Many old and new fans are now speculating about the future of the Evil Dead film franchise as Evil Dead Rise approaches. As the story takes a heavier and darker tone, what thrilling experiences can fans expect this time around with the Necronomicon? Let’s explore all we currently know about the series leading up to Evil Dead Rise.
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What is the Evil Dead Series about?
In a world of horror that had always taken itself way too seriously, Evil Dead brought just the right amount of campiness, spiced with just enough horror to be taken seriously by even the most seasoned horror fans. While it would attract an enthusiastic amount of attention at the Cannes Film Festival in 1982, it would not give Raimi the praise he so rightfully deserved at the time.
Luckily, Stephen King was attending the film festival at the time. He would write a rhapsodic review about the film that would not only save the film but also attract the attention of other critics and fans of the horror genre who would have otherwise overlooked this unique horror gem.
While the second installment was made out of pure desperation and would not be the sequel but a more detailed and hilarious retelling of the original concept, it would drive in more interest for a third film in the series. Initially called Medieval Dead, Raimi had trouble piquing the interest of production firms for funding and distribution of the film.
Stephen King would hear of his internal battles once again, which would help him save the beloved series. The movie would be released as Army of Darkness on the big screen, carrying on the illustrious tale of legendary horror heroine Ash Williams, who would be the only character to survive the first two pictures. The film would be a critical success and would make Bruce Campbell one of the most recognizable and accomplished B-horror movie icons to this day.
2013’s Evil Dead would take Evil Dead fans down a different path of horror. One that was not humorous or campy, and one that would not include the favorable appearance of everyone’s beloved protagonist gracing its theater screens, Raimi would adopt a new strategy, returning to the well-known cabin in the woods and the Necronomicon, but with darker and more menacing connotations. Continuing from the first film’s grim finale, which showed Ash’s Oldsmobile deteriorating by the cabin, Evil Dead follows five friends who travel to the remote cabin, where the discovery of the Necronomicon leads to them unintentionally summoning demons in the woods.
While it seemed that all roads would lead to things picking up where 2013’s Evil Dead had left off, building tensions with director Fede Alverez would force Raimi to go in a different direction for the Evil Dead series. Now the famed franchise seems to be taking a similar page from this concept, but with another talented director in Raimi’s latest edition to the Evil Dead series, Evil Dead Rise.
What is Evil Dead Rise about?
Evil Dead Rises’ story will work a bit differently. In contrast to 2013’s Evil Dead, which returned to the beloved cabin setting, this time, the Necronomicon will be unearthed by Beth and Ellie in a Los Angeles apartment building’s basement. Raimi is not unfamiliar with tackling family themes in his film work, but the focus in this story will be different from that of the Evil Dead series. This will also carry on the tradition of a female lead established in 2013’s Evil Dead.
Played by Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland, Beth and Ellie are distant sisters who have not seen each other in a long time. Older sister Ellie is raising three kids on her own when Beth decides to visit her. The reunion is cut short when the two find the Necronomicon in the deep bowels of Ellie’s apartment complex, where things take a dark turn for the worse. Flesh-eating demons abound. It’s up to Beth in a nightmarish battle of survival for herself and Ellie.
While it isn’t uncommon for Raimi these days to be working on other projects with Marvel, Lee Cronin has written the story and directed the film while taking things over from an executive standpoint. While Lee Cronin is fresh in terms of writing and directing, it is not uncommon for Raimi to do this in his newer Evil Dead installments. Other fresh faces such as Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, Nell Fisher, and Mia Challis will also join the cast for Evil Dead Rise.
When will Evil Dead Rise be released?
Although the release of Evil Dead Rising is set for April of this year, fresh new evidence of the new horror film has appeared in the guise of a poster and a new intriguing teaser via Twitter. “Mommy Loves You To Death” is bannered over the image of actress Ellie cuddling her two children while sporting an eerie grin. To keep the momentum going, Bruce Campbell would share a 20-second teaser of the film, showcasing a child looking through the peephole of a door at what looked to be the mother, Ellie. She replies to her mother, “You don’t look so good, mommy,” as viewers peer into the peephole with the child to look at a possessed Ellie.
In the first featured trailer, two teenagers are shown finding the cursed Necronomicon in the depths of their apartment building. Opening the book awakens the malevolent evil within, possessing the mother and all of the apartment’s residents and transforming them into Deadites. Colored with the nostalgic blood, gore, and dismemberment hardcore fans of the franchise have come to expect from the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Rise seems like it will deliver on all fronts when it hits theaters this spring.
Evil Dead Rise will be released in theaters on April 23rd.
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