Movies
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ByMatthew Bilodeau/
Someone must have unwisely read from the Necronomicon because the deadites are back to cause bloody mayhem with the upcoming "Evil Dead Rise" next year. It will have been just about a decade since the last time a new "Evil Dead" movie was shown on the big screen, with Fede Alvarez's 2013 ultra-gory ode to Sam Raimi's indie horror sensation. As the video game continues to be going strong, and another movie is on the way, it's a pretty great time to be an "Evil Dead" fan.
The sheer influence that Raimi's 1981 horror film had on the genre is far and wide. "The Evil Dead" will always be the signature template of the "teenagers stay in a creepy cabin in the middle of the woods" flick, with "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn" being one of the greatest horror comedies ever made. Although "Army of Darkness" leaned more into its fantasy sensibilities, it's an incredibly entertaining end to the trilogy, in addition to my personal favorite of the series.
"Evil Dead" folks were gifted with three excellent seasons of television of "Ash Vs. Evil Dead," in which Bruce Campbell reprised his role as the bumbling slasher hero Ash Williams. But with the show's cancellation came the retirement of Campbell playing the character. So without the dose of Ash, what does "Evil Dead Rise" even look like? Let's dive in and see what we can glean.
Don't read anything from the flesh book in the process, and we should be all good!
What Evil Dead Rise is about
New Line Cinema/Warner Bros.
First thing first, "Evil Dead Rise" is written and directed by "The Hole in the Ground" filmmaker Lee Cronin. In Chris Evangelista's 'Hole in the Ground"review for /Film, he called it "supremely scary Irish horror." Cronin may not have been one of the first choices I could have foreseen jumping into this franchise, but he's shown a good flair for atmosphere. "Evil Dead" fans should feel excited knowing that, according to Variety, Cronin was handpicked by Raimi and Campbell. Both creatives will be staying on as producers, along with "Evil Dead" mainstay Robert Tapert.
According to Campbell, "It's all about [the Necronomicon]. Where does this book wind up and what happens to it over the millennia," says Campbell in an Entertainment Weekly interview.
Here's the synopsis for Cronin's franchise continuation:
"A road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A apartment. The sisters' reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie's building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable."
With all of those pages in the Necronomicon, otherwise referred to as the Book of the Dead, it stands to chance that Ash hadn't unleashed everything in that cursed manuscript. Whatever comes out, however, appears to be the next generation's bloody problem.
What we know about the cast of Evil Dead Rise
History
Campbell will not be starring in the film. With "Ash vs Evil Dead" being the actor's swan song to the character, Campbell is adamant about keeping it that way, which is a good thing. There won't be any talk of boomsticks or skeleton armies. I love Ash to death, but as Alvarez's film shows, bringing new blood into the mix is a great way to keep things fresh.
"Evil Dead Rise" will star Alyssa Sutherland ("Vikings"), Lilly Sullivan ("Picnic at Hanging Rock"), Mia Challis ("Clickbait"), Jayden Daniels ("Whina"), Gabrielle Echols ("Reminiscence"), Morgan Davies ("The Hunter"), Nell Fisher ("Northspur"), and newcomer Tai Wano. While some names may stand out, I love that it's a cast of up-and-comers, much like how Campbell started out.
Sutherland and Sullivan will serve as the film's leads, as they try to survive the bloody events set in motion by someone who saw the book and didn't take the hint. Much like Alvarez's "Evil Dead," this appears to take on a more devastating approach with the family angle, especially with bringing children into the mix.
With the Necronomicon hiding away in the basem*nt, I'm fascinated to see how it got there or if Cronin will even explain it, especially since Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema confusingly claim "Evil Dead Rise" as the fifth canon film in the franchise.
When and where you will be able to see Evil Dead Rise
New Line Cinema
The most exciting development of "Evil Dead Rise" has to be its release strategy. Once an HBO Max original film, Cronin's pic will instead be making its way to the big screen on April 21, 2023.
The Evil Dead shall RISE!!! 04/21/23. Exclusively in theatres. The countdown to carnage has begun. #EvilDeadRise 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 pic.twitter.com/qls5Rkft1g
— Lee Cronin (@curleecronin) August 24, 2022
With the release bump comes some semblance of sadness, given that it comes in the midst of David Zaslav's gutting of Warner Bros. and HBO Max programs. I'm thrilled that the film isn't getting scrapped, but being promoted to theaters. New Line Cinema's "House Party" also had the same fate. Somehow deadite havoc feels good in a place like that. With Warner Bros. dropping the new image, it stands to chance that a poster, in addition to a trailer, for "Evil Dead Rise" is imminent. Otherwise, it looks like Cronin and Raimi are keeping the film's best secrets close to the chest until we get closer to April.
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