Horror’s most unkillable franchise is as groovy as it’s ever been.

In a bloodied sea of horror mediocrity, it can often be hard for any decent film to make their screams heard. Some of the greats are undeniable and will always cut through, yet just as many find themselves drowned out by horror’s haunting din. Then there are those that yell “fuck that”, grab a chainsaw, and rip the genre a new one.

Although Evil Dead may not be the most lucrative horror franchise going, there’s a very good case to be made that it’s one of the genre’s most influential. Over the course of four decades, the Evil Dead series has battered and bludgeoned its way into the hearts and minds of horror fans across the world, leaving an indelible mark on the genre and influencing a new generation of bloodthirsty filmmakers as it went.

With the remarkable knack of avoiding the level of overexposure that’s killed off so many of its horror kin, the Evil Dead franchise has not only survived but thrived. With at least one decent quality outing every decade since its inception, the franchise has continued to make its presence felt without ever overstaying its welcome.

But - and this is a big, bloody but - after 2013’s solid, if unspectacular, Evil Dead resurrection, can the franchise truly cut through within a modern horror scene that gets more and more crowded by the minute?

Paying a long overdue visit to her older sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), road weary guitar tech and soon to be mum Beth (Lily Sullivan) finds her reunion cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep within the bowels of Ellie’s crumbling apartment block. When this book gives rise to flesh-possessing demons, Beth is thrust into a primal battle for survival as she’s faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.

Honestly, there has never been anything in the horror genre quite like Evil Dead. Across numerous films and a television show, the series has been the nastiest, gnarliest, and downright funniest horrors in the game.

As decent as it was, 2013’s reboot/legacyquel/requel Evil Dead never quite hit the insane horror heights of its predecessors, leaving the lingering question of whether the franchise had enough gas left in its chainsaw to keep Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s batshit spirit going. However, if Evil Dead Rise is anything to go by, it’s safe to say the franchise is very much alive and kicking.

Where that Evil Dead reboot only managed to go so far with its humour and gnarliness, Evil Dead Rise takes the blood-soaked ball and runs with it, quelling any doubts that this franchise has what it takes to hit its own lofty expectations once again.

The bare minimum you ask from any Evil Dead entry is nastiness, and Rise, as one might expect, has that in spades. As it gleefully channels the bloody, brutal energy of its forbearers, Rise picks things up after a relatively slow start and goes right for the gut (and any other body part it can get its hands on for that matter).

While it may lack the pitch-perfect pitch-black humour that the original Evil Dead trilogy made its own, Rise has no problem matching its sheer guttural horror. Whether it’s a needle to the eye, a chainsaw to the face, or a cheese grater to the leg, this film is as gloriously disgusting as anything that went before.

Although the film’s relocation from the woods to a Los Angeles apartment block jars a little at first, it’s not long before it feels like home. Much like the creepy cabin before it, the cramped, rotting confines of Ellie’s LA apartment are the perfect host for all the evilness Rise has in store for us.

It also does a fine job of opening up the Evil Dead world in a way that differentiates it from what went before while offering a nice tease for where it could all go in the future. With the appearance of an all-new Necronomicon and a little bulk added to its back story, Evil Dead Rise feels somewhat grander in its ambitions without undermining the cramped, claustrophobic horror that has carried this franchise so far.

Of course, it depends on how well Rise does financially, however, with the door very much left ajar for future instalments, there really are all manner of directions the Evil Dead franchise could go from here. Yet, whatever road it takes, they’re probably going to want to take better characters with them.

For all the grisly greatness that Evil Dead Rise offers, its characters are, unfortunately, where things take a dip. Ranging from bland to idiotic, like its predecessor, there’s just nothing there with most of the characters, and despite a good showing from Lily Sullivan as Beth and the demonically delightful post-possession performances from Alyssa Sutherland et al, there’s something distinctly lacking from the group.

The inclusion of children is certainly interesting and adds an edge to proceedings, however, it doesn’t take long for them to descend into the kind of thunderously dumb horror cliché we’ve seen a million times before. Sullivan comes as close as the film gets to replicating the chaotic, badass energy of Bruce Campbell’s Ash, yet with a franchise in possession of as gnarly a personality as this, you’d hope for a little more substance across the board.

Despite this distinct lack of character, Evil Dead Rise is a grotesquely good time from start to finish. Like Fede Álvarez before him, director Lee Cronin just gets it, effortlessly channelling the rambunctious spirit of Sam Raimi to put on a display of visually visceral cinematic violence you rarely see from modern mainstream horror.

Taking big chunks from every Evil Dead entry that went before while finding time to nod to the wider horror world, Cronin has a firm grasp on the genre and, more specifically, what it is that makes this franchise tick. With an end product that’s both comfortingly (or should that be disturbingly?) familiar and refreshingly new, Cronin crafts a squelching, gnawing, all-encompassing horror experience that pays tribute to its predecessors while keeping one bloodied eye firmly on the future.

Offering long-term fans more than enough to sink their teeth into while laying a solid foundation for the franchise’s future, Evil Dead Rise is a heady horror experience like no other. Squelchy, scrungy, and positively drenched in blood, Evil Dead Rise is an unstoppable force with Lee Cronin delivering a viscus visual treat that rises above its characters’ faults and plotting cliches to once again prove that Evil Dead still knows how to groove.

Evil Dead Rise is in cinemas now.