Evil Dead Rise's setting might deviate from the classic Evil Dead formula, but creator and executive producer Sam Raimi made sure that its fundamental components were retained.
Director Lee Cronin told Empire Magazine that, while filming Evil Dead Rise, Raimi instructed him to keep two plot elements in the film no matter what: "Make sure there's a book involved, and make sure there are good Deadites." Cronin also confirmed that Rise will feature plenty of the "heinous, horrible, entertaining bastards" before discussing what makes Deadites so unique amongst horror villains. "What I love about the Evil Dead is that these aren't just mindless zombies. They talk [and] taunt," he said. "There's more Deadite dialogue than ever before."
No official Evil Dead Rise trailer has dropped yet, though an exclusive photo -- courtesy of former Evil Dead lead Bruce Campbell -- revealed a first look at one of the movie's newest Deadite foes. A second movie still, released this month, previewed a woman rising from a body of water with blood-soaked pants. Despite both images prioritizing Rise's horror elements, Cronin confirmed that his movie will also include black humor elements in line with the franchise's horror-comedy roots. "Evil Dead Rise is not as bawdy as Evil Dead 2 and it's not as dark as Evil Dead 2013," the said. "But there is levity, and I think some of the levity comes through the outlandishness of the horror that unfolds on screen."
The Evil Dead Saga Continues in 2023
Rise marks the second Evil Dead entry unaffiliated with Campbell's signature character Ash Williams after the 2013 Evil Dead reboot. Unlike that film, Rise will take place in a city rather than a cabin in the woods, with new protagonist Beth (Lily Sulivan) discovering the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis inside her sister Ellie's (Alyssa Sutherland) apartment. Campbell and Raimi will executive produce the movie, with Renaissance Pictures' Robert Tapert and remake director Fede Álvarez also having producer credits on Rise.
Originally announced as an HBO Max exclusive, Cronin confirmed in August that Evil Dead Rise will receive an April 2023 theatrical release instead. The movie will not feature any cameos from Ash, who briefly appeared in the 2013 film's post-credit scene. However, Campbell confirmed that he's in talks to voice Ash in an animated follow-up to Ash vs. Evil Dead, which ran for three seasons on Starz.
Evil Dead Rise releases in theaters on April 21, 2023.
Source: Empire