There is a news Evil Dead will hit theaters this weekend. It has no stars Bruce Campbell not even directed Sam Raimi, although both are involved in a production capacity. It may or may not fit comfortably into the continuity of any established series, but everyone involved will hopefully want to see your love for this series. Are you familiar? This is basically what happened with the release in 2013 Faith Alvareza reboot of the franchise that took the series back to its cabin-in-the-woods roots. That film was profitable at the box office, grossing $100 million worldwide on a $17 million budget. Despite its fervent following in the horror community, the overall reaction was mixed, and it didn’t make much of a dent in the wider pop culture discourse. A planned sequel never materialized.
So now Evil Dead brain trust (Raimi, Campbell and producer Rob Tapert) are trying again with another reboot, Evil Dead Risedirected Lee Cronin (Hole in the ground). Originally, the film was set to premiere on HBO Max, where it would have served as another record of the bonfire streaming service, but Warner Bros. Discovery pivoted and decided to send the film to theaters. In any case, the goal remains the same: to prove the idea of the new Evil Dead it’s still alive because only horror fans can buy it Evil Dead II So many times on Blu-ray.
Potential problem? There is not much convincing evidence for this yet Evil Dead It works as an ongoing franchise without Raimi behind the camera and Campbell in front. It’s not like the original films succeeded based on the strength of the writing or the complexity of the universe building. People loved those movies (and still do) thanks to Raimi’s unique visual style and comic/horror sensibility as a director, complimented by Campbell’s broken B-movie performance as Ash Williams, everyone’s favorite lunkheaded hero. Those are the not-so-secret ingredients Evil Dead More than a thousand other horror movies with similar loglines. Take those things away, and you risk making a generic zombie or demonic possession movie. Evil Dead the name there
2013’s ‘Evil Dead’ was 2013’s first attempt at a reboot
Bad Dead ’13 He tried his best. He wisely avoided using a direct stand-in for Ash, instead filling the film with colorful young characters who travel to a remote cabin intent on helping their friend Mia (Jane Levy) detoxification from a serious drug addiction. Instead, they come across the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead, and accidentally unleash hell. Álvarez’s film is bloody and intense, with fantastically designed horror images. It also wears out too soon, lacking the humor that fans loved Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, and spends way too much time calling back to the original films with little nods and nods, including a post-credits romp with Campbell that felt like fan service at its worst. At the time, some people suggested that Mia would join Ash in the film’s sequel, a continuity merger that Álvarez was quite vocal about.
It never happened. Instead, Campbell would go to the starter Ash vs Evil Dead, the sequel series to the original movies that ignored the reboot. Despite Campbell reprising his most famous role, the show failed to re-establish the franchise as a genre staple and was canceled by Starz after three short seasons. Personally, I thought it mostly worked, and I really liked the additions to the Pablo characters (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) to the franchise canon. But I’ll admit it too Evil Dead It was a strange episode for television. The series repeated itself too often while trying to stretch the simplistic demons of the franchise over 30 episodes. Plus, there was behind-the-scenes drama (a creative power struggle led to a showrunner change between seasons 2 and 3) that led to bumpy storytelling twists and turns. And of course Ash vs Evil Dead we were still noticeably missing the other half of our two magical ingredients, as Raimi wasn’t really involved in the matters at hand after writing and directing the pilot. It was a fun and well-made show, but from a cinematic standpoint it didn’t set the world on fire.
‘Evil Dead Rise’ plans to try something new
So now it’s back to the good restart as Cronin tries to make a great one Evil Dead without the things that are usually done in the film Evil Dead big I’m not saying it’s impossible. (In fact, the trailer for the movie looks absolutely fantastic!) I’m saying that this is probably the last and best chance to prove that it can be done. There are some reasons to be hopeful. Evil Dead Rise it takes place to a large extent in the urban environment, with Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan Deadite-induced mayhem ruins the reunion, playing unknown sisters. That’s a nice change of pace from the backwoods setting that has largely been the bread and butter of this series. At the very least, it helps avoid direct comparisons to the original two films by giving it away Evil Dead Rise a better chance of standing on its own.
I’m also optimistic that Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert have enough distance from the 2013 reboot to honestly assess that film’s strengths and weaknesses, helping to work with Cronin to make the new one a stronger overall entry in the franchise. Maybe that means bringing back the gonzo humor Raimi created in his original two sequels, something Evil Dead ’13 it was largely abandoned. Just because you’re not Campbell doesn’t mean you can’t have a few laughs while freaking people out. But it’s definitely a tricky thing to balance, especially when you consider that even in the original films, the tone has changed dramatically from part to part.
Cronin certainly had his work cut out for him, with Raimi, Campbell and all the fans of the franchise looking over their shoulders. If he’s managed to make a film that honors the spirit of the original films, while also bringing something new and exciting to the table, we might see new ones. Evil Dead movies for the coming years. But there is Evil Dead Rise it leaves no trace and quickly fades from memory, it’s probably time for Sam and Bruce to admit that we were all here, and it’s time to close the workspace for good.
