Overview: In “Evil Dead Rise,” the action moves out of the woods and into the city, and tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sullivan and Sutherland, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Evil Dead Rise in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this June 27th, 2023.

For my money, this Evil Dead Rise [4K UHD+BR+Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Evil Dead Rise presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

One of those moments now being, well, I think we all know what it is, but let me preface this by saying y’all probably shouldn’t crawl into a crypt-like hole in the ground and bring a book with teeth back into your apartment in the first damn place!

Also, the kids in Evil Dead Rise might have been able to save their mother from her horrible fate if they had listened to her requests, but hey-ho, this wouldn’t be as great a horrific movie as it is had they listened, I guess.

Thanks to her children, Ellie is in the elevator at precisely the wrong time. She’s knocked back by a demonic force that breaks her limbs and contorts her onto the ceiling. While the bone-crunching sound of Ellie’s spine being played with like an accordion is brutal enough, the realization that her children are to blame for her death is the true horror here. The children’s last words to their mother are filled with annoyance.

The scene is an amaze balls of flashing lights, sparks, pain and oh-so much more and is one of the definitive sticks-in-the-memory scenes of the entire flick, in my humble opinion.

Now highlighted even more in this most wondrous 4K UHD upgrade, another blood red-captured scene is the infamous cheese grater moment! No, I don’t think it’s the grossest moment — not by a long shot - however, it’s one of the film’s most unique set pieces.

The camera doesn’t linger long on the shot, sacrificing a chance to show Beth’s (Lily Sullivan) calf being mangled. Beth even cares for the wound off-screen. Without knowing the extent of the injury, it raises questions for me about how badly she’s hurt and whether or not her movements afterward are realistic, but hey-ho, that’s a chat for another day.

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps), French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, having discovered some old vinyl records in the basement of their, soon to be condemned, Los Angeles apartment building, Danny (Morgan Davis) awakens a dormant evil that kills and possesses his mother, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland). Ellie’s sister Beth (Lily Sullivan) tries to defend Danny and his two sisters, Bridget (Gabrielle Echols) and Kassie (Nell Fisher) from an assault by the violent and murderous deadite in their mother’s body. Just to stick on that one slight negative first, I didn’t think that Evil Dead Rise was particularly scary. Though it has it’s psychological moments, and there’s a whole subtextual (and occasionally textual) discussion about parenting - it’s neither massively unsettling nor overly fond of a jump scare. So, if you’re going for that, and your not a fan of the series already, you might feel a little short changed by it.

What it is, is gory. Wonderfully, chainsawingly, cheese gratingly gory and, for the relatively limited budget, the visual effects (often practical) are really well done. There are some brilliant moments that have transcended the actual film and taken on a life of their own. The films performances are really good, particularly from the central family, with Alyssa Sutherland instantly transforming herself into an all-time horror icon.

The story of the film is really good too, as it somehow manages to both be its own film (you don’t actually have to have seen any of the rest of the IP to get it) and one that weaves a narrative clever enough to pull all the various strands of this 40-year-old mythology together. I know that if I hope for more, eventually this series will let me down, but it hasn’t yet and if they can keep it in the hands of inventive writers and directors then I feel positive about the future.

Experience a riveting, gore-filled thriller when “Evil Dead Rise” arrives for purchase Digitally at home on May 9. The film is directed by Lee Cronin, starring Lily Sullivan (“I Met a Girl,” TV’s “Barkskins”) and Alyssa Sutherland (TV’s “New Gold Mountain,” TV’s “Vikings). The film will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray and DVD beginning on June 27th, 2023.

From New Line Cinema and Renaissance Pictures, the film also stars Morgan Davies (TV’s “The End,” “Storm Boy”), Gabrielle Echols (“Reminiscence”) and introducing Nell Fisher (“Northspur”). The film was produced by longtime franchise producer Rob Tapert and executive produced by series creator and horror icon Sam Raimi and cult legend and “Ash” himself, Bruce Campbell, along with John Keville, Macdara Kelleher, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Romel Adam and Victoria Palmeri.

1. On May 9th, 2023, “Evil Dead Rise” will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home for $24.99 and for 48-hour rental via PVOD for $19.99 SRP on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu.

2. On June 27th, 2023, “Evil Dead Rise” will be available on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD. “Evil Dead Rise” will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

Evil Dead Rise | Warner Bros. Entertainment [Trailer]

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