The high-rise apartment block in Evil Dead Rise stands as more than a setting. It becomes a vertical trap where one mother’s ordinary struggles with three kids turn into something far darker once the Book of the Dead surfaces. This article examines the 2023 film directed by Lee Cronin, tracing how it relocates the Evil Dead franchise to an urban siege while placing grief at the centre of every possession and violent outburst.

The story opens with single mother Ellie raising her children in a rundown Los Angeles tower. An earthquake reveals the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in the flooded basement, and her son Danny’s curiosity unleashes the Deadites. From that point the film follows the family’s desperate attempts to survive as possessions spread through the building’s narrow corridors and shared spaces.

High-Rise Necronomicon: Unearthing the Curse

The film grounds its horror in everyday domestic details before the supernatural takes over. Ellie works long hours while her older daughter Beth visits from out of town. Younger siblings Danny, Bridget and Kassie fill the apartment with the usual noise of family life. When the book appears, Danny reads from it out of a mix of boredom and teenage fascination with hidden things. Blood soon pours from the pipes and the first possession begins.

Cronin keeps the action confined to the apartment block’s stairwells, laundry rooms and rooftop. This layout turns every floor into another layer of the trap. The production shot the film in New Zealand to stand in for Los Angeles, working with a modest budget that still delivered striking practical effects. The ancient Sumerian evil from the original franchise now sits inside modern urban decay, where economic pressure and absent parents already strain the household.

Grief’s Deadite Possession: The Emotional Core

Loss drives the horror more than any demon. Beth arrives expecting a normal weekend and instead watches her family fall apart. Danny’s interest in the book reflects his need for some kind of control after his parents’ divorce. Bridget hides her own uncertainties behind sarcasm. Once possessed, Ellie uses these private wounds against her children, turning family arguments into weapons.

The film treats grief as something that can burn slowly before exploding outward. Cronin has spoken about drawing from Irish folklore where sorrow keeps spirits tied to the living. That idea shows up in the way possessions expose every buried resentment. Beth’s growth from distant relative to protector feels earned because the story shows what she stands to lose. Danny’s final moments carry extra weight as they reflect how young people often inherit the pain around them.

Fire’s Devouring Dance: Symbolism of the Burn

Flames appear early and keep returning. A cigarette lighter burns Danny’s hand in one of the first scenes, hinting at what is coming. Later, fire is used in attempts to stop the Deadites, yet the creatures often survive or regenerate until gasoline and the rooftop setting create a final, destructive climax. The imagery connects personal mourning with larger images of collapse seen on television news in the background.

Sound design supports this theme. The crackle of burning flesh mixes with distorted voices and an original score that blends Irish musical elements with heavier riffs. These choices make the audience feel the heat of both literal fire and emotional damage at the same time.

Motherhood Monstrous: Gender and Trauma

Evil Dead Rise flips the usual horror view of mothers. Ellie’s transformation removes every protective instinct and replaces it with predation. The film draws on earlier examples such as Alien and Rosemary’s Baby but pushes further by making the mother the source of terror. Beth’s role as the surviving adult highlights resilience when traditional family structures are missing or broken.

Cronin’s Irish background brings in echoes of Catholic guilt and inherited sin. Class tensions also surface through Ellie’s working life and the contrast between the decaying tower and wealthier parts of the city. These details give the supernatural events a recognisable human cost.

Gore Forge: Special Effects Mastery

The practical effects team created memorable set pieces without relying on digital shortcuts. Silicone appliances and hydraulic rigs handled the physical changes during possession. One elevator sequence required an enormous amount of blood to achieve its impact. Cronin followed Sam Raimi’s example by favouring tangible effects that audiences can feel in the moment.

These sequences do more than shock. They show how grief can distort identity and relationships. The film has influenced later indie horror productions that also choose hands-on effects over computer imagery.

Urban Siege: Genre Evolution and Influence

Moving the action from a remote cabin to a crowded apartment building updates the siege format seen in films such as Rec. The vertical structure adds new problems of escape and containment. Post-pandemic audiences recognised the isolation and shared spaces that amplify every threat.

Production stories include long nights of filming and actors working through demanding physical scenes. Those challenges helped shape the finished film’s raw energy. Plans for further entries in the series have continued since release, keeping the Deadite mythology active.

Director in the Spotlight

Lee Cronin grew up in Dublin and studied film in Dún Laoghaire. His earlier feature The Hole in the Ground explored similar themes of maternal fear and received attention at Sundance. With Evil Dead Rise he balanced respect for the franchise’s history with his own interest in family dynamics under pressure. His next project, Altar, continues his work in supernatural territory. More background on Cronin and the site’s approach to horror can be found at Dyerbolical once.

Actor in the Spotlight

Alyssa Sutherland brought both warmth and menace to Ellie. Her earlier work in modelling and television prepared her for the physical demands of the role, including extended time in prosthetics. Lily Sullivan’s performance as Beth provides the emotional anchor that keeps the audience invested even when the violence escalates. Their combined work shows how strong casting supports the film’s larger ideas about loss and survival.

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Bibliography

Cronin, L. (2023) Evil Dead Rise director’s commentary. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Hoad, B. (2023) Evil Dead Rise review: Family splatterfest rises above. Little White Lies, 21 April. Available at: https://lwlies.com/reviews/evil-dead-rise/ (Accessed 15 October 2024).

Kaufman, A. (2023) Evil Dead Rise. Variety, 20 April. Available at: https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/evil-dead-rise-review-1235578912/ (Accessed 15 October 2024).

Lovece, F. (2023) Effects wizardry in Evil Dead Rise. Film Threat, 25 May. Available at: https://filmthreat.com/features/evil-dead-rise-effects/ (Accessed 15 October 2024).

Miskelly, R. (2022) Grief and possession in modern horror. Senses of Cinema, 102. Available at: https://sensesofcinema.com/2022/feature-articles/grief-possession-horror/ (Accessed 15 October 2024).

Raimi, S. (2023) Foreword to Evil Dead Rise production notes. Ghost House Pictures.

Sullivan, L. (2023) Interview: Stepping into Evil Dead. Collider, 10 May. Available at: https://collider.com/evil-dead-rise-lily-sullivan-interview/ (Accessed 15 October 2024).

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