Reviving Horror: The Making of Evil Dead Rise

A return to the iconic horror franchise, “Evil Dead Rise,” is presented by New Line Cinema and Renaissance Pictures. The film is both written and directed by Lee Cronin, and the cast includes Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, and Nell Fisher in her debut role.

The story takes place in the city and centers around two estranged sisters, portrayed by Sullivan and Sutherland. Their reunion is short-lived as flesh-possessing demons rise, plunging them into a primal fight for survival against a nightmare-inducing family.

Produced by Rob Tapert, a longtime producer of the franchise, and executive produced by Sam Raimi, the series creator and horror icon, along with Bruce Campbell, the cult legend and “Ash” himself. John Keville, Macdara Kelleher, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Romel Adam, and Victoria Palmeri also serve as executive producers.

The cult classic “The Evil Dead,” which originated in 1981, has spawned a devoted fanbase that spans generations and a long-lasting intellectual property. In 2018, Sam Raimi met with studio executives to pitch an eagerly awaited new film in the franchise. Raimi aimed to create something new theatrically that would expand the storytelling and leverage the existing property.

Rob Tapert remembers that the studio executives were excited by the idea of moving the story into an urban environment, which would be a departure from what had been done before. The producers also wanted to create a female-driven story that would differentiate the new “Evil Dead” from previous incarnations.

Bruce Campbell explains that the success of previous “Evil Dead” projects was a significant factor in deciding to bring the franchise back. The fans’ insatiable demand for more “Evil Dead” was a beautiful thing, and the producers wanted to deliver. Lee Cronin was brought in to write the script, and the development process began. The team decided to shoot the movie in New Zealand, where they found excellent crews to support Cronin’s vision. The producers’ goal was to give Cronin creative freedom to realize his vision, resulting in a great experience for everyone involved.

According to Sam Raimi, Lee Cronin delved deeper into the characters than previous “Evil Dead” movies. While the first three movies focused on comedy and Bruce Campbell’s ability to perform slapstick and broad comedy, Cronin takes the characters to the next level.

Lee Cronin, an Irish writer and director, met with Sam and his development team after premiering his debut feature, “The Hole in the Ground,” at Sundance in 2019. During their meeting, they discussed various projects, and Cronin left an impression on them, leading to a discussion about what he would do with the “Evil Dead” lore and where he could take it.

Growing up, Cronin was familiar with the landmark horror franchise, having watched “The Evil Dead” and “Evil Dead II” on VHS at the age of nine. The experience of watching the movies during a storm that caused a power outage left an indelible mark on him, and he revisited them in his teenage years.

As Cronin started to build his film career, he recalls thinking that he would love to make an “Evil Dead” movie or be involved in the franchise’s universe. His wish would come true a few years later when he was brought on to write and direct “Evil Dead Rise.”

The heart of the film revolves around a family, and it was essential to the team to create characters that felt grounded and relatable. Cronin wanted the family to “breathe real” and have a realistic home, rather than the typical extravagant houses seen in horror movies. The family’s city apartment is old, lived-in, and due for demolition.

 In addition to the supernatural elements, the family is also experiencing tensions that add fuel to the growing fire. Director of photography Garbett was dedicated to getting the most out of every shot and worked hard to achieve a balance between makeup, prosthetics, interactive lighting, VFX, and camera movement. The team aimed to avoid relying on visual effects and used a motion control rig and other techniques to build multiple layers with actors, stunt performers, and prosthetics.

The shots were bespoke and unique, with every frame composed to serve a specific purpose in the story. For the hallway shots, which reveal the horrific events in the film, Cronin and Garbett developed a unique perspective. They wanted to depict the horror that could be just outside our doors in today’s world of small living spaces. The peephole point-of-view captures the chaos and violence taking place just outside the family’s doorstep, where blood, guts, and limbs replace the welcome mat.

To support Cronin’s cinematic storytelling, the production provided him with the latest technology on set, including cutting-edge cameras and sound equipment. According to Raimi, they had never mixed an “Evil Dead” movie in 7.1 Dolby before. Garbett, the director of photography, describes Cronin as a deliberate storyteller who strives for perfection, guiding the viewer through the film and delivering frights at the right moments. 

He wanted the film to have a dark and beautiful elegance, grounded in reality but heightened in feel. The naturalism of the film is amplified by the copious amounts of blood that characters exude, encounter and are engulfed by. Special effects supervisor Brendan Durey was responsible for the blood effects, along with makeup FX and prosthetics designer Luke Polti, if needed. Durey’s company has a long history of working on Tapert productions, dating back to the 1990s.

Danny, the character played by Davies, experiences some unfortunate changes after becoming a Deadite, requiring hours of prosthetic makeup and “blood tests.” Despite being a horror fan and already desensitized to the gore on set, Davies found it fascinating how quickly dismembered body parts and gore became normal. He even tried to keep his prosthetic arm as a souvenir. To enhance the film’s immersive environment, director Lee Cronin enlisted horror fan and composer Stephen McKeon to create a layered score. McKeon recorded a large amount of material and added taunting sounds and vocal effects from two female vocalists to give the impression of something offscreen enjoying the characters’ suffering.

Cronin tasked composer Stephen McKeon with creating a score for “Evil Dead Rise” that was visceral, immersive, and emotional, while also developing a signature sound. McKeon initially drew inspiration from Beth’s character as a guitar tech, incorporating sounds of guitar feedback, strings being ripped with knives, and other unusual effects. Ultimately, they settled on a signature sound called “the meat grinder,” created by dragging carving knives along a grand piano’s strings.

McKeon took a non-traditional approach to composing for the orchestra and female chorus, using extended techniques and descriptions with durations instead of standard musical notation to create an element of randomness and chaos. For example, McKeon instructed the 50-plus string players to “rage for 15 seconds.” This approach required the musicians to respond emotionally, resulting in a score that maximized the visceral effect.

To enhance the score’s effect, McKeon recorded the sounds of various stringed and percussion instruments being tortured, broken, and dismembered. These recordings were then manipulated and incorporated into the score to create a screaming, terrifying effect.

Despite not enduring the same level of torment as McKeon’s instruments, the “Evil Dead Rise” cast faced its own set of challenges. As someone who has been involved in the franchise since its inception, Bruce Campbell advises actors entering the “Evil Dead” universe to be patient and resilient, as it will test them like nothing else.

The production involved harnesses, prosthetics, long hours, and emotionally traumatic scenes, especially for the child actors who had to be terrified and crying on cue. Nonetheless, Campbell praises the cast for their talent and resilience, and he expects they will look back on the experience as rewarding once they see the finished product. He notes that the cast of the original “The Evil Dead” movie didn’t speak to the filmmakers for six months after wrap, but they eventually came around and appreciated the final result.