WhenEvil Dead Risearrives in theaters on April 21st, 2023, it’ll be the fifth cinematic installment of the franchise launched by filmmaker Sam Raimi and his producing partner Rob Tapert. Released to festivals in 1981 and theatrically in 1983, the firstEvil Deadwas a scrappy affair created by enthusiastic but young filmmakers and actors.Evil Dead IIhit theaters in March 1987 and its predecessor,Army of Darknesslanded in February 1993.
2013’sEvil Dead, directed by Fede Álvarez is classified on Wikipedia as a “Standalone Film.” It’s a true reboot, that is, a reimagination of an existing IP that takes place in a different time period with a new cast of characters. Still, whether 2013’sEvil Deadis a true remake is debatable. There are Easter Eggs that suggest this installment takes place in the sameEvil Deadcinematic universe, namely the appearance of the 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale, a vehicle that appeared inEvil Dead 1-3(and, according to lore, can be spotted in every single film Raimi has directed). There’s also a cameo from Ash Williams, the iconicantihero of the franchise played by Bruce Campbell.
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The upcomingEvil Dead Riseis also identified in Wikipedia as a “Standalone Film,” a fact that comes as a surprise to no one who has followed the production up until this point. This means that those unfamiliar with the full franchise may be weighing the importance of consuming the four previous films to enjoy the next one fully. While those most familiar with the source material will likely appreciateEvil Dead Risethe most, intimate knowledge of the franchise won’t be necessary.
Evil Dead Riseis “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.” Directed by Lee Cronin from a screenplay he co-scribed with Raimi, the film stars Alyssa Sutherland, Lily Sullivan, and Morgan Davies.
While those who might bejumping into theEvil Deadfranchise for the first timecome April won’t need to be well-acquainted with the franchise as established, it’s worth noting that every film in the series is, in some way, a standalone that can be appreciated independently of its brethren. The firstEvil Deadfilm is considered the epitome of the cabin-in-the-woods subgenre of horror.
Despite the cast and crew’s inexperience and shoe-string budget, the film is objectively the scariest (or at least the grossest) entry of them all. It’s also the most serious of the first three films. This isn’t to say thatEvil Deadisn’t funny or even hilarious at times, only that it’s less funny thanEvil Dead IIandArmy of Darkness. And while the film ends on a cliffhanger, it’s nonetheless a complete, cohesive experience that could have been historic even if it had all ended there.
WhetherEvil Dead IIis a sequel or a remake has always been something of a mystery—or at the very least a conundrum. The first ten or fifteen minutes of that film is a recap of the first film, but it includes a fair amount of retcon. Bruce Campbell returns as Ash, establishing himself and the character as the franchise’s tent pole. He’s joined by his girlfriend Linda, just like he was in the first film. This time, however, Lind is played by a completely different accretes, and the couple is visiting the haunted cabin alone, as opposed to with a group of friends, as in the original. The events of the firstEvil Deadare glossed over and the bulk of the film takes place on Ash’s second night in the cabin.Campbell addressed the confusion in an interview with Bay at the Moon Productions way back in 2017.
Campbell explains why it was necessary to re-film scenes for the recap section inEvil Dead II. The firstEvil Deadwas distributed by New Line Cinema. The follow-up, however, is a Dino De Laurentiis production, meaning they didn’t have the rights to use footage from the original film. Producers might have eliminated the supporting cast of characters for efficiency’s sake. Campbell explains exactly whereEvil Dead IIswitches from a remake to a sequel and even refers to the movie as a “requel” (a combination of “remake” and “sequel”). Whatever legal circumstances necessitated these changes, producerstook the opportunity to makeEvil Dead IIa unique experience. Raimi and company really leaned into the comedic elements, and we see Ash transitioning from a doe-eyed final boy into a crazed antihero with a sizzling libido.Evil Dead IIfeels like both a remake and s sequel and, for that reason, can be enjoyed in conjunction with the firstEvil Deador as a complete standalone.
Army of Darknessis vastly divergent from the first twoEvil Deadfilms in tone and aesthetic, making it feel like a standalone. Ironically, it’s the franchise’s most direct sequel. Ash’s arrival in Fourteenth Century England was foretold in “lost” pages of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, the demonic tome etched in blood and bound in flesh, a dangerous grimoire that awakens ancient spirits. Still, the film pulls some snappy retcon in its opening moments. WhereasEvil Dead IIends with Ash arriving in the 1300s and being hailed as a hero,Army of Darknessfinds the time-traveler enslaved, forced to prove himself worthy before being accepted as a prophesized savior. Also, in flashbacks, his girlfriend Linda has (once again) been recast. He’s also been re-written as a retail employee at a chain store called S-Mart as opposed to a bumbling coed from Michigan State University. These changes, plus the fact thatArmy of Darknessis a unique installment in the series, makes it enjoyable as anEvil Deadsequel or as a fantastic standalone.
No one needs to be convinced that 2013’sEvil Deadis a standalone. The abandoned Delta, the inclusion of the Necronomicon, and Bruce Campbell’s “groovy” cameos are but loose threads tying Álvarez’s offering to the series Raimi and Tapert established in the 1980s. It’s also worth noting thatEvil Dead2013 is the only installment based on a screenplay Raimi didn’t write or co-write. Álvarez pays appropriate homage to the franchise but doesn’t hesitate to forge new paths. The result is a brutal movie almost devoid of humor, a serious cinematic allegory for the horrors of addiction. And while it may indeed be set in the same cabin as the first and secondEvil Deadmovies, it is its own beast entirely. Fans long hoped for a direct sequel to this reboot, something that firmly connects it to the franchise as a whole. Unfortunately, the decade that’s passed and the fact thatEvil Dead Risehas no connection means this potential tangent universe has already imploded.
Fans of the originalEvil Deadwill, of course, flock to theaters to seeEvil Dead Risein April. But those new to the world created by Raimi and Tapert shouldn’t hesitate to jump right in as well. While a franchise of remakes/reboots and standalones may slightly dilute an overarching mythology, it makes it quite inviting to potential new fans.
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