This week sees the release of “Evil Dead Rises,” the latest resurrection of the “Evil Dead” franchise, which began life in the early 1980’s with a micro-budget feature from an unknown director named Sam Rami and has blossomed to includes sequels, remakes and television spinoffs (not to mention several popular videogame adaptations) – all with even more carnage than what came before it. With all of that in mind we thought we would run down what is arguably the most viscera-filled franchise in the history of horror. Which installments are the bloody best? And which are you best staying away from (even if you’re locked in a cabin in the woods and that is the only dusty VHS you have)? Read on to find out!
6. “Evil Dead” (2013)
Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Álvarez made his feature debut with a remake of the original film, dubbed in marketing materials “The most terrifying film you will ever experience.” Not sure about all that. But it is a fairly faithful remake of the original, with some much-needed contemporary flourishes – mainly that instead of Ash being terrorized by unholy spirits in the middle of the woods, it’s a young woman named Mia (a very game Jane Levy). The intensity has been upped considerably since the original series of films; this thing pushes things to a nearly-NC-17 level of blood and gore. (Original filmmakers Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert returned to produce.) But what Álvarez missed was the thing that made the earlier installments in the franchise so memorable – a nimble mixture of scares and laughs. (It also had the misfortune of coming out two years after “The Cabin in the Woods,” an expert send-up of “Evil Dead” and most horror movies.) Sure, the first movie had the least amount of humor but it was still there (part of that was inherent in the extremely low budget nature of the production). If “Evil Dead” had kept that tonal texture along with the recognizable visual flourishes, “Evil Dead” might have signaled the beginning of a new franchise instead of necessitating yet another reboot … followed by yet another.
5. “Evil Dead Rise” (2023)
The latest entry is low on the list, which would suggest that the movie is lousier than it actually is. But it’s not! “Evil Dead Rise” is actually pretty great. Taking the “Poltergeist III” approach, the new film (written and directed by Lee Cronin, who dazzled Raimi with his installment of Raimi’s “50 States of Fright” Quibi series) is set in a derelict Los Angeles apartment building, where the ancient evil of the book of the dead has been unleashed following an earthquake. But the promise of “what will happen when the evil overtakes an entire building” is almost immediately whittled away to take place inside a single apartment unit, effectively turning that apartment into its own cabin in the woods. That said, Cronin playfully toys with the hallmarks of the franchise (like an early fake out where you think you’re seeing the POV of the evil spirits but it winds up being a zippy drone), for the first time unleashes the horror on a family (yes, including kids) and piles on the scares with a clearly-miniscule budget (it’s shot-in-Australia-ness only shows itself when the actors’ American accents occasionally slip). Originally planned for a direct-to-HBO-Max release, this should instead be seen on the biggest screen with the most crowded audience (there’s a reason it premiered at SXSW). It’s a hoot.
4. “The Evil Dead” (1981)
The one that started it all. Working with a budget of $90,000, writer/director Sam Raimi brought his cast and crew to a rickety cabin in Tennessee for what would become a notoriously difficult shoot. But the blood (both literal and corn syrup), sweat and tears paid off when the movie was invited to the Cannes Film Festival. Stephen King saw it and gave it a rave review. And it was picked up for distribution. The rest is history. If you’ve seen other installments in the franchise, particularly the masterful “Evil Dead II” (which serves as both remake and sequel), you know that the basic premise (a bunch of goofballs unwittingly unleash an ancient evil while vacationing in the woods) was used as a jumping off point or a testing ground; the technical skill and tonal confidence would increase with time. But for pluck, spirit and ingenuity, “The Evil Dead” remains a singularly impressive feat – a made-for-peanuts shocker that could compete with any big budget Hollywood production.
3. “Ash vs. Evil Dead” (2016 – 2018)
An underrated component of the “Evil Dead” continuum, this enjoyable but ultimately short-lived series (which ran on cable network Starz – you know, Starz) was born out of a desire to continue the Bruce Campbell-led “Evil Dead” exploits while not infringing on what had been established in the 2013 film. (There was, at one point, talk of a team-up movie that would merge the two continuities.) This half-hour series wasn’t the most complicated endeavor, on a narrative or technical level (you can feel its low rent New Zealand-ness throughout), although it was slicker than any of the original films. Set 30 years after the events of “Army of Darkness” (although the series was legally prohibited from referencing that film until the rights were worked out for season 2), Ash (Campbell) is now a paunchy loser working a dead-end job. Once more he is called upon to fight the forces of evil and, eventually, he does. Seeing where Ash ended up is a ton of fun and learning more about him as a character even more-so (Lee Majors plays Ash’s shit-kicking father), with new characters played by Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo adding some youthful energy to the proceedings. But it’s the show’s tone – more in line with the lighter, goofier spirit of “Army of Darkness” without sacrificing the terror and gore – is the greatest accomplishment. It recaptured the sense of fun that was desperately missing in the 2013 version. In other words, it brought the groovy back.
2. “Army of Darkness” (1992)
For the third film in the original trilogy, Sam Raimi somehow convinced Dino De Laurentiis and Universal Pictures (where Raimi had just made “Darkman”) that instead of a modern, trapped-in-a-cabin freakout, they would be veering in a different, more joyful tone. Oh and it would borrow heavily from “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” as it sent Ash (Campbell) careening back to medieval times (something teased at the end of “Evil Dead II”). Not only was this an incredibly funny idea but it upped the stakes considerably, since not only did he have to vanquish the evil plaguing the land but he also had to figure out how to get back home. There are some that feel that “Army of Darkness” tips the scales too much – it’s tone is too goofy and comedic – and they long for the visceral terror of the earlier films. But that would be missing the point. This is a natural evolution of the sense of humor that began in the very first film. And anyway it was necessary to make the movie more palpable – this was a big movie from a major studio. And anyway, there are still geysers of blood and wisecracking skeletons and all the madness you usually expect from an “Evil Dead” movie. Of course, given that it was a stupid movie, there was an objection to the original ending that Raimi, Campbell and Tapert envisioned, with Ash saying the wrong words, falling asleep and then waking up hundreds of years later, with the world ravaged by nuclear devastation (or something). It’s a pretty fun ending but more akin to earlier “Evil Dead” installments. The ending that Raimi ultimately came up with (that satisfied Universal and De Laurentiis) is also really great. And it’s perfectly “Army of Darkness.”
1. “Evil Dead II” (1987)
Stephen King, who had praised the original “Evil Dead,” put Raimi in touch with producer Dino De Laurentiis, who agreed to provide funding for a sequel. (This is after the colossal failure of Raimi and the Coen Brothers’ oddball thriller “Crimewave.”) Raimi pitched what would ultimately become “Army of Darkness” – with Ash traveling backwards in time – but De Laurentiis wanted something closer to the original. The resulting film is both a remake of the first film and a sequel, with Campbell returning as Ash and once again getting embroiled in a crazy supernatural quagmire in the woods. More technically sophisticated and tonally ambitious, Raimi added bonkers “Looney Tunes”-style elements while maintaining the inherent scariness that made the first film so unforgettable. Not everything has aged well (the gratuitous “tree rape” sequence remains a controversial and much-discussed moment), but the relatively rudimentary effects, combining real-life puppets and optical trickery, have only gotten more charming and impactful. This installment was even more of a cult phenomenon, inspiring legions of fans (Quentin Tarantino said that when he saw it he wondered why every movie wasn’t made with such energy and inventiveness) and inspiring a studio sequel. It remains the highpoint of the franchise and proof positive that you can make a hugely entertaining, scary, hilarious from very little. This movie is a madcap masterpiece.
