The Big Picture
- Evil Dead Rise marks the fifth installment in the beloved horror franchise, with new characters facing demonic forces from the Necronomicon.
- Bruce Campbell confirms the series will continue with two more projects, including a potential animated series, after his retirement as Ash.
- Evil Dead Rise, directed by Lee Cronin, follows two sisters caught in a battle against flesh-possessing demons unleashed by the Necronomicon.
When it comes to new installments in popular horror franchises, few have been as beloved as Evil Dead Rise. The fifth installment of Evil Dead was a huge success at the box office last year. Since that time, franchise creator Sam Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell have slowly been teasing what's next for the popular supernatural series. Now, during San Diego Comic Con, Campbell has provided more clarity about what's in store next for the dreaded Necronomicon.
While speaking with Collider about whether Evil Dead was going to stick with a stand-alone and more anthology-based set up like Rise, Campbell agreed. “Yes. Because I'm done playing Ash, and people have accepted other directors other than Sam Raimi. There's been two other directors, and they're both going on to have wonderful careers.” He would go on to give the Evil Dead directors of the 21st century their much deserved blood-soaked floors. “Fede [Alvarez], he’s doing the new Alien movie [Alien: Romulus], not a bad little stepping stone! He's doing fine. And same with Lee Cronin [director of Evil Dead Rise]. He's got a new deal with Warner Brothers to make a fabulous new movie.” Campbell would then go on to joke, “So we'll never get him again! The audience accepts it because the thing that they want is the basic principles of Evil Dead: crazy sh*t has to happen to innocent people who are not ready for it. That's the basic premise. There's two more coming, by the way.” These are projects that have already been announced, with one coming from writer-director Francis Galluppi. Campbell has also talked in the past about an Evil Dead animated series which, when asked about if it was still in the cards, the actor stated “That’s still in play”. After a joke about it being on Starz, the network that famously and abruptly canceled Ash vs. the Evil Dead after just three seasons, Campell said he didn’t know where it would end up. “I can't tell you that--only because we don't know yet. We're pitching. You pitch your concepts, you see who lines up, and then you make it, but I would voice Ash. I should be clear about that. My voice has not aged as much as I have.”
The ‘Evil Dead’ Will Soon Rise Again
While it's been over 40 years since The Evil Dead made its theatrical debut in 1983, the franchise has been one of the most consistent in terms of its quality. Each installment brought something new to the terrifying table as well. The Evil Dead was this campy backwoods horror movie where Raimi showed off his talent for inventive camera work and Evil Dead 2 was this slapstick horror-comedy that put Campbell’s knack for physical gags on full display. The original trilogy was then capped off in 1992 with Army of Darkness, which went the medieval epic route, sending Campbell’s lovable goofball back in time. The franchise lay dormant for over two decades before Alvarez would reinvent the world once again with the bloody body horror of Evil Dead 2013. This was the first film in the franchise to go away from Ash’s story in favor of Jane Levy’s Mia who, in the last decade, has become a fan-favorite in her own right. In-between Evil Dead and Rise was the previously mentioned TV series that saw Campell’s final live-action turn as Ash. The series put the whole Evil Dead expanded universe in a giant blender, resulting in one of the best horror series of our time. Once the series was canceled on Starz, that paved the way for Rise, which once again followed a new set of characters. It also featured a crafty voice cameo from Campbell. Because of Rise being one of the highest grossing horror films of 2023, the Deadites have a great future ahead of them.
Where is ‘Evil Dead Rise ‘Streaming?
As horror fans wait for the potential animated series and the next few films, Evil Dead Rise is currently streaming on Max. The entire Ash vs the Evil Dead series is also streaming on Hulu and Starz.
Evil Dead Rise
810
R
Horror
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.
- Release Date
- April 21, 2023
- Director
- Lee Cronin
- Cast
- Mirabai Pease , Richard Crouchley , Lily Sullivan , Alyssa Sutherland
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Lee Cronin
