In Evil Dead Rise, the fifth installment of the Evil Dead film franchise that began in 1981, director Lee Cronin moves the supernatural horror story from the creepy, remote woods and into an apartment building in Los Angeles.
There, Beth (Lily Sullivan) visits her estranged sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and her three children when the iconic Book of the Dead is once again unearthed.
The Current caught up with Cronin, Sullivan and Sutherland to talk about the blood-soaked sequel and the kinds of horror movies that terrified them as kids. Evil Dead Rise premieres in theaters nationwide on April 21.
Lee, what attracted you to join this horror franchise as a writer and director?
Lee Cronin: I think what interested me was that it was a big departure from my last movie, The Hole in the Ground, which was a quieter, slower and psychological horror. But I love all aspects of the horror genre. So, when I thought about what I might do in the Evil Dead world, I was quickly drawn to the idea of doing something that would subvert some expectations and change up the setting and the context and the characters. I wanted to bring a new chapter to life that would make fans really happy. I wanted to bring a new audience in who maybe hadn't experienced an Evil Dead movie before.
What is your earliest horror movie memory, and how did that impact you as a kid?
LC: It was Jaws and watching it for the first time when I was very young — about six or seven. It was the first time I ever got scared by a piece of entertainment. It had all been rainbows and fun times and cartoons up to that point. And then it was like, "Oh, wait a minute, you can get scared when you watch stuff on TV." It made a big impression. I think I was afraid to go to the bathroom for many nights afterwards because I was scared of anywhere where there was water. So, the bathroom was off limits.
Lily Sullivan: For me, it would be The Shining and The Descent and Sleepy Hollow, which growing up scared the hell out of me.
Alyssa Sutherland: That was creepy. For me, it was the original It. My sister watched it at a slumber party that she had. I was younger, and neither my brother or I should have seen it. [Pennywise's] head popping up in the drain at the streetlight burned into my brain.
The Shining as a kid, Lily? That's intense.
LS: That one was during my teenage years, but my mom would make me watch all the horror movies with her. If she didn't get a babysitter, she would just take me to [the movie theater]. My mom was obsessed. Her nighttime stories were all horror and death.
Alyssa, have you gotten over your fear of scary clowns yet?
AS: Hell no. I don't think I'm ever going to get over that. Clowns are just scary no matter what. We're all in agreement with that.
Lee, what do you think the benefit is of moving the story out of the forest and into a city?
LC: I think it creates a different type of tension. It's not so much about bringing it into the city as it is about bringing it into the family home. The top floor of an apartment in Los Angeles couldn't be further from a cabin in the woods. It was about bringing it into the home where everybody is surrounded by things that they're already familiar with — the comforts and the trappings of home, which is very different to being in a strange place or in a creepy cabin.
This film is the fifth movie of a franchise that began more than 40 years ago. There's also, of course, the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead that ran for three seasons. What is it about this franchise that keeps people coming back for more?
LS: It's not afraid to get wild and weird. It can keep rebirthing itself. There's an empowerment and freedom [that's comparable to] the beginning of independent filmmaking in the horror genre. I think there's a level of respect that you have to give Evil Dead just for its history. It's fun, and it's twisted.
LC: I think people like the experience of a horror thrill ride at the cinema. There hasn't been a movie like this in quite some time. So, I think it feels very fresh right now. There's some insane action and horror. I think there's definitely room for more [movies] because the evil is kind of unstoppable. In the Evil Dead universe, that force is hard to shut down.
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