‘Evil Dead Rise’: Everything We Know So Far
Hello, all you fancy pants. Since the release of Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead in 1981, the horror community couldn’t get enough of the ancient Sumerian texts, time travel, bloodthirsty deadites—otherwise known as the titular evil dead—and most importantly, Ashley “Ash” Joanna Williams. Largely centered around the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis and the legions of undead rising from the earth to possess the living, the series is renowned for its slapstick comedy, gruesome set pieces, and severed tongue planted firmly in decaying cheek. With four feature films, a television series, a musical, comics, and even video games—including the absolute banger Evil Dead: Regeneration—Raimi’s original was the little horror movie that could. With a small budget and heaps of gory passion, a franchise was born.
The franchise stalled some after the release of the 2013 reboot and the conclusion of the television series Ash vs Evil Dead. Then, Sam Raimi confirmed in October 2019 that a new feature was on the way. This was following scrapped plans for a quasi-crossover between the original series and reboot. Titled Evil Dead Rise, Raimi has announced a joint-distribution strategy between New Line Cinema and HBO Max. Evil Dead Rise is poised to premiere this year. Here’s every gory detail we know so far.
1. Lee Cronin is Directing
Lee Cronin made his directorial debut with 2019’s The Hole in the Ground, arguably A24’s best horror release that simply no one knows about. While the aforementioned feature’s slow-burn chills and dour tone might seem at odds with what Evil Dead has become, horror fans should rest easy. Cronin was handpicked by none other than Raimi himself.
2. Its Cast is Good
Evil Dead Rise stars both Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan. Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher round out the cast. The cast is entirely new to the franchise, but there are some familiar horror faces among the crowd. Sutherland, for instance, has starred in both Blood Vessel and the television adaptation of The Mist (and Vikings for the genre adjacent crowd). Additionally, Lily Sullivan can be seen in the underrated remake of Picnic at Hanging Rock. With a cast this strong, it’s easy to get excited.
3. Bruce Campbell Isn’t Returning, Though He is Producing
While fans might be eager to see Campbell’s return to the franchise, especially considering the unceremonious cancelation of Ash vs Evil Dead in 2018, he’s made it clear that his heavyweight influence is going to be felt behind the camera, not in front of it. That is to say, neither Campbell nor Ash are going to appear in Evil Dead Rise. Campbell is credited as an executive producer, though. While it might seem disappointing, seeing the frequency with which legacy sequels go awry as of late perhaps renders it a blessing in disguise.
4. It’s Going to be Gory
After filming wrapped, director Lee Cronin took to Twitter to announce the news. In his post, he not so subtly notes the use of 6,500 liters of blood. While those numbers don’t quite match the 2013 reboot, horror fans should take confidence that Evil Dead Rise has no intention of skimping on the red stuff. Practical gore fans rejoice.
5. It’s Going to HBO Max
HBO Max might as well rename itself the Horror Box Office. After the release of Malignant, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and sundry other horror titles, HBO Max is beginning to rival other streaming platforms as the premier destination for horror hounds. Resultantly, HBO Max is set to premiere Evil Dead Rise sometime in 2022. Which is to say, grab your boomsticks and make sure that subscription is active.
6. Its Plot is Quite Unlike the Previous Films
Speaking with the German horror publication Blair.Witch.de, Campbell revealed some critical plot details in November 2021. It gave fans their first-ever insight into what the hell this new entry was going to be about. Campbell was quoted as saying,
“It’s [about] a single mom who now has to deal with this book. These days it’s more about the book. That book gets around. Passed along, people try and get rid of it, they try to bury it or destroy it and they really can’t. So this book just keeps popping up, so really it’s just another story of what happens if this book appears in this particular group of people’s lives and how it intersects.”
It’s an exciting conceit, one that looks to expand the franchise into territory it hasn’t quite grappled with before. If anything, the prospect of fresh blood yields considerable promise.
7. Filming Took Place in New Zealand with Dave Garbett Serving as Cinematographer
Garbett might be a familiar name to fans of Ash vs Evil Dead. After all, he served a similar role on several episodes of the cult series, making his role here all the more exciting. Even better, New Zealand has been home to several high-profile shoots, and while the likelihood of resurrected, evil dead Hobbits is slim to none, it’s exciting to think what the change in scenery might bring to the franchise (for reference, the 2013 reboot was shot in New Zealand as well).
These are the most important notes we have so far. As of yet, there have been no official poster or trailer releases, so what the final product stands to look like remains a mystery for all. That being said, the enthusiasm from the cast and crew and the legacy talent behind the camera has me excited. Evil Dead Rise is already being one of my most-anticipated releases of the year.
Are any of you excited about the new entry? If it proves lackluster, can the franchise survive? What do you hope to see this one deliver? Let me know on Twitter, and for all the newly resurrected Evil Dead Rise news, stay tuned to Dread Central!
Categorized:News
