Recap of all things Evil Dead

From the Necronomicon to Ash Williams, the Evil Dead franchise is all things “Groovy.” The Evil Dead franchise, after 10 years away from the big screen, returns with Evil Dead Rise, which releases in theaters Apr. 21. In honor of the franchise's return, let’s take a look through the filmography of the iconic horror franchise.

 Back in the fall of 1981 Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead debuted in cinemas and terrified audiences. For the first time a group of friends visit a cabin in the woods and have a grave encounter with the dead. In this film we are introduced to terrifying Deadites along with the dark history of the Necronomicon. The original film is iconic for a reason, and especially for its dark tone along with amazing practical effects, which add a level of detail CGI could never match. 

The series then returned in Mar. 1987 with Evil Dead 2, which is my favorite entry in the series. Ash and his girlfriend return to an eerie cabin in the woods for another encounter with deadites. Sam Raimi co-wrote this film with his childhood friend Scott Spiegel who was very influential on this film because he had a huge say in the more horror-comedy style of the film which I believe was a great decision. 

This film turns the gore and blood up by 1,000, which only adds to its greatness. The practical effects are great once again with Sam Raimi’s brother Tim actually taking part in performing some of them. We are familiarized more with Ash Williams from the previous entry who is played by Bruce Campbell. Campbell does a great job in this film with the comedy along with that we are introduced to his signature chainsaw hand and shotgun combo. 

Army of Darkness hit theaters in 1993, which is the most polarizing of the series because of its turn almost completely away from the horror genre instead for a more action comedy take. Ash is now in the year 1300 A.D. and must find the Necronomicon to return back to the present day. Along with trying to return home Ash also has to help knights defeat the deadites.

We get a different take on the franchise due to Universal wanting to stem away from the franchise's horror roots. This film is probably the weakest of the series, but still a solid entry. This film marked the last Evil Dead film directed by Sam Raimi. 

Fast forward to 2013 when Evil Dead, the franchise’s remake, was released. The first installment of the series was directed by Fede Alvarez instead of Raimi. This film again returns to the cabin in the woods with a whole new set of characters, where they stumble upon the Necronomicon and summon long dormant demons. 

This film is one of the few actually great horror remakes of the 2000s and 2010s, which gives a grittier and more serious take on the series. If you are squeamish of blood this film includes the most of the series, along with some brutal deaths, so be warned.

Now, on Apr. 21, Evil Dead returns with Evil Dead Rise, which ditches the cabin in the woods and takes us to a high rise in Los Angeles with a whole new slate of characters. This film is directed by Lee Cronin, looking to make another great entry in this iconic horror series.

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