Critics’ reviews

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

22 reviews from 22 publications. Critics’ score 76: 12 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative.

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76
Positive
12
Mixed
2
Negative
1
Empire
11 April 2023 · Al Horner
85*

The critic finds that the film refreshingly reinvents the series by moving it to an urban LA apartment building while retaining its schlocky spirit of gore and humor. It singles out the inventive scares, strong sisterly character work, and Alyssa Sutherland's unhinged performance for praise.

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The AV Club
20 April 2023 · B+ · Andy Klein
83

The critic praises it as a welcome return to the franchise's blend of humor, genuine scares, and creepiness. It singles out the abundant gore and blood, engaging characters, goofy comedy, and the shift to a high-rise setting as putting the series back on solid footing.

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Radio Times
11 April 2023 · ★★★★ · Laura Rutkowski
80

It's a relentless, wince-inducing gorefest with clever references and strong performances, particularly Sutherland's monstrous turn, making it horror at its finest.

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The Telegraph
20 April 2023 · ★★★★ · Robbie Collin
80

The film is a strong return to the franchise that mixes demonic elements with fresh setting and escalating gore. It succeeds in scaring viewers through strong performances and terrifying effects.

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Time Out
11 April 2023 · ★★★★ · Hanna Flint
80

The film delivers inventive gore and chainsaw action in a claustrophobic apartment setting, with strong performances especially from Alyssa Sutherland as the possessed mother. It's recommended for fans of the franchise's bloody thrills.

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Total Film
11 April 2023 · Jamie Graham
80*

The critic says the franchise is back in gory glory, delivering creative, gruesome kills in a claustrophobic apartment setting that surpasses the 2013 reboot. It praises the contained intensity and overall energy while noting it falls short of the original Raimi entries in humor and camera work.

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The New York Times
21 April 2023 · Jason Zinoman
75*

The critic finds the film a blood-drenched, effective entry in the franchise that shifts the action to an urban high-rise apartment building. It stands out for centering a family story with a tattoo-artist mother turned demon-possessed and a chain-saw-wielding aunt as the funny hero.

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Slant Magazine
22 April 2023 · ★★/4 · Chuck Bowen
50

The critic dismisses it as an anonymous gorefest delivered with monotonous, po-faced earnestness. It singles out the lack of Raimi's gleeful splatter-comic soul, personality, tactile textures, and inventiveness, along with anonymous characters and setting, as the chief flaws.

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Vulture
21 April 2023 · Bilge Ebiri
30*

The critic views it as a desecration of the series' goofy, inventive spirit, settling into a drab possessed-mom chiller. It singles out the lack of new ideas beyond elevated gore and the failure to embrace playful creativity as the main complaint.

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Financial Times
20 April 2023 · ★★☆☆☆ · Leslie Felperin

The movie delivers plenty of gore and franchise staples but feels repetitive without the wit or invention of earlier entries. It will satisfy dedicated fans but lacks broader appeal.

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Screen Daily
18 April 2023

Cronin's confident addition updates the franchise with genuine scares and unapologetic gore in a claustrophobic apartment setting, focusing on motherhood as a bloody nightmare while nodding to the series' roots.

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Sight and Sound
18 April 2023

The critic praises the intense gore and sound design in Lee Cronin's update, which relocates the action to an LA apartment while exploring family tensions through demonic possession. They note it dials down comedy for more unnerving horror.

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The Hollywood Reporter
17 March 2023 · festival review · Lovia Gyarkye

The critic calls it a bloody good homage and effective corrective to the franchise. It highlights the director's twisted mind, strong performances by Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan, plentiful gore, and jittery style as making it a worthy entry.

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Variety
16 March 2023 · festival review · Joe Leydon

The critic calls it an imaginatively scary franchise extension that effectively moves the horror to a rundown Los Angeles apartment building. It is praised for its claustrophobic tension, shocking set pieces, jet-black humor, and strong performances from the lead actresses.

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Digital Spy
17 April 2023 · ★★★★★ · Ian Sandwell
100

Evil Dead Rise is a bloody, funny, and intense revival that successfully expands the franchise without relying on Ash, delivering practical gore and dark humor in spades. Lily Sullivan's Beth emerges as a compelling new heroine in a fresh urban setting.

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NME
20 April 2023 · ★★★★★ · Lou Thomas
100

Cronin's entry is a fast-paced, funny rollercoaster with inventive, savage gore and likable family characters that stand on their own. It pays homage to the series while refreshing the formula with an inner-city setting and doesn't require prior knowledge.

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Collider
19 April 2023 · A- · Marco Vito Oddo
90

The critic calls it a worthy successor that understands the franchise's core appeal and delivers effective scares and gore for both fans and newcomers. The family dynamics and committed cast, especially Alyssa Sutherland as the possessed mother, provide emotional stakes rare in horror.

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/Film
16 March 2023 · 8.5/10 · Jacob Hall
85

The critic calls it the most 'Evil Dead' movie yet, praising its extreme body horror, creature design, and darkly comedic energy that turns family destruction into a wild ride. Cronin is commended for delivering a hyper-violent, funhouse-style tour that stays true to the franchise while making a fresh mark.

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Polygon
21 April 2023 · festival review · Rafael Motamayor
85*

The critic finds it a fantastic update full of unhinged glee, brutal kills, and clever humor that mixes Raimi-style fun with Álvarez-inspired gruesomeness. The shift to a family in an apartment building and Sutherland's standout performance as the Deadite mother add fresh edge and emotional weight.

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Den of Geek
21 April 2023 · ★★½ · Don Kaye
50

The film delivers plentiful gore and some fun, Raimi-style moments but lacks real emotional connection or originality beyond callbacks. It feels like a glossy studio extension of the IP rather than a passionate new entry.

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Deadline
21 April 2023 · Valerie Complex

The critic finds the film a return to form for the franchise, praising its gory, absurd, funny and bleak tone along with strong practical effects, makeup and the cast's physical performances. Some annoyance is noted at standard horror tropes that make characters act foolishly.

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The Wrap
16 March 2023 · festival review

The critic calls the film a bloody and barbaric good time that delivers rivers of blood, unrelenting evil and ingenious weaponry while highlighting strong performances, especially Alyssa Sutherland as the possessed mother. Minor notes include some cheesy lines and it not quite matching the 2013 reboot's shock value.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate