Franchise Expansion (or Implosion) is a column that looks at franchises that have new installments or releases forthcoming. In looking at a franchise, each entry in a franchise will be given a review and then be examined as part of the bigger franchise. (i.e., Was this sequel a worthy expansion of this franchise or was it an implosion of sorts?)
Horror franchises are notorious for losing their edge once enough sequels have been made. This quality is especially true for the horror series of the 1980s, many of which went from being horror to flat-out comedies by the conclusions of their respective runs. However, going from screams to laughter was never the true intention. That is, with one true exception — The Evil Dead franchise has not only mixed horror and comedy, but it’s also vacillated between these genres more skillfully and with the same creative team involved on some level. Moreover, this franchise has also played with timelines, which is why I’m starting with the latest and purposefully horrific installment, Evil Dead Rise (2023)!
Throughout five films and one TV series, The Evil Dead has always played fast-and-loose with its tone. Thus, the Evil Dead fanbase falls into one of two cabins: the horror or the humor of it all. I, myself, prefer the former. However, I’ve always appreciated how this series mixes these two opposing — or, depending on your perspective, arguably similar — genres together. The latest entry in review, Evil Dead Rise, goes back to the franchise’s straight-up horror roots. The question is, though, how did the decision come to be?
Following the massive success of the 2013 remake (or soft-reboot, depending on your viewpoint) of Evil Dead, the film’s director and co-writer, Fede Alvarez (of the upcoming Alien: Romulus), officially announced that there would be a sequel to the remake. Beyond that, the icon of this franchise, Bruce Campbell (Black Friday), elaborated on the sequel’s announcement in his usual verbose showman fashion. Campbell revealed that the intention was to not only produce a sequel to the remake, but to do then another film that would sequelize that follow-up as well as Army of Darkness (1992), wherein Ash Williams (Campbell) from the original Evil Dead trilogy and Mia (Jane Levy) would join forces to face down Deadities! Like many other fans, this proposed duology would have been exciting and perhaps the most interesting tonal cocktail the series could mix. That big plan, which would’ve confirmed the multiple timelines often bandied about for the films, never came to fruition.
A decade later, precisely why these projects fell through has yet to be confirmed. The prominent rumor is that Levy had no interest in reprising her role. But, if that is indeed the case, it certainly wasn’t due to a lack of desire to work with her director again, as Levy and Alvarez went on to reteam for the wonderfully suspenseful Don’t Breathe (2016). Since then, Levy has yet to return to the genre. Alvarez, meanwhile, has (for better or worse) remained faithful to horror in the intervening years. In fact, the director will be tackling another franchise with the aforementioned Alien: Romulus.
Since taking the Deadites in that unique direction didn’t work out, the critical trio behind the original Evil Dead trilogy decided to get more directly involved and take the reins of this franchise yet again. As such, Campbell, director and series co-creator Sam Rami (the original Spider-Man trilogy, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), and his constant producer Rob Tapert (Darkman, Timecop) decided they would finally make the tentatively titled Evil Dead 4 to the delight of the fanbase. They quickly realized, however, that they might need more story to cover the return of Ash Williams. So, thanks to the modern serialized nature and creative freedom of premium cable, the veterans decided to take the series to the small screen.
Thus Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015-2018), which I’ll cover in this column a few installments down the line, was produced in collaboration with premium cable movie channel Starz and their now-defunct parent company, Anchor Bay Entertainment. Like the fan-favorite sequel Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987), it was a well-balanced horror-comedy. Unfortunately, though, the show was unexpectedly canceled after three seasons due to low ratings — a change in metrics primarily attributed to the show being heavily pirated online.
With the horror genre currently being at one of its peaks in popularity, the Evil Dead trio started looking for a fresh take on the franchise they had created. Not a reboot, nor necessarily a sequel. But more of a film that would be its own thing in an established brand with a myriad of tones throughout. After hearing various pitches on continuing the legacy of The Evil Dead, Rami and company finally received a take they were keen from Irish writer/director Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground). Having worked exclusively in horror, Cronin jumped at the chance to meet with Rami to deliver his simple yet innovative premise. After all, it’s a series that has seen a cabin in the woods multiple times, The Middle Ages, and small-town U.S.A. But one place it had yet to go was a big city, or more specifically, the confines of high density housing in an urban environment. And with that, Cronin set out to write one of the several Books of the Dead.
As a result, Evil Dead Rise transplants the series from its former dwellings to a possibly even bleaker setting of an apartment complex on the brink of being cleared of its tenants and demolished. It’s here where we’re introduced to a broken family of three consisting of a single mom, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), and her three children — teenage daughter Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), son Danny (Morgan Davies), and younger daughter Kassie (Nell Fisher). It’s clear from the start that this family is distressed but full of love and warmth. They are soon visited by Ellie’s estranged sister, Beth (Lily Sullivan). Alas, this surprise family reunion is soon interrupted by a total blackout. During this time, the Necronomicon (or at least another copy of The Book of the Dead) is uncovered and the titular Evil Dead are released in the building. Now, this estranged family must defend one of their own and themselves from the Deadites.
Before I dig into my thoughts on Evil Dead Rise, please allow me to get one thing out of the way for my fellow genre fans. This movie has often been compared to the Italian horror sequel Demons 2 (1986). While this comparison is entirely understandable, considering both these sequels revolve around demonic entities terrorizing a high-rise apartment block, I won’t be drawing any comparisons between these sequels. I like Demons (1985) as much as the next person; but I’ve yet to see Demons 2, despite the fact it’s been sitting in my Shudder queue for a year. I’m just the type who has to be in the mood to watch Italian horror. Okay, now with that disclaimer is out of the way, I’ll address the obvious question first. How does moving the Evil Dead into an urban setting work out?
This setting and the atmosphere Cronin and his crew creates sets Rise apart from its predecessors. I quickly found myself endeared to the family and, to some extent, their neighbors. Furthermore, I could feel the dread that the filmmakers wanted to create. In many ways, however, it feels like Cronin and cinematographer David Gerbeth, who also shot a good chunk of Ash vs. Evil Dead and established the visual tone for the show, took more inspiration from Se7en (1995) than they did Evil Dead. The former is what Rise looks and often feels like aesthetically. However, such a dreary, heavy visual style works well for the most part.
That is, until the esthetic begins to feel all-too stock within the genre. I can see what Cronin and Gerbeth were going for, but it only adds to the generic feeling once the movie is about two-thirds into its runtime. Once that sensation set in for me, it was hard to shake as one of the film’s negative qualities. And it was only reinforced when I had to squint a bit because the film’s cinematography is dark enough to make things hard to see at times. As these issues compounded, I realized that Evil Dead Rise‘s biggest problem is the partial use the apartment building. Instead, the story merely revolves around one of its floor. That’s a genuine loss, considering the entire complex could’ve been a center of chaos.
Luckily, though, these issues don’t begin to become apparent, at least for me, until Rise‘s latter half. The negative aspects are easy to overlook at first because Cronin manages to keep us invested in the characters, despite all being horror archetypes to one degree or another. They are brought to life and I empathized with them thanks to the wonderful cast.
Beyond the film’s characters, Rise also provides plenty of entertainment value. It is filled with violent set pieces awash in the blood we’ve come to expect from this franchise. Although, there are too many fan service callbacks for my taste.
Evil Dead Rise is a double-edged Kandarian Dagger. The film is a Franchise Expansion because it brings just enough newness to the series to breathe some life into it. That existence will need to be extended, considering this movie grossed $146 million at the box office worldwide after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made one of his few good decisions thus far when he elevated Evil Dead Rise to a worldwide theatrical release. Previously, the film had been bumped back several times from premiering direct-to-streaming on Max (formally HBO Max.) Considering Rise was made for a mere $12 million, there’s little doubt this newest entry will get a sequel. If that happens, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cronin returns as writer/director since he claims to have ideas for three or four Evil Dead movies. I’d be happy to see him return as he did a solid job with this continuation.
Evil Dead Rise is currently streaming on Max and is available to rent or own on Digital HD, 4K UHD,
Blu-Ray & DVD.
Next time, we’ll return to the first chapter in The Necronomicon with The Evil Dead (1981)!
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