Releasing in theaters this week is Evil Dead Rise (2023), the fifth film in the Evil Dead franchise. Set in a soon-to-be demolished Los Angeles apartment building, Evil Dead Rise tells the story of a family reunion between two estranged sisters that is abruptly cut short when flesh-possessing demons crash the party. Filmed in New Zealand, Evil Dead Rise features a cast of Australian and New Zealand talent in a bloody fight for survival as hell macabre and murderous is unleashed upon a family.
Here's the official synopsis and read on for our guide to the cast and characters of Evil Dead Rise below:
Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, EVIL DEAD RISE (directed by Lee Cronin) tells the twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
Evil Dead Rise
R
A twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
- Director
- Lee Cronin
- Release Date
- April 21, 2023
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
Lily Sullivan as Beth
Lily Sullivan stars as Beth, a guitar technician and roadie who, after receiving life-changing news, shows up unexpectedly at the doorstep of her estranged sister Ellie’s rundown Los Angeles apartment. It doesn’t take long, however, for this family reunion to be interrupted by the presence of horrid flesh-possessing demons who are hellbent on tearing Lily and her family apart, both figuratively and literally.
Australian actress Lily Sullivan made her film debut in 2012 alongside Toni Collette in the P.J. Hogan-directed Mental, for which Sullivan received an AACTA Award nomination for Best Young Actor. Sullivan would next star in the Daniel Radcliffe-led survival thriller Jungle, going on to land main roles in acclaimed TV adaptations of Australian film classics Romper Stomper and Picnic at Hanging Rock. Sullivan will next be seen in the science fiction mystery Monolith, which had its official world premiere at the 2023 SXSW Festival.
In a conversation with Collider's Perri Nemiroff, Sullivan talked about her personal priorities when introducing Beth to viewers in the first act of the film. Here's what she said:
“I think what I really resonated with Beth is this idea of a person full of movement and the sacrifice of this movement, this lifestyle, this guilt and lack of responsibility yet freedom and loneliness, and kind of exploring all of those mixed feelings of wanting something but not being able to have one and the other, you know what I mean? She's burnt out, disconnected. She's found herself with that lack of home and Ellie represents that and has found herself in a place of sort of guilt. It was just nice to have all of that in me, in my body work in the sheepishness of Beth, so then she has somewhere to go in regard to stepping up. And then the scrappy hero arrives.”
Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie
Alyssa Sutherland stars as Ellie, a recently divorced mother of three children who is anxiously counting down the days until her rundown apartment building will be torn down. When her estranged sister Lily unexpectedly turns up at her door, their family reunion is interrupted when homicidal flesh-possessing demons ensnare Ellie in their bloody grasp, resulting in a night of unrelenting horror for her family.
After a successful modeling career, Australian actress Alyssa Sutherland transitioned to an equally successful career in film and TV, beginning with a small role in The Devil Wears Prada. Sutherland's breakthrough role was that of Queen Aslaug on the History Channel series Vikings. Sutherland would next star in the TV adaptation of the Stephen King horror science fiction thriller The Mist, before returning to Australia to star in the vampire war movie Blood Vessel and the historical miniseries New Gold Mountain. Sutherland will next be seen in the crime drama The Mental State.
Talking to Collider, Sutherland revealed her dos and don'ts for playing a deadite. First, the dos:
“One do is to do it with Lee Cronin. Do it with Lee Cronin. The stuff that he wrote for Ellie was so wonderful, and scary stuff to work with. The first time I read ‘mommy’s with the maggots now’ I was like, ‘Oh dear, that's going to be requiring some real thought,’ because what a trap and I do not want to fall into the trap. It's like you have to go away from the obvious with lines like that. So work with Lee Cronin, and his taste mirrors my taste when it comes to performances. We were always on the same page.”
And as for the don’t, you could say her answer was both obvious and appropriate:
“The don’t as a deadite — don’t take it too seriously. Don’t. It's an Evil Dead film. It is meant to be fun. It's meant to be entertaining and what a privilege to be part of a franchise like that. It's a pretty neat place to be.”
Related:Is ‘Evil Dead Rise’ a Remake, Sequel, Reboot, or What?
Morgan Davies as Danny
Morgan Davies stars as Danny, Ellie's oldest child whose "do first, think second" mentality often lands him in trouble. When an earthquake reveals a hidden room filled with crucifixes in his rundown Los Angeles apartment building, Danny finds in it a mysterious book made of human skin containing strange writings and illustrations inked in blood. Danny will soon find out that this book is a gateway to Hell which brings from it a macabre and insatiable evil that targets his family.
Morgan Davies’ acting career began as a child in the Australian-made films The Tree alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg, and The Hunter, which starred Willem Dafoe. Next came a main role in the TV series The Devil’s Playground, before landing a key role in the Starz drama The Girlfriend Experience.
Gabrielle Echols as Bridget
Gabrielle Echols stars as Bridget, the middle child who is also the most pragmatic of Ellie’s brood and has a strong sense of protectiveness for her younger sister Kassie. When her older brother Danny inadvertently unleashes a horde of flesh-possessing demons, Gabriele tries to shield Kassie from the horrors inflicted upon her family.
An accomplished ballet dancer and singer, Gabrielle Echols made her film debut alongside Hugh Jackman in the science fiction mystery Reminiscence.
Nell Fisher as Kassie
Nell Fisher stars as Kassie, the youngest of Ellie’s children, who has a big imagination and can be very brave at times, if not a little weird. When her mother becomes possessed by a homicidal flesh-consuming demon, Kassie finds it hard to separate the mother she remembers from the monster she has become.
Young actress Nell Fisher made her debut in the post-apocalyptic action film Northspur, before landing a role in the New Zealand crime series My Life is Murder starring Lucy Lawless. Nell will next be seen in the Netflix romantic comedy Choose Love.
Other actors set to appear in Evil Dead Rise include Jayden Daniels as Gabriel, Mark Mitchinson as Mr. Fonda, Anna-Maree Thomas as Jessica, Richard Crouchley as Caleb, Mirabai Pease as Teresa, Billy Reynolds-McCarthy as Jake, and Tai Wano as Scott, alongside Bruce Campbell in a cameo role as the recorded voice of an unnamed priest.
