The Legacy … of ‘The Evil Dead’ (1981)

With the release of Evil Dead Burn in the summer of 2026, and the scheduled release of Evil Dead Wrath in 2028; it’s clear that this is a classic Horror franchise which is absolutely thriving right now. The sixth and seventh movies in the series are continuing what is now one of the most recognisable genre properties, and a real favourite of 2020s Horror fans … and it all began way back in 1981!

The Evil Dead (1981) was a labour of love for debut filmmaker Sam Raimi – who would go on to have one hell of a career directing Horror movies such as Drag Me To Hell (2009), while also becoming well known in the comic book genre for making Sony’s Toby Maguire Spider-Man trilogy (2002 – 2007) as well as Marvel’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022). Raimi would also be involved in dozens of other film projects as either a writer, director, or producer over the last forty five years.

But his first feature was the perfect example of guerrilla filmmaking. A Gonzo Indie-Horror flick which was financed by crowdfunding $90,000 from local investors after making the short film Within The Woods (1978) as a proof of concept. The Evil Dead filmed on location in Tennessee, and would gain traction when it hit movie theatres in the autumn of 1981; receiving praise from Horror-master Stephen King. The film would become a hit at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, before being picked up by New Line Cinema who would eventually distribute The Evil Dead worldwide in 1983; with the film going on to achieve in the region $30 million in box office receipts.

The Evil Dead opens with an iconic tracking shot across open woodland waters. Something is travelling through the woods, while we meet a group of five friends including Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) as they arrive for a getaway at a remote cabin in the very same woodland. Here they soon venture down into the basement and discover a trove of curiosities including a copy of the Necronomicon – aka The Book of the Dead – bound in human flesh and inked in human blood … alongside a mysterious tape recording. The tape recording provides exposition on the origin of the book and its transcripts of demon resurrection. The voice in the recording then reads passages from the text … and something dark begins to stir outside.

Raimi shows a gothic influence here with the heavy use of smoke and a shot of the full moon as the woods come alive, and the infamous ‘tree branch’ scene soon provides the film’s first sequence of truly OTT horror. The big turn in the movie then comes with the imminent possession of Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss) as she levitates in the air and speaks to her friends in a demonic voice; “You have awoken us from our ancient slumber!” She attacks the rest of the party, but is overpowered and locked in the basement. Here, Raimi showcases a great POV shot as the demon looks out from the trap door and begins laughing maniacally; her deformed fingers pulling on the chains as she further torments her friends.

As the movie hurtles towards its climax, all become possessed apart from Ash; who becomes the movies Final-Guy as his demonic friends begin to mentally torture him. And it is here that the film begins to take a slightly more comedic tone, especially with Bruce Campbell’s visual performance as the initially subdued Ash really comes alive. The Evil Dead starts to shows its true colours by delivering an abundance of gory practical F/X. We get severed hands, melting / burning flesh, spraying blood, eye gouging, and decapitated demons whose headless bodies continue to attack, and then dance … it is a wild ride!

Arriving in 1987, Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn begins with an introduction to the legend of the Necronomicon, before Ash Williams (Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda arrive for a romantic getaway at the cabin in the woods. They almost instantly stumble across the tape recording from the first film … unleashing the evil of the Book of the Dead within minutes of the sequel beginning. It’s almost like a fast forwarded version of the original, with Bruce Campbell now playing Ash as the loveable buffoon he ended up being. There is a clear uplift in style here, with a budget in the region of $3.6 million provided by legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis … following a recommendation by Stephen King.

There is also a significant uplift in the slapstick comedy that accompanies the Horror. Ash battles all manner of bizarre demonic atrocities, with Campbell providing a superb performance of gross out physical comedy as Ash and his chainsaw hand become a real iconic image in Horror. Evil Dead 2 is really a reimagining of the first film, allowing Raimi to flex his muscles as a creative filmmaker: and for many it is the quintessential release in the series. It deeper explores the Necronomicon and the family of the voice of the archeologist on the tape recording; introducing his daughter Annie (Sarah Berry) as she visits the cabin in search of her parents … and unwitttingly stumbles into Ash’s nightmare!

But if you thought Raimi couldn’t get any goofier with the series, then you were sorely mistaken. Evil Dead 2 closes with Ash been sucked into an inter-dimensional vortex which transports him back to medieval times. And although it took a further five years to come to fruition, Raimi’s Medieval Dead project would eventually see the light of day as Army Of Darkness (1992). We meet Ash who is being held captive in the year 1300 (also the year we are told in Evil Dead 2 that the Necronomicon went missing). A voiceover from Ash brings viewers up to speed recapping the events of the previous film, although it does retcon the ending in which Ash was hailed a saviour after first landing in the past.

Although Ash is believed by a holy man to be the prophet who will fall from the sky to rid the land of the evil Deadites, this is ignored as he is taken captive and thrown into a pit to be devoured by a demon they have captured. Army Of Darkness leans heavily into the comedy as Ash is thrown to his doom and immediately embarks in a WWE style punch up with the Deadite, before being thrown his chainsaw which allows him to gain the upper hand; eventually winning the respect of the local people. The movie is a complete farce from start to finish, but it is a glorious one; with Raimi making full use of the new setting and time period to blur genres and create something a little more epic.

In order to return to his own time, Ash must embark on a quest to find the missing Necronomicon which holds the key to his travels. Cue lots of screwball comedy sequences and OTT gore, as Ash eventually discovers that there are not one, but three Books Of The Dead on this Earth … and he unwittingly unleashes pure Hell on the world. Army Of Darkness is a totally unique movie, and in all honesty might just be Raimi’s masterpiece! But then … just like the Deadites themselves; the series lay dormant.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and classic 70s / 80s Horror movie remakes are big business. The early 2000s saw studios revisiting a whole number of previously successful properties; including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Halloween (2007), Friday The 13th (2009), and A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010). And in 2013, Evil Dead would provide a new story for the series directed by Fede Alvarez (Alien: Romulus). This would be the first film not to feature Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams (instead he would appear in his own TV show – Ash Vs. The Evil Dead two years later) – and although Sam Raimi was no longer behind the camera, both he and Campbell were producers on the project.

Evil Dead (2013) very much feels like a 2000s horror. It is devoid of the humour that made the first trilogy such iconic anomalies, and although there are scenes which pay homage to the first movie; this is certainly no traditional remake. It’s premise is a good one, a group of friends are performing an intervention of sorts as they take Mia (Jane Levy) to the cabin in the woods in order for her to detox and get off drugs. And when the inevitable chaos and violence ensues … it really goes for it! And while it’s a very cool Horror flick in its own right, it often just doesn’t quite feel like an Evil Dead movie should.

Bruce Campbell’s Ash Vs. The Evil Dead (2015 – 2018) Tv show on the other hand absolutely does, taking everything comedic from the first three films and ramping the slapstick gore right up to eleven! While Evil Dead Rise (2023) from director Lee Cronin (The Mummy) goes someway to bridging the gap between the 2013 reimagining and the original movies. With a superb performance by Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings); who absolutely nails her transformation to the dark side, and really takes note of what worked from the demonic performances in the first two films.

An opening tracking shot through the woods and across a lake is the perfect homage shot by Cronin, but the rug is pulled from under the viewer when it turns out to be just someone flying a drone. However, the intro does naturally soon descends into something terrifying and extremely graphic! The main story of Evil Dead Rise then moves the narrative back one day earlier, and away from the cabin and into an apartment block. The switch up in location makes for a unique entry in the series, providing a fresh take which is ultimately every bit as brutal as its 2013 predecessor.

It’s going to be extremely interesting to see what Evil Dead Burn (releasing July 10th 2026) and eventually Evil Dead Wrath (2028) bring to the table. This is a franchise where the narratives follow a pretty similar theme, yet in the entries so far we have seen wildly different tones and directions that the stories have taken. From the low-budget high impact debut, to the slapstick sequel and eventual journey back to medieval times. From the tonally serious bloodbath of a remagining over three decades later, to an entry in Rise which takes Evil Dead in a whole new direction … this is a series which has quite rightly earned its place in and amongst Horror royalty; and long may it continue. KZ

Words by Mark T. Bates

Check out our series of short Horror stories:

‘The Curious Dark (Vol. 1)’

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‘The Curious Dark (Vol.1)’ – By Mark T. Bates