Evil Dead Rise is a faithful follow-up to the original Evil Dead movies, and one scene involving a cheese grater is just as disgusting as anything in the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy. The series began in 1981 with the cult classic The Evil Dead, and then leaned into comedy with the just-as-classic follow-ups, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. Evil Dead Rise follows those movies and pays homage to them in a typically gruesome fashion. Evil Dead Rise is just as funny, but is arguably way more gruesome, vulgar, and disgusting than any of the previous films, especially because of the infamous Evil Dead Rise cheese grater scene.
The Evil Dead movie franchise has seemingly been on hiatus for a decade, as the last entry in the series was the polarizing reboot, 2013's Evil Dead, which almost entirely dropped the series' trademark humor. However, Evil Dead Rise brings back that signature element in spades, as multiplexes have become filled with screams and laughter, sometimes even as a result of the same shot. One of those very scenes involved a cheese grater, which was hyped up by the cast and crew leading up to its release, and the stomach-churning moment totally paid off.
Yes, Evil Dead Rise's Cheese Grater Scene Is Just As Gross As Expected
The Evil Dead Rise cheese grater appeared in the trailer, but it wasn't clear what its actual role was going to be in the movie. In an interview with Empire, director Lee Cronin explained his choice behind the grater, noting, “They always terrify me for cooking, because it feels so easy that you could lose some knuckles. When I was creating the movie, I was just thinking about something… not to say it hasn’t been used before, but I haven’t seen it personally.” And while none of the characters' knuckles were harmed by the cheese grater in Evil Dead Rise, the actual scene involved it is somehow even worse.
After Bridget displays the now lethal weapon by raising it above her head, she slams it onto Beth's leg, pushes it against her skin, and scrapes it all the way down to her ankle. Cronin understandably has a fitting name for the sequence, explaining in the Empire interview that “It’s what I like to call the 'leg-guine’ scene.” What makes the scene even worse is that it's simply a small kitchen appliance, but one that plenty will have had the same intrusive thoughts about. That's why the Evil Dead Rise cheese grater scene cuts much deeper compared to the other goriest Evil Dead Rise moments.
One Evil Dead Rise Detail Makes The Cheese Grater Scene Even Worse
The absolute worst thing about the scene is that, while it is a Deadite who commits the act, it isn't a grown adult. Instead, it's Beth's possessed niece Bridget. In a lot of ways, Beth is way scarier than the main villain, Ellie, simply because she is so young. The best thing Evil Dead Rise pulls off with the child actors is showing that nobody is safe from Deadites. It's a brave move from Cronin to not only kill off young characters, but even have them turn into Deadites and commit terrifying acts, and the Evil Dead Rise cheese grater scene is the perfect example of that.
How The Cheese Grater Scene Was Filmed
The Evil Dead Rise cheese grater scene was inspired by one of director Lee Cronin's trips to the kitchen, which led him to think, "Where's the gnarliest place that this could be used?' There was something about the back of the calf that felt particularly icky." According to Cronin, it was also fun but challenging to shoot. "It's one of those scenes where it's in a tight space between two characters. There's obviously a variety of beats of performance and action, and attack and defend. When you're in a really tight space like that, you've just got to get your marks so right," explained Cronin (via Entertainment Weekly).
"It looks quite simple: someone's at a counter, someone walks in, someone gets down. But getting all of that to feel authentic and right, and for it to have the impact that I wanted, I think we [had] like three days shooting that sequence alone in the kitchen." Cronin also explained that the scene was prompted by him wanting a more visceral element outside the physical struggle between Beth and Bridget - something to make it more memorable. The scene is a worthy contribution to the Evil Dead franchise's long history of standout moments and there's no doubt that the cheese grater "leg-guine" will be staying rent-free inside audiences' minds for years.
