Even with Ash Williams taking a back seat for other heroes to step up, the Evil Dead franchise continues to endure. This weekend will see the release of Evil Dead Rise, the fifth installment of the movie series. Like the 2013 film, it does not feature Bruce Campbell as Ash, instead focusing on all-new characters in an unconnected storyline. With its early reviews, the film has already scored a near-perfect approval rating of 96% at Rotten Tomatoes, and there seems to be immense fan interest in seeing the film upon its release.
Campbell, who's an executive producer for the film alongside longtime Evil Dead collaborator Sam Raimi, has addressed the ongoing popularity of the franchise. He shares his theory for why Evil Dead movies continue to land so well with horror fans more than four decades after the first installment's release. The groovy one says it comes down to being able to relate to characters like Ash, someone who's very much an "everyman" that leaves many viewers feeling like they'd be just as capable of fighting off Deadites in a similar situation.
As Campbell tells Hollywood Outbreak:
"Because it's about normal people fighting against evil. It's pretty simple. There's no superheroes, nobody is an expert, nobody's from another planet. They're all from the United States, and they all have random, normal jobs. Like Ash, there's no skill. So, I think the audience members go, 'I could do better than that guy, even.' So I think it's a horror series you can relate to."
Evil Dead Rise Has Been Killing It With Early Reviews
While the strong reviews are wonderful, the other half of the equation that determines whether Evil Dead Rise is a big success will be its theatrical turnout. Originally, the movie was developed for a streaming release on HBO Max, but it had performed so well with test audiences that Warner Bros. switched gears and sent it to theaters. Just how successful the movie turns out to be in terms of box office performance remains to be seen.
Lee Cronin wrote and directed the film, which takes us out of the cabin in the woods and into a high-rise apartment building. Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, and Morgan Davies star. You can read the official synopsis for the movie below.
Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, Evil Dead Rise tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
Evil Dead Rise premieres in theaters on April 21, 2023.