Evil Dead Rise is the fifth film in the Evil Dead franchise. The first three films directed by Sam Raimi, which include The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness, make up a complete trilogy that later continued on in television with Ash vs Evil Dead, which ran for three seasons on Starz from 2015 to 2018. In 2013, the franchise was rebooted with Evil Dead and brought the franchise back to its more straightforward horror roots.
Evil Dead was successful, yet progress on a sequel never panned out. When Evil Dead Rise was announced, many assumed it would be a sequel to the 2013 film. However, no marketing material indicated it as a continuation of that film or connected to the original series. Was Evil Dead Rise intended as another reboot of the franchise? Was it a sequel to one of the series? Or did it actually unite the entire franchise?
Evil Dead Rise Is Not a Reboot and Not Quite a Sequel
Evil Dead Rise follows a similar set-up to all the previous Evil Dead films. A group of people finds the cursed book, the Necronomicon (also known as the Book of the Dead), which begins to possess people and cause havoc. The biggest departure from many films in the franchise is instead of taking place at a cabin in the woods, the horror here is in a Los Angeles apartment.
Nothing in Evil Dead Rise contradicts the events of Sam Raimi's trilogy or the 2013 film, so theoretically, it could act as a stand-alone sequel to either entry. It is a Schrödinger's cat of film installments, able to be both parts of each series and not depending on how one looks at it. Evil Dead Rise could also be seen as a direct reboot of the franchise, attempting to relaunch the series. Yet one line of dialog in the film indicates that Evil Dead Rise is not only a sequel, but its existence retroactively turns the 2013 Evil Dead from a stand-alone reboot into another entry in the larger Evil Dead story.
Evil Dead Rise Connects the 2013 Film with the Original Movies
During the film when the character of Danny (Morgan Davis) plays the record he found alongside the Necronomicon, it reveals this is one of three volumes of the Book of the Dead. This plays off a joke in Army of Darkness when Ash finds three versions of the Necronomicon and must find out which is the real one. Evil Dead Rise suggests that all three are the real version and that Ash had to pick the specific one that was haunting him and his friends.
This means one version was in the original Evil Dead films and Ash vs Evil Dead, one is present in Evil Dead Rise, and the third one might have been the one featured in the 2013 Evil Dead. 2013's This recontextualizes that previous film as no longer a reboot but part of the main franchise. References like Ash's car (which is Sam Raimi's real car that has been shown in almost all of his movies) or the double barrel shotgun in that movie that were just easter eggs for the fans now suggest they are connected to the previous film.
Do You Need to See the Evil Dead Movies to Understand Evil Dead Rises?
As with the case of any installment in a long-running franchise, the question becomes whether there is any prior viewing an audience member should do before going to see a new film. Even if Evil Dead Rise does retroactively connect the 2013 film with the previous films, none of those entries are required to understand Evil Dead Rise. The film is a stand-alone film and can be enjoyed if somebody has seen every entry or is coming in fresh.
This is part of why Evil Dead Rise has been vague regarding what exactly it is in terms of the wider Evil Dead franchise. It is selling itself as a stand-alone horror movie that could be seen as a reboot and can be enjoyed as such. Yet hardcore Evil Dead fans may pick up on references to the series and connect the dots that it is the long-awaited sequel to the 2013 film and also part of the original Sam Raimi-directed entries.
What Is Next for the Evil Dead Franchise?
Evil Dead has had an interesting franchise life. While there was a 21-year gap between Army of Darkness and Evil Dead in 2013, the franchise still kept going thanks to comic books, video games, and even a stage musical. The franchise appears to still be going strong as Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to change Evil Dead Rise from an HBO Max streaming exclusive to a theatrical release has paid off in box office returns and strong word of mouth.
Original Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell, who is a producer on Evil Dead Rise, revealed that he, Sam Raimi, and Ivan Raimi were working on a story bible for future writers and directors to look at for future Evil Dead films. If Evil Dead Rise is a hit, they are hoping to make a new entry in the franchise every two to three years.
While 2013's Evil Dead director Fede Álvarez is busy working on a new Alien film, the director has expressed interest in returning to the Evil Dead franchise. There might be a future where Campbell's Ash Williams, Jane Levy's Mia, and Lily Sullivan's Beth Barker unite to face off against the evil dead.