Evil Dead Rise - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (European SteelBook)

As a long-time student of the Deadites, I don’t really have too much more to add to Bryan’s review of Evil Dead Rise. I had a ball with it. Sure, the lack of up-front action with Bruce Cambell (even though he did some voice work and was a heavily involved producer) was a bummer, but director Lee Cronin managed the nigh-impossible task of not only making a very entertaining and worthwhile Evil Dead film, but he successfully moved the action out of the cabin, paid homage to the films and series that came before, and also brilliantly expanded the canonical reach of the franchise. Releasing the film to theaters instead of streaming was one of the few good maneuvers Warner Bros. has made in the last year with the film blowing past $100 million global for the franchises’ biggest box office draw to date. And the news that Sam Raimi is actively working on a franchise “bible” for future films (a Bruce Campbell return not ruled out!), there’s a lot of life left in these Deadites, plenty of gas in the chainsaw, and tons of ammo in the boomstick! 

For full thoughts check out Bryan’s Evil Dead Rise 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review:

It's always a great day when there is another installment in the iconic and bloody Evil Dead franchise. Everybody thought that Army of Darkness was going to be the final tale back in 1993, but luckily a revival remake in 2013 solidified the horror icon's status with modern audiences and prompted a three season tv series with the original cast of the main trilogy returning in their full glory. With a new take and perspective on the subject matter, Evil Dead Rise succeeds in its grim, horror, and bloody take on the material while paying homage to the previous films all while feeling fresh and original.

For his first big main feature film, Lee Cronin is assisted by Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell, and the Raimi brothers in making sure this Evil Dead Rise movie is scary, bloody, and gobs of fun while introducing new characters and settings. Usually, these films take place in a remote cabin with adults looking for a small romantic getaway. With this new sibling successor, the location is transported to a condemned high-rise building in Los Angeles with young kids the primary focus of the ensuing carnage. These elements haven't really been fully explored before in this realm, but Cronin keeps its pacing tight and the horror at an all-time high throughout the movie.

Instead of focusing on the one man-god Bruce Campbell or somebody similar, Evil Dead Rise follows a single mother named Ellie who has three kids and is all living in a soon-to-be demolished high-rise apartment. The tattoo artist's money isn't rolling in, which is where the kids try and make any money they can to help out. Ellie's sister Beth comes to visit when an earthquake rattles Los Angeles and creates a hole underneath their high-rise. One of the children explores the hole and finds a crusty old book, some ancient artifacts, and some records, which of course, invite the horror to come.

From here, survival is the word as demonic possession, decapitations, bodily dismemberment, and more gory murders are seen. And if anyone knows how gross the Evil Dead franchise can be in terms of blood, guts, flesh, and muscle - there is no shortage of any of those things on display in Evil Dead Rise. The family dynamic and the three kids are all enjoyable to watch and are not the usual comedic tropes. They all have something a little different to their characters. Things that seem more natural and realistic in this day and age. The gore is practical and fantastic, which will delight the horror hounds completely, and there is never a shortage of it.

One aspect of the original Evil Dead trilogy and even the TV series is the addition of humor and dark comedy to the horror that surrounds this franchise. It's a staple and quite iconic when watching this franchise. But for some reason, the previous installment and now this film leaves out that comedy completely. Sure there are some awkward laughs, but the lack of any humor makes this movie feel like any other demonic possession movie. The Evil Dead franchise is separated from those films because of the comedy. Hopefully, a future installment will explore some of those comedic additions and stray away from complete darkness and brooding terror so it will feel more like an Evil Dead that's welcomed back home.

The cast does a great job with the delivery and physical demands that these roles bring. Especially the role of Ellie who is put through the ringer from start to finish. And for those that are looking out for Bruce Campbell - that wish will be granted in a pitch-perfect way that might cause this film to be in a multi-verse of sorts. Evil Dead Rise is a fun, horror film with rivers of blood, carnage, and scares. It's a worthy addition to the franchise that sets up more films. Hopefully, the next go-around will examine the dark comedy that these films have delivered so well before.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Where Warner Bros. handled the release of Evil Dead Rise on 4K and Blu-ray here in the States, StudioCanal took over U.K. and European releases. Not only did they get the standard artwork, but they also picked up a stylish exclusive two-disc SteelBook. After swallowing the soul of my disappointment with the "meh" domestic release, I jumped at the chance to order this SteelBook (Thanks DiabolikDVD!). A two-disc set, the 4K version sports a Region Free BD-66 disc with a Region B locked BD-50 saved for the 1080p run. The 4K disc isn’t identical to the domestic release, no Warner Bros. logos at startup and there’s actually an animated spyhole intro before getting to the main menu. 

I have the other films with SteelBooks so I felt obliged to gather this one into the collection. Maybe not as unique artistically as Scream Factory’s Army of Darkness 4K SteelBook or Lionsgate’s Evil Dead/Evil Dead II SteelBook or even Sony’s previous Blu-ray-only SteelBook for Evil Dead (2013) - but I liked the creepy vibes of that clawed come-hither finger. The back artwork isn’t all that impressive, and neither is the inside art since it’s identical to the two discs, but I love the detail of the cheesegrater on the spine! That’s what I want to see in Evil Dead artwork!

Looking at both releases side-by-side they sport virtually identical transfers with nearly identical bitrates. The peaks and valleys are almost the same, but it does look like this release has the cleaner encode with a slightly higher Mbps average - not enough though to make a distinctive difference though. If they’re not spot on, this runs up maybe 5-10 higher. Regardless of bitrates, the film still scores an excellent HDR10 transfer that I have no complaints about. Sure, Dolby Vision would have been great, but this disc as is holds its own beautifully.

Here’s Bryan’s thoughts:

Evil Dead Rise comes to 4K with a 2160p UHD 4K transfer with HDR enhancement. This is a visually stylized movie with many dark contrasts and low lighting levels to perfect that haunted and demonic look. It succeeds in those arenas where other movies might fail.

The key ingredients to the color wheel here are fiery oranges and cooler blue and green tints. There isn't much in between with the rare exception of some green trees and oceans of red blood that splash everywhere. But those sequences that come with fire or interior lighting have a wonderful amber glow that looks nostalgic and decayed. Darker sequences are bathed in a blueish-green filter that has a moldy texture that keeps the tone within its aesthetic. The HDR gives these stylized colors, including the variations of red blood some great depth of detail that will be distinguishable with many shades of blue, amber, and red. The biggest improvement between the 1080p version and this 4K transfer is the black levels. Here, there are completely inky and rich without zero crush or murky shadows, whereas the Blu-ray counterpart might have some of those issues crop up. The skin tones are a little darker than usual, but that's a stylistic choice and not something to do with the transfer.

The detail is rather sharp and vivid throughout, even within the dark confines of these locations. The bloody veins, muscles, flesh, and decaying body parts all reveal their natural and gory gruesomeness. Closeups come with individual hairs, practical makeup applications, beads of sweat and blood, and more. Wider shots never cross into a soft territory and reveal those great textures in props and the wardrobe. There are no issues with banding, aliasing, or heavy noise here either. This is a great-looking horror movie that thrives in the darkness.

Likewise, the same excellent wall-to-wall immersive demo-worthy Atmos audio track is back. From the drip-drip-drip of the storms to the bombastic LFE of the Book of the Dead recording to the intense Deadite attack sequences, there’s never a quiet or dull moment in this film!

Again, here’s Bryan’s thoughts:

This release delivers a demo-worthy Dolby Atmos track that hits hard right from the start. Dolby Atmos tracks are bred for action and horror, and Evil Dead Rise utilizes both genres. Those sound effects are loud, well-balanced, and extremely robust. The excellent cold open shatters expectations throughout the surround speakers with an incredible low-end of bass. Scenes that involve supernatural elements, along with some natural exterior sounds are simply exquisite. Those demonic voices are haunting with the different octaves coming through nicely and the crunching and smattering of bone and flesh sound gooey and perfect.

The bigger moments with fire and the climactic sequence toward the end of the film are flawless which allows for the natural reverb and spacious echoes that are used. The bass is booming with amazing rumbles and the height speakers rain down weather, voices, and other pieces of debris and haunting effects amazingly. This is one of those rare mixes that builds the dread and scares within its own sound effects and score. The dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow. There are no problems here.

In what’s becoming a frustrating trend with Warner Bros. pulling back on legacy extras, or in the case of Evil Dead Rise not offering any at all, StudioCanal whips out its Kandarian Dagger offering to kill the U.S. release by offering fans a couple of actual genuine on-disc bonus features! Compared to other Evil Dead disc releases, yeah, this isn’t the most ambitious assortment, but hey, at least there are some and what we get is pretty great! The short film Ghost Train is solid enough on its own, but the big draw for fans will be the audio commentary. It may not be as raucous as some of the cast and crew commentaries of the first films, but Cronin holds his own detailing the complex shoot while never failing to highlight the little franchise Easter Eggs peppered into the film. Very little dead or downtime, he gives an engaging and informative scene-specific commentary. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Lee Cronin
• Ghost Train Short Film (HD 16:56)

Depending on how you feel about the franchise, Evil Dead Rise may be either the fourth or fifth-best film of the series - those first three will always be tops. Going into the film I wanted something familiar but also fresh and different. I didn’t want to see Evil Dead 2013 again (as much as I love that one too). Lee Cronin brilliantly gave fans the gore and gruesomely dark comedy while changing the setting away from the cabin and expanding the lore all in one go. Now on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, fans have a clearer choice for owning this latest installment. After being disappointed with the bonus feature-less domestic release, I jumped for the U.K. SteelBook from StudioCanal. Not only does it have some slick artwork, but this set actually has on-disc bonus feature content. Maybe not a vast selection, but it’s better than the nothing we got and the commentary is well worth the listen. For those who haven’t taken the plunge for owning this one yet, Recommended For Import