The Evil Dead franchise needs no introduction, given its long and storied history in the entertainment industry. To date, there are five Evil Dead movies so far including the original trilogy from Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness), Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead reboot, and of course, Lee Cronin‘s Evil Dead Rise. The franchise is popularly known for its gonzo mix of horror and comedy – two combined elements that defined Raimi’s works in the first place. The last two movies, however, see Alvarez and Cronin from their respective Evil Dead and Evil Dead Rise deviate from Sam Raimi-esque horror-comedy mayhem in favor of more hardcore and in-your-face gory horror.
Evil Dead Rise has had a successful run at the box office, impressing both fans and critics alike. While its certainly difficult to make your mark on an established franchise, Cronin has undoubtedly had a successful go at it. Let’s see how the latest movie ranks against the rest of the Evil Dead movies – all ranked from worst to best.
5. Evil Dead (2013)
Three years before Alvarez introduced Stephen Lang’s scary blind-man antagonist in Don’t Breathe, he made his feature-length directorial debut in Evil Dead. Instead of a direct sequel to Raimi’s original trilogy, it was more of a remake or re-imagining of the first movie, complete with a gender-flipped protagonist played by Jane Levy. Alvarez did not shy away from extreme gore, blood, and violence executed in the utmost practical way possible. Levy also delivers an engaging lead performance, going from a drug addict struggling to go cold turkey to a girl being possessed by a demon before becoming the chainsaw-wielding Final Girl. But Alvarez’s decision to strip off the horror-comedy vibe resulted in a mean-spirited and too-dour-for-its-own-good entry.
4. Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Here is where the latest Evil Dead movie is ranked on the list. Lee Cronin’s take on Evil Dead Rise may retain the bleak tone of the 2013 predecessor but kudos to him for slipping in comedic elements related to themes of motherhood. Speaking of the latter, Evil Dead Rise benefits from Alyssa Sutherland’s wicked turn as the possessed mom. Cronin proved to be an ace visual stylist when comes to practical gore and claustrophobic tension within the confines of a dingy apartment building. He also gamely pays homage to Raimi’s first two Evil Dead movies and even Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
3. Army of Darkness (1992)
Instead of repeating the cabin-in-the-woods splatter-comedy style in the first two Evil Dead, Sam Raimi took a creative risk by bringing his franchise to the next level. That level in question is turning Army of Darkness into a wacky fantasy comedy with a dash of horror set in the medieval era. Raimi even goes as far as embracing the comedy part wholeheartedly and here, we have some of the franchise’s most quotable dialogues. Bruce Campbell had a field day reprising his role as Ash Williams while Raimi’s oddball direction is right in his wheelhouse, complete with a screwball version that pays tribute to Jason and the Argonauts.
2. The Evil Dead (1981)
This is the movie that started it all. The Evil Dead may have been rough around the edges but the then-unknown Raimi already had a knack for unique visual flair. The now-signature POV shot of an unseen evil force wandering aggressively across the woods is one of them while Raimi effectively combines demonic-possession horror and creative gore with a touch of absurd comedy. At the heart of The Evil Dead is Bruce Campbell, whose iconic performance as Ash Williams from a mild-mannered young man to an unlikely last-man-standing protagonist forced to overcome fear and torment.
1. Evil Dead II (1987)
Sam Raimi’s 1987 sequel improves the original in many ways, thanks to a bigger budget at his disposal. The movie retains its same cabin-in-the-woods setting but Raimi upped the stakes by giving us an onslaught of sheer insanity and hilarity of how a madcap horror-comedy should be. Campbell is a true MVP here, matching Raimi’s anything-goes direction with his offbeat performance as Ash Williams. The practical gore effects are some of the best in the franchise, and who could forget the scene where Ash cuts his own possessed hand with a chainsaw?
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