The latest installment in the popular Evil Dead horror franchise, Evil Dead Rise, set a new standard for practical effects by utilizing over 1,700 gallons of fake blood throughout filming. Directed by Lee Cronin, the movie relies heavily on realistic gore to deliver frights, especially in its infamous extended elevator scene containing roughly 1,585 gallons alone.
While short of the 50,000 gallons reportedly used in a single scene for the 2013 reboot, Evil Dead Rise still represented a major commitment to practical effects. An industrial kitchen was needed to produce the massive amounts of fake blood demanded by the production. According to Cronin, capturing the elevator sequence in an uncut take was an impressive feat that could not have been accomplished with computer-generated effects.
Setting itself apart from earlier Evil Dead movies through its urban location in a dilapidated Los Angeles apartment building, Evil Dead Rise presents the series’ signature blend of horror and dark humor against a fresh backdrop. The story focuses on a mother, Ellie, becoming possessed by demons unleashed from the Necronomicon book. Her pregnant sister Beth then fights to protect Ellie’s children from their possessed relative and the spreading evil.
The film explores deeper themes of motherhood anxieties and fracturing family bonds through its climactic “Marauder” monster – a grotesque manifestation of possessed loved ones representing both the literal and symbolic destruction of the family unit by supernatural forces. While paying homage to the franchise origins, Cronin’s direction also takes the series in new directions through this reimagining. The commercial success of Evil Dead Rise suggests audiences remain drawn to the unique marriage of over-the-top gore and psychological scares the property is known for.
As fans continue digesting and dissecting Evil Dead Rise, one thing is clear – the movie leaves an unforgettable, blood-drenched mark on the genre, proving excessive carnage can be an asset for cinematic chills when done right.
