Evil Dead Rise, the latest sequel in the Evil Dead universe, is crawling its way to Netflix in September, and franchise star Bruce Campbell has got some advice for those who still haven’t seen it yet. The film, released in 2023, was a refreshing take on the demonic horror franchise created by Sam Raimi in the 1980s, and has reinvigorated the franchise enough for two new movies to already be in development.
Using X/Twitter, Campbell addressed Evil Dead Rise’s arrival on Netflix by posting the following advice to his fans: “Hide the children. Seriously.” Campbell was responsible for giving life to Ash Williams, the main character of the franchise in the first three Evil Dead films and the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead. He has also participated as a producer in the more recent films, and looks set to continue this role in future.
A standalone sequel, Evil Dead Rise was acclaimed by critics and audiences and was a box office hit, grossing $147 million from a $19 million budget. After Fede Álvarez’s remake/reboot of Evil Dead in 2013, many people bet on a direct follow-up to the usual “cabin in the woods” story. But what Lee Cronin did was completely change the landscape by bringing the story to where it hadn’t been taken before: the city of Los Angeles.
In Evil Dead Rise, Beth visits her sister Ellie after finding out she’s pregnant. Ellie is a single mother living with her three children in a rundown apartment complex in Los Angeles. After an earthquake reveals there’s a hidden floor below the parking lot, the children discover a record with religious chants. They end up summoning a demonic entity that first gets hold of Ellie and then tries to possess every single resident of the building.
Evil Dead Rise stars Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Richard Crouchley, Noah Paul and Nell Fisher. It was written and directed by Lee Cronin, whose previous horror film, The Hole in the Ground, was an indie darling that gave him enough credibility to be selected for the latest Evil Dead film.
What’s in the Future for the Evil Dead Franchise?
After the very successful Evil Dead Rise, talks about a potential sequel were inevitable. Producers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell saw the franchise was far from dead and could be reawakened with new and refreshing characters, but most important, a new setting. If it worked once for modern audiences, then why shouldn’t the concept be entirely rehashed as well? Campbell has said he won’t do the Ash character again after Ash vs Evil Dead, but then he has also said that he would if Raimi were in the director’s chair.
However, new sequels are already in motion, continuing the franchise in an Ash-less direction. Sébastien Vaniček (Infested) and Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County) are both working on their own takes on the Evil Dead franchise, with the full support of Raimi and Campbell. Producer Robert Tapert, who has been working with the franchise since the beginning, is also participating in the new projects.
Evil Dead Rise
starts streaming on Netflix on September 23, but if you don’t want to wait, it’s also available on Max.
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