Evil Dead

Evil Dead
Official franchise logo
Created by	Sam Raimi
Original work	Within the Woods (1978)
Owner	Renaissance Pictures
Years	1978–present
Print publications
Comics	List of comics
Graphic novel(s)	Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness (2007) Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash (2007) Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors (2009)
Films and television
Film(s)	The Evil Dead (1981) Evil Dead II (1987) Army of Darkness (1992) Evil Dead (2013) Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Short film(s)	Within the Woods (1978)
Television series	Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–18)
Theatrical presentations
Musical(s)	Evil Dead The Musical
Games
Video game(s)	List of video games

Evil Dead is an American comedy horror franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of five feature films and a television series. The series originally revolves around the grimoire the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a group of cabin inhabitants in a wooded area in Tennessee.

The protagonist, Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), appears in the original trilogy including The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992), all written and directed by Raimi, produced by Robert G. Tapert and starring Campbell. The franchise has since expanded into other formats, including a television series, video games, comic books and a musical.

The film franchise was resurrected in 2013 with Evil Dead, both a reboot and a loose continuation of the series directed by Fede Álvarez, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues. It was produced by Raimi, Campbell and Tapert, featuring a new protagonist in Mia Allen (Jane Levy). A television series, Ash vs. Evil Dead, premiered on cable network Starz in 2015, lasted for three seasons, and ended in 2018, with Campbell announcing an animated revival to be in active development in July 2022.^[1] It starred Bruce Campbell as Ash and was executive produced by Campbell, Raimi and Tapert.^[2][3] A fifth film in the franchise, titled Evil Dead Rise, was theatrically released on April 21, 2023, with Lee Cronin serving as writer and director, Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan starring as sisters Ellie and Beth Bixler, Tapert serving as a producer, and Raimi and Campbell both acting as executive producers.^[4][5][6][7]

Each film of the franchise has received generally positive reviews from critics, with the original trilogy developing a cult following, and has grossed a collective $300 million worldwide.

Films[edit]

The Evil Dead (1981)[edit]

Filmed in 1979 and released in 1981, this is the first film in the series. It introduces the series' protagonist Ash, the Book of the Dead, and the Deadites.

Evil Dead II (1987)[edit]

Released in 1987, this film is a sequel to the original, continuing where the last film ended (a recap of the previous film is shown in the beginning). This entry shows the horrors of Ash's continuing battle with the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis and the Deadites. It also introduces elements of slapstick humor that came to define the series.

Army of Darkness (1992)[edit]

Filmed in 1991 and released in spring of 1993 in the United States, this is the third film in the franchise (and the last featuring Ash Williams taking a lead role so far), taking Ash back in time to England in 1300 AD. The movie has horror attributes, but is based mainly on slapstick and action.

Evil Dead (2013)[edit]

Evil Dead is the title of a film that serves as a soft reboot and a continuation of the Evil Dead franchise. Unlike the first three films, this one does not feature the character of Ash Williams in a major role (Ash only appears briefly in a post-credits scene) and instead follows a new protagonist named Mia Allen. The film is considered a continuation of the franchise, and plans to feature both Ash and Mia in future installments have been discussed.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)[edit]

In October 2019, Raimi announced at the New York Comic Con that a new film was officially green-lit and in development. Robert G. Tapert was set to produce, while Raimi and Campbell served as executive producers only, all under their Ghost House Pictures banner.^[8] In June 2020, Lee Cronin was chosen as a director with a script he wrote. Raimi chose the filmmaker from a list of potential directors to continue the franchise. Officially titled Evil Dead Rise, the project was announced to be developed by New Line Cinema and released on HBO Max. Principal photography commenced on June 6, 2021, in New Zealand.^[4][6][9] In May 2021, Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan had been cast in the film,^[6] followed by Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher in June,^[10] and Mia Challis in July.^[11] Cronin stated the production was halfway completed by July 2021,^[12] and filming concluded on October 27, 2021. The filmmaker stated that the project used over 6,500 liters of fake blood during production.^[13] Evil Dead Rise was theatrically released on April 21, 2023.^[14][7]

Future[edit]

In March 2023, Sam Raimi expressed interest in developing multiple sequels with Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams in a starring role, while also expressing hope for future developments also featuring Mia Allen from Evil Dead (2013).^[15] Later that month, Campbell stated that after positive experiences as a producer on Evil Dead Rise, he would consider reprising his lead role in a future film if Raimi were to return as director, reversing his previous "retirement" from the role following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead.^[16]

By April of the same year, writer/director Lee Cronin stated that he has ideas for a series of future Evil Dead installments serving as direct sequels to Evil Dead Rise, that he hopes to see realized.^[17] That same month, Campbell announced that Sam and Ivan Raimi were co-writing a bible to outline the future of the franchise; stating that films that follow will adhere to the overall outline, with current plans including releasing a new film in the franchise "every couple" years, as opposed to the most recent activity of once every decade.^[18]

Untitled sixth film[edit]

In February 2024, it was announced that a spin-off film is currently in development. Sébastien Vaniček will serve as director from a script he co-wrote with Florent Bernard.^[19] Selected by Raimi to helm the new installment in the series, the film's plot is currently under wraps. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert will serve as producers, with Ghost House Pictures producing the project.^[20][21]

Untitled seventh film[edit]

In April 2024, it was announced that a spin-off film is currently in development. Francis Galluppi will serve as writer and director. Selected by Raimi to helm the new installment in the series, the film's plot is currently under wraps. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert will serve as producers, with Ghost House Pictures producing the project.^[22]

Television[edit]

Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018)[edit]

The series stars Bruce Campbell reprising his role as an older Ash Williams with a supporting cast that includes Dana DeLorenzo, Ray Santiago, Lucy Lawless and Jill Marie Jones. The series is executive produced by Campbell, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert.^[23] It premiered on Starz on October 31, 2015.

Ash vs Evil Dead proved to be a critically well-received show, earning a 98% from Rotten Tomatoes. Four days before its premiere, the show was picked up for a second ten-episode season.^[24] The series lasted for three seasons (30 episodes) before it was canceled by Starz in April 2018.

Future[edit]

Following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead, Bruce Campbell announced he was officially retired from portraying the character of Ash, although he would continue to voice the character in animation. Subsequently, on July 25, 2022, Campbell announced that an animated revival of Ash vs Evil Dead was in active development, with Campbell returning as the voice of Ash.^[25]

Short film[edit]

Within the Woods (1978)[edit]

A prototype short film, Within the Woods, was produced by Raimi on a micro-budget to market his concept and acquire funding from producers and studios for a feature-length film. The short was a meager success. Despite this, the release proceeded to spawn the entire franchise.

Development[edit]

In January 1978, Bruce Campbell was a college dropout who had just quit his job as a taxicab driver. Sam Raimi was studying literature at Michigan State University with Robert Tapert, who was finishing his economics degree. While putting the finishing touches on It's Murder!, Tapert suggested doing a feature-length film to Raimi. Raimi felt it impossible, stating that they could never acquire the funding. Campbell declared: "I could always move back home." Tapert feared a career in fisheries/wildlife, while Raimi was afraid that he would have to go back to work at his dad's home furnishing store. These were the practical reasons that convinced the three to put forth a feature-length film.^[26] The three were big fans of the comedy genre, but they decided not to produce a comedy as they felt "a feature-length yuck fest just didn't compute". A well-noted scene from It's Murder moved Raimi to write the short film Clockwork. The three felt the result was very effective and represented a new direction that their films could take, that of a semi-successful horror film.^[27]

This would later lead to research of low-budget horror films at the local drive-in theater. The many films that they watched were the "two films for two dollars," allowing them the chance to document the behavior of what would become their target audience. Campbell said: "The message was very clear: Keep the pace fast and furious, and once the horror starts, never let up. 'The gorier the merrier' became our prime directive." The films they watched included Massacre at Central High and Revenge of the Cheerleaders. The idea to do a "prototype" was commissioned, to prove not only to themselves, but also to potential investors, that they were capable of doing a full-length horror film. The same year, at Michigan State, Raimi had been studying H. P. Lovecraft and was most impressed with Necronomicon, or simply The Book of the Dead. From these rough concepts, he concocted a short story where a group of four friends unwittingly dig up an Indian burial ground and unleash horrific spirits and demons.^[28] In the spring of 1978, filming of Within the Woods started over a three-day weekend, on a budget of $1,600.^[29]

Within the Woods, as well as serving as a prototype, had impressed the filmmakers. For a marketing strategy, a screening was arranged at their former high school, with a positive response.^[30]

Financing[edit]

Filming was first commissioned for the summer of 1979 in Michigan. In order to organize the budget, Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell bought a few "how to make an independent film" guide publications. The budget was originally to be $150,000, while shooting with a Super 8 camera. However, due to technical difficulties, it was decided to move it up to 16 mm format, as they wanted to film the project in the style of the many low-budget films at the time that had come out in the 1970s.^[31] Since they had little experience in the film industry, the three felt they should buy business suits and briefcases as a means to convince investors that they "had all the answers." A man named Andy Grainger, who was a friend of Tapert and owner of a series of movie theaters, was the first primary investor. He stated: "Fellas, no matter what, just keep the blood running." As a tribute to him, there's a scene in the finished film where an old film projector whirs to life and "projects" blood running down the screen.^[32]

Most importantly, Grainger provided the name of a distributor in New York City whom they could approach for possible distribution. The company was Levitt-Pickman Films, who most recently was famous for Groove Tube, starring a very young Chevy Chase. The filmmakers took a train at $40 each, as they knew none of their cars could make an entire round trip. One of Campbell's old girlfriends named Andrea allowed them to stay at her apartment. Andrea's cat fell asleep on Raimi's face without even disturbing him; Raimi, who is allergic to cats, had his eyes swollen shut.^[32]

Main cast and characters[edit]

List indicator(s)

• This table only shows characters that have appeared in three or more films in the series.
• A dark gray cell indicates that the character was not in the film or that the character's presence in the film has yet to be announced.
• A ^P indicates the actor portrayed the possessed version of the character.
• An ^A indicates an appearance through archival footage or stills.
• A ^C indicates a cameo role.
• An ^M indicates the actor was part of the main cast for the season.
• An ^R indicates the actor was part of the recurring cast for the season.
• An ^G indicates the actor was part of the guest cast for the season.
• An ^S indicates a role shared with another actor.
• A ^U indicates an uncredited role.
• A ^V indicates a voice-only role.