenging conditions enclosing the family in their apartment, it's easier for Mommy Deadite to torment the survivors. Almost the entire runtime of Evil Dead Rise is dedicated to this Deadite attack, as Ellie slowly takes down her neighbors and spreads the Deadite corruption. Meanwhile, Beth does everything she can to protect her nephews. Beth’s efforts are not enough, though, as Ellie’s children are also turned into Deadites one by one. By the movie's end, Ellie, Bridget, and Danny are dangerous Deadites trying to devour Beth and Kassie’s souls. Beth decides to risk it all to defend her youngest niece and use the elevator. Mommy Deadite also has a few tricks up on her sleeve, and to compensate for the arm and leg Beth managed to blow off, Ellie fuses her flesh with Bridget and Danny, becoming a huge mass of evil and extra limbs.

The final duel between the ultimate Deadite and Beth happens in the garage. At first, Beth thinks she might escape. But once the ultimate Deadite grabs Kassie and drags the girl back to the building, Beth turns back to rescue her niece. The Deadite tries to chop Kassie’s head with a chainsaw, but Beth manages to stop it at the last moment. After that, the Deadite turns its attention to Beth, trying to grind the woman with a huge crusher attached to a construction vehicle. After that, it’s time for Kassie to save Beth by turning off the machine. Amidst the chaos, Beth grabs the chainsaw, orders Kassie to turn the grinder on again, and slashes the Deadite away until every piece of flesh has been destroyed. The garage floor is covered by blood and mashed entrails, but Beth and Kassie emerge victorious. Beth has decided to keep her baby and knows she has to take care of Kassie now. They are not confident the nightmare is over, so Beth decides to take the chainsaw with her. It’s not a happy ending per se, but Beth and Kassie manage to survive the night's horrors. Unfortunately, the Deadite menace still exists.

How Does the Ending Connect to the Cabin in the Woods Scene?

Evil Dead Rise opens with a scene in a cabin in the woods. In this cabin, a young woman named Teresa (Mirabai Pease) looks after her sick friend, Jessica (Anna-Maree Thomas), while trying not to be so annoyed by Jessica’s asshole boyfriend, Caleb (Richard Crouchley). In this short opening scene, Jessica turns into a Deadite, rips Teresa’s scalp, and kills Caleb in a lake. Jessica also floats above the water in a terrifying scene that underlines how powerful Deadites can really be.

Until the end of Evil Dead Rise, we don’t know how this opening scene connects with Beth and Ellie’s family feud. But before the credits roll, everything becomes clear. Jessica also lived in the same building as Ellie. But since Jessica lived on the fifth floor, she didn’t hear all the commotion caused by the Deadite attack. So, in the morning, she got ready to go on a weekend trip with her friends. Unfortunately, being grind down was not enough to destroy the Kandarian demon, which claims Jessica as their new victim. In short, since the Book of the Dead is still open and no one has recited the rituals needed to close it again, the Deadites will keep spreading everywhere, a terrifying idea that can nevertheless become a great sequel.

Evil Dead Rise is available to stream in the U.S. on Amazon Prime Video.

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