As we await Lee Cronin’s take on the genre-bending Evil Dead universe, there’s no better time for a rewatch. There’s still some time before Evil Dead Rise, the fifth feature film attached to the franchise, rises from the ashes (and the Ash-es, ha-ha). Just like the age-old classics like John Carpenter’s Halloween or Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, who would have thought that a one-shot ’70s/’80s horror flick would turn into a decade-long continuation? We bid a mournful farewell to Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode in David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends and beloved final girl Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns in the 1974 original and Olwen Fouéré in the 2022 follow-up), the only known survivor of Leatherface, got was inevitably coming to her in 2022’s sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Keeping with that same theme, Evil Dead Rise will be the first Evil Dead installment to not feature Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams, which will no doubt be a hard pill to swallow for life-long fans and a risky executive decision on Warner Bros. behalf. Judging by some early reviews, however, it seems that there’s nothing to worry about. Evil Dead Rise promises to be the most horrifying, gory and exhilarating adventure in franchise history. In preparation for Evil Dead Rise‘s arrival on April 21, let’s revisit some of the prequels and decide the ideal watch order for a night of binge-watching.
The Evil Dead
With Sam Raimi watching over you, one would gladly walk into Hell itself. Having worked as a filmmaker in a range of genres, Raimi has helmed the Evil Dead franchise as well as Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man trilogy. He also had a hand in another unforgettable supernatural horror, albeit a tad on the comedic side — Drag Me to Hell. The man, the myth, the legend — Bruce Campbell — is joined by Ellen Sandweiss as Cheryl Williams, Richard DeManincor as Scott, Betsy Baker as Linda, Teresa Tilly as Sherry and even the likes Ted Raimi, Sam Raimi’s brother, who often appears in the latter’s projects. The Evil Dead focuses on five college students who vacation to an isolated cabin, stumbling upon an audio tape that unleashes a legion of spirits, a few of which possess members of the group and leave Ash Williams to fend for himself against a horde of the undead and a downward spiral of gory mayhem.
Evil Dead II
Both Raimi and Campbell returned six years later for Evil Dead II, which was marketed as a remake/sequel (a requel) to The Evil Dead. Following a similar premise to the original, Ash instead vacations with his girlfriend to a remote cabin in the woods (because apparently he didn’t learn from the first movie) and finds several artifacts, namely books filled with ancient text, which unleash demons that haunt and torment him. Will he ever learn? Interestingly, it was actually Stephen King who approached producer Dino De Laurentiis regarding the sequel, which received financial backing as a result and a rather generous budget. If The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II seem overly identical, it’s because Laurentiis himself requested that the sequel be similar to the original. And how could Sam Raimi ever turn him down with such an enticing budget?
Army of Darkness
Flash-forward to the early ’90s and Army of Darkness came next on the list. Although it doesn’t hold the Evil Dead name value that the other sequels boast, never let it be forgotten about. Once again, Campbell reprises his role as Ash Williams and Sam Raimi takes on directorial duty for a third time. This time, Raimi had the creative freedom to take the franchise in a new direction, just as he had wanted to for Evil Dead II, but Laurentiis had other ideas. Embeth Davidtz joins Campbell as Sheila, Army of Darkness deviates from the tried-and-true setting of an isolated cabin, which has become a tired trope in recent years. Instead, Ash Williams finds himself stuck in the Middle Ages in a rather He-Man style, battling the undead as he endeavors to return to the present day. After Sam Raimi’s Darkman performed excellently at the box office (reeling in over $40 million on a $14 million budget), Army of Darkness was given the go-ahead and the funds needed to make it an installment worthy of the Evil Dead name.
Evil Dead (2013)
As we’ve seen with Halloween, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Scream, and countless others, there aren’t many horror franchises that go untouched by the Hollywood remake treatment. Depending on who you ask, a lot of Evil Dead fanatics would have been quite content with Raimi’s 1981 masterpiece that started it all, while others were craving better graphics, better scares and the leveled-up experience that only advanced technology could provide. It was dubbed as a “re-imagining” of The Evil Dead and boldly marketed as “the most terrifying film you will ever experience.” Bruce Campbell appears in a post-credit scene, but other than that, Jane Levy takes over as the franchise’s lead, Mia Allen, who’s accompanied by Shiloh Fernandez as David Allen, Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric, Jessica Lucas as Olivia and Elizabeth Blackmore as Natalie.but what about the plot? Well, if you couldn’t guess it by now, it’s about five air-headed teens who visit a cabin in the woods. Very Cabin in the Woods-y, wouldn’t you say?
Ash vs. Evil Dead
While not technically a movie, Ash vs Evil Dead shares continuity with the franchise as it follows the now down-and-out Ash Williams, who’s successfully avoided all responsibility for the last 30 years and has lived a relatively chaos-free life. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Campbell shared some insight into Ash’s character since the events of Army of Darkness: “Ash has survivor’s guilt. You could have a heyday with his PTSD. He’s a war vet. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and he’ll lie about that stump on his hand to impress the ladies. This is a guy who’s got some issues. He’s emotionally stunted. But, he’s the guy you want in the foxhole next to you.” This is also where the nickname “Ashy Slashy” comes from, so it’s worth checking out.
Evil Dead Rise
Alright, back to the feature films. This one’s easy. It’s been all over social media for the last few months, plus it talks a big game about being one of the best additions to the franchise yet, so we’ll be the judge of that. Evil Dead Rise will be a monumental stepping stone for the franchise as it dares to continue without the influence of Sam Raimi nor Bruce Campbell, the latter of whom is only appearing as an off-screen voice. Taking over from Raimi, Lee Cronin, director of Ghost Train and The Hole in the Ground, seems to be taking a page out of the legendary filmmaker’s book, continuing the theme of evil spirits being unleashed by means of ominous ancient text. Ash will be replaced by Alyssa Sutherland’s Ellie, who finds herself fending off demons in her Los Angeles apartment. Get ready for gore galore and a lot of hair-raising moments with this one. We will be seated.
Catch Evil Dead Rise in theaters on April 21.