Wow… So…much…blood. Evil Dead Rise is a new addition to the cult horror franchise started by Sam Raimi in 1981 that spawned two sequels a remake and a TV show. The film is not a direct sequel or prequel but just simply advertised as a new addition to the series. The film starts Alyssa Southerland (Ellie), Lilly Sullivan (Beth), Morgan Davies (Danny), Gabriele Echols (Bridget), and Nell Fisher (Cassie), and is directed by Lee Cronin. The film is also produced by Evil Dead veterans Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell. After being on the road working as a guitar technician, Beth goes to see her sister Ellie and her three children ( Danny, Cassie, Bridget), in their high rise apartment in a very rainy Los Angeles to spend some time and get some advice on a pressing issue. After an earthquake, creates a hole in the basement parking garage of the building, Danny discovers a hidden room, with crosses hanging from the ceiling, a record player, paper documents… And a black book that is locked by teeth. After Danny opens the book and plays a recording, translating incantations from the book, all hell breaks loose, and now a family must find a way to survive and escape the apartment from a demon possessed Ellie. Lets get into this blood soaked claustrophobic horror, that’ll make you sick to use a cheese grater for quite some time.

Evil Dead Rise is a total banger of a horror movie. First off the performances from the main 5 characters are all great but particularly Alyssa Southerland as the demon possessed mother is the standout. There are only about 20 minutes or a little bit more where she is playing a normal character, before the evil spirit takes her over and than the majority of her performance becomes ex physical and terrifying as she climbs walls, brutally attacks her family and other tenants in the building, and speaking in different tones. A great deal of credit goes to the makeup department for Rise, to create the terrifying look of Ellie and the gory effects that other characters go through as the horror deepens through the runtime. Lilly Sullivan as the younger sister Beth does a really good job portraying someone trying to reconnect with her sister and family while also struggling to find an escape for herself and her relatives from the horror lurking in their walls. The three younger actors do a great job here as well but one in particular makes a few decisions that may have you throwing your fists in the air but oh well, someone in a horror movie has to be the one who makes the decisions the audience hates. What’s most impressive is that this movie, only has 1 jump scare early on and the rest of the film relies on building heart beating tension and suspense to keep you squirming in your seat. And last but not least… this movie is SUPER, SUPER, SUPER gruesome and violent. Evil Dead Rise might be one of the bloodiest horror movies I have seen in a really longtime and the great part about it, it uses the gore to actually help make the movie even scarier which I have not seen the many horror movies be able to do successfully. The kills in this movie are epic and some of them may have you laughing (I know I did for one of them), and some may have you looking down at the floor waiting for it to be over. Oh yeah and if your someone who is sensitive about kids in peril than be warned, this movie doesn’t give a shit about the kids, I will just leave it at that. There are two sequences that looked like it took a page out of two other horror classics, The Shining, and The Thing, but not directly copying but I enjoyed the thought in my mind when watching it. The great thing about Evil Dead Rise id that you don’t need to be familiar with the rest of the franchise to enjoy it. I went in without seeing any of the previous movies, but after how much fun I had with this one, I am definitely giving them a watch.

Overall Evil Dead Rise is a really solid horror movie and will surely help keep the franchise in the eye of Hollywood, and will surely produce more entries in the future. Horror movies can really be elevated when the cast is solid, and that is the case here with the two female leads. Do not go into this movie if you are not a fan of gore, because the bloodshed is relentless. You have about 30 minutes from when the movie starts to take a breath and get ready, because after that, its no holds barred, and gives you no time to relax…And no one is safe. Definitely check this out if your a fan of the Evil Dead movies or just a fan of horror in general. 9/10.

Nicolas Cage as Dracula? Say no more… Renfield is a new horror/comedy/action film Starring Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), Nicolas Cage (Dracula), and Awkafina (Rebecca Quincy), the film is directed by Chris Mckay. In the early 1920’s, Renfield meets Dracula in hopes to make some type of land deal with him but ends up becoming manipulated by the vampire and becomes his permanent servant, finding him humans to feed on and fighting away his enemies when Dracula is healing from wounds. Feeling a tremendous amount of guilt for kidnapping and murdering people for Dracula, while staying in New Orleans, Renfield goes to a 12 step program for people looking to break out relationships with narcistic individuals. One night after Renfield saves a police officer (Awkafina), and a bar full of people from a local criminal network, Renfield initiates his journey of breaking free from Dracula and starting his life anew. Is it worth watching? Lets get into it.

I would not call this movie a modern masterpiece or anything, but Renfield is just a silly, gory, fun time but does have some issues, but I will start with some of the positives. Well start with what will most likely entice people the most to watch, which is Nicolas Cage as the dark prince. As you can expect, yes he goes all out for it, and it is very entertaining to watch Cage do the role he has previously spoke about wanting to do for so long. A great deal of credit goes to makeup & special effects designer Christian Tinsley for the look of Dracula, especially at different stages of the movie when he is fully formed with pale skin and sharp nails and dentures, and at other times when he is in a bit of a more broken and bloody state. The movie takes advantage of it’s R rating and really goes all the way with it, with multiple fight scenes with Renfield, and Dracula devouring and fighting various people. Bodies literally explode, limbs are ripped off and used as weapons, all kinds of dismemberment, broken bones, throat slashings and waves of blood add to a lot of over the top fun. Nicholas Hoult does a good job as the titular character, an anxious, regretful super powered being trying to right the wrongs of decades of being an accomplice to evil but he maintains the same emotional beats for most of the movie and holds his own without Cage. If you enjoy Awkafina’s previous performances and humor, than you will enjoy her in this as I did for the most part but if her style of comedy is not something you are into, than you may have an issue enjoying the film and the relationship that Hoult and Awkafina build.

Where this movie staggers, is that it feels just a bit bloated. Like I mention above, the movie is loaded with action and violence, and that is mostly due to a plot that involves the character Rebecca taking on a local crime ring, and Renfield and Dracula finding themselves in the middle of it. It really does not add much to the central story outside of just finding people for Renfield to rip to pieces but it doesn’t slow down the movie too much in getting it to where it wants to go. There are a few other side characters in this that are completely disposable and don’t serve much as to add to the movies body count. In addition the movie hints a romance between Renfield and Rebecca, but it is never really explored or acted on much.

Overall Renfield is a light, bloody, fun time, but feels a bit bloated in its story surrounding the relationship between Cage and Hoult. Cages performance and some fun but super gruesome fight scenes kept me entertained and should have you feeling the same if you enjoy the humor and ultraviolence. 7/10.