The Most Underrated Movie Of 2023 Is An Absolute Bloodbath
As we all bust through our list of favorite films from 2023, we wanted to draw attention to one of the underdogs that we truly think is an underrated movie. If you’re into demonic incantations, otherworldly voices screaming through a turntable, and enough blood soaked into the atmosphere to make the sky rain crimson, then you absolutely need to check out Evil Dead Rise if you haven’t done so already.
Though this fifth installment of the Evil Dead franchise was both a critical and commercial success, it deserves attention beyond its niche audience and loyal fan base.
Evil Dead Rise is a unique standalone installment to the Sam Raimi-created series, as it borrows heavily from franchise lore while throwing us into an entirely new setting. By leaning into all of the elements that made the franchise great up to this point, this underrated movie has a family dynamic that makes the stakes seem so much higher than just a bunch of friends getting ambushed by malevolent spirits in the Tennessee backwoods.
The actors’ performances are underrated in the sense that we’re not talking about horror movie veterans like Bruce Campbell, who’s been around the block a couple of times.
We’re not throwing shade at the first Evil Dead film by any stretch of the imagination, but simply acknowledging how the tried-and-true premise from the original is elevated in this new context.
Set primarily in a condemned Los Angeles apartment complex, Evil Dead Rise centers on a small family struggling to make ends meet.
We’re quickly introduced to struggling tattoo artist, Ellie, who is the mother of Danny, Bridget, and Kassie. Shortly thereafter, Ellie’s traveling guitar technician sister, Beth, drops by after her most recent string of tour dates to announce that she’s pregnant. And what makes Evil Dead Rise such an underrated movie is the strong performances from Morgan Davies (Danny), Gabrielle Echols (Bridget), and Nell Fisher (Kassie).
Not only do the teenage and child actors portray a believable family dynamic, they expertly commit to the carnage in a way that’s enviable, to say the least. Their performances are underrated in the sense that we’re not talking about horror movie veterans like Bruce Campbell, who’s been around the block a couple of times.
The rest of Evil Dead Rise follows a storyline that’s similar to its predecessors. Danny finds a strange book that turns out to be the first volume of the Naturom Demonto, and three accompanying records that contain audio of the incantation that summons a group of demonic entities called the Deadites.
This underrated movie has a family dynamic that makes the stakes seem so much higher than just a bunch of friends getting ambushed by malevolent spirits in the Tennessee backwoods.
If you’re up on your Evil Dead lore, then we’re pretty sure you know what happens next. But how the second and third acts unfold is why we think Evil Dead Rise is one of the more underrated movies to come out in 2023.
Ellie gets possessed and goes on a killing rampage, murdering every other tenant still occupying the building. Beth and the kids lock themselves inside the apartment, but it doesn’t take long for Bridget to succumb to the curse, and go on a murderous rampage of her own.
Meanwhile, Danny fills Beth in on the cursed artifacts he found, and hooks up his audio equipment to show her what he thinks they’re dealing with. If you’re one to watch your movies with a good set of headphones, you’ll agree how underrated the sound design is in this movie.
What truly makes Evil Dead Rise an underrated movie is its use of practical effects. In a third-act scene that’s clearly paying homage to The Shining, over 6,500 liters of fake blood pour out of an elevator, spilling into the lobby. What could have been rendered using CGI was accomplished in two expertly choreographed takes (wide shot, and closeup).
Though this fifth installment of the Evil Dead franchise was both a critical and commercial success, it deserves attention beyond its niche audience and loyal fan base.
But we’re not calling Evil Dead Rise underrated in the traditional sense, as it’s the highest-grossing movie in the franchise to date. Paying respect to the Evil Dead films that came before it, Rise garnered an 84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But still, if you don’t belong to the very specific demographic that Evil Dead Rise appeals to, you may have missed out on it.
So if you want to cringe, scream, and marvel at the absolute onslaught of over-the-top violence that Evil Dead Rise has to offer, then make sure you watch this one with an empty stomach.
