WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Evil Dead Rise!Evil Dead Rise is filled with Easter eggs, references, and hidden details related to the Evil Dead franchise and classic horror movies. Directed and written by Lee Cronin, Evil Dead Rise is the fifth movie in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series, which debuted in 1981 and has enjoyed a strong cult-classic horror status in the years since. The 2023 installment expands on Evil Dead’s lore as new character Beth (Lily Sullivan) visits her sister, nieces, and nephew, with their reunion turning gory after they discover a familiar demon-releasing book in their Los Angeles apartment building.
While Evil Dead Rise is a standalone sequel that doesn’t directly continue the stories of its predecessors, Cronin’s movie is inherently linked to past installments through the franchise’s larger Deadite lore as Beth and her family stumble upon a new Necronomicon. Evil Dead Rise then features numerous callbacks to past movies through the repetition of classic lines, subtle character references, iconic lead character moments, and new Deadites replicating the taunts of the old. Not only does Evil Dead Rise feature numerous self-referential Easter eggs and hidden details, but Cronin also includes nods to external horror classics like The Shining. Here’s a breakdown of 24 Evil Dead Rise Easter eggs and hidden details to spot.
24 The Necronomicon
The overarching detail connecting the entire Evil Dead franchise is the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, also called the Book of the Dead. Danny discovers a Book of the Dead underneath the parking garage of the family’s Los Angeles apartment building, which is later opened by drops of his blood. Drawings within the book reveal the demonic creature that is unleashed once specific incantations are spoken, with this demon then possessing Beth’s sister Ellie and anyone she successfully turns into a Deadite.
Evil Dead Rise’s book is one of the three Necronomicons that appear in front of Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams in 1992’s Army of Darkness. Ash contends with the first book in his movies, Jane Levy’s Mia contends with the second in Evil Dead (2013), and Beth faces the third in Evil Dead Rise. However, each demon is slightly different for each book, with Evil Dead Rise’s terrifying monster being called the Marauder.
23 The Priest Record’s Demon-Unleashing Incantation
In Evil Dead II, the Kandarian Demon was unleashed after Ash played a recording made by Professor Knowby reciting an incantation over a tape recorder. Evil Dead Rise’s demon is similarly released when Dan plays the same incantation recited by priests on a vinyl record player. This Evil Dead Rise Easter egg isn’t too subtle, but is a clever way of maintaining the franchise’s evil recording trend with an old-fashioned callback.
22 A Familiar Voice On The Priest’s Records
One of the greatest hidden details in Evil Dead Rise is Bruce Campbell’s cameo, which occurs when Dan is playing the evil recording made by priests in 1923. At one point, an unnamed priest is heard warning the others about the dangers of the book, which he calls the “Book of the Dead.” This priest’s voice is actually Bruce Campbell, who is synonymous with the Evil Dead franchise as main character Ash Williams, the lead of the first three movies and the TV show Ash vs. Evil Dead.
While the characters believe he’s a priest from 1923, Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams might be in Evil Dead Rise. Cronin noted to NME that the priest Campbell is voicing isn’t necessarily “someone else – that could very well be Ash Williams.” As such, it’s possible that Ash still is in Evil Dead Rise via a one-line audio cameo, but there may not be any confirmation until Evil Dead 6.
21 Henrietta’s Pizza Box
Before the earthquake hits early into Evil Dead Rise, Ellie sends her kids to go buy pizza. When they return to the parking garage and drop the pizza during the quake, the name of the pizza place and the image on the box are clearly seen, and they serve as a clever Easter egg to a past Evil Dead character. The pizza place is Henrietta’s, with the image being a familiar-looking woman. This is a reference to the character Henrietta Knowby, the human-turned-Deadite wife of Professor Knowby from Evil Dead II. Henrietta then returned in the Ash vs. Evil Dead series as she battled the time-traveling Ash Williams.
20 “Mommy’s With The Maggots Now”
One of the most iconic lines in Evil Dead Rise is spoken by the evil version of Ellie, who says “Mommy’s with the maggots now” in response to her child. Additionally, Bridget vomits up maggots upon turning into a Deadite, with Evil Dead Rise’s maggots detail being a callback to the original Evil Dead movie’s ending. At the end of The Evil Dead (1981), Ash burns the Necronomicon, leading the Deadites to rapidly decay in a manner that maggots crawl out of their decomposing bodies.
19 Beth Is Passed The Chainsaw
As was the case with Mia in Evil Dead (2013), the chainsaw is passed down to Beth as the new lead in the Evil Dead franchise. A chainsaw has been featured in every media form of The Evil Dead, which began with Ash Williams using one to defeat Deadites in the original movie. Later, Ash modified the chainsaw to fit onto the stump of his possessed hand he had to cut off, establishing the weapon as a franchise staple and reliable way to dismember Deadites. Similarly, Mia used a chainsaw to battle The Abomination in Evil Dead (2013). At the end of Evil Dead Rise, Beth uses a chainsaw to fight and destroy the Marauder.
18 Beth’s Chainsaw Continues Ash’s Car Easter Egg
The chainsaw scene in Evil Dead Rise features a second Easter egg that is a bit harder to recognize. Every Evil Dead movie features an Easter egg related to the Oldsmobile Delta 88 car, the iconic yellow vehicle driven by Ash Williams. However, Evil Dead Rise breaks tradition by not featuring the actual car. Instead, Cronin (via Bloody Disgusting) revealed that Beth’s yellow chainsaw was designed to match the exact color of Ash’s car, thus satisfying the Delta 88 Easter egg requirement.
17 Bloody Woodchipper
As the chainsaw isn’t enough to effectively obliterate the Marauder, Beth uses the device to cut through the monster while also pushing it through a woodchipper, with blood spraying out through the other side. Evil Dead Rise’s dead bodies going through the woodchipper moment is an Easter egg callback to the 1996 movie Fargo, which notably featured a scene in which a criminal disposes of a body in a blood-spraying woodchipper.
16 Raining Blood
The Marauder going through the woodchipper in Evil Dead Rise’s ending causes blood to rain all over the parking garage. Connecting back to Evil Dead (2013), blood memorably rained down as Mia battled The Abomination. In both cases, Mia and Beth’s final stands against the demons left them unrecognizably covered in blood head-to-toe.
15 “Come Get Some!”
As Beth prepares to attack the Marauder with the chainsaw in Evil Dead Rise’s ending, she utters a triumphant “Come get some” at the demon. This is a reference to the end of Army of Darkness when Ash remarks “Come get some” to the Deadite attacking him in S-Mart.
14 “I’ll Swallow Your Soul”
Another line that gets quite a bit of usage in the Evil Dead franchise is “I’ll swallow your soul,” as said by Deadites, of course. As a brilliant reference to the previous movies, Evil Dead Rise’s Deadite Ellie remarks “I’ll swallow your soul” as she causes mayhem in the Los Angeles apartment. This same line was also memorably uttered by Deadites to Ash in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness.
13 “Dead By Dawn”
Evil Dead Rise doesn’t miss a chance to get iconic franchise lines into the movie, as Cronin’s 2023 installment repeats the familiar “dead by dawn” quote. As Beth and Kassie escape down the apartment building hallway, the Deadites in the hall taunt them by all yelling that everyone here will be “dead by dawn.” Horrifying Deadites also notably chanted “dead by dawn” at Ash back in Evil Dead II.
12 Party Of Five
Evil Dead Rise’s main characters consist of a family of five (Beth, Ellie, Danny, Bridget, and Kassie), which is a familiar character set-up for the franchise. The Evil Dead (1981) primarily featured five characters (Ash, Cheryl, Scott, Linda, and Shelly) and Evil Dead (2013) followed suit with a five-character set-up (Mia, David, Eric, Olivia, and Natalie). However, Evil Dead Rise marks the first time that more than one character from the main five survives.
11 The Shining Elevator Moment
One of the most recognizable Easter eggs in Evil Dead Rise is a reference to the classic horror movie The Shining. As Beth and Kassie attempt to escape the building through the elevator, it begins to fill up with blood, leading gallons upon gallons of blood to crash out in a massive wave once the elevator doors open. In The Shining, Danny Torrance saw visions of gallons of blood bursting from an elevator in the Overlook Hotel.
10 A Nightmare On Elm Street Marathon
Before Ellie’s Deadite attack begins, Bridget is asked by the neighbors if she wants to watch all the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, an invitation she declines. The reference to Wes Craven’s iconic A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is taken further in Evil Dead Rise as Beth prepares a bath for Kassie, which includes a shot of the former’s fingers going into the water that is reminiscent of the 1984 horror movie’s iconic bathtub scene.
9 Swallowing An Eyeball
One of the most disgusting scenes from Evil Dead II receives a revival in Evil Dead Rise. When Deadite Ellie attacks the neighbors in the hallway, she chews the eyeball off Gabriel’s face, spits it out, and it flies directly down the throat of Jake, who chokes on it. An almost identical situation occurred in Evil Dead II when an eye popped out of a Deadite’s head and flew across the room into the mouth of Bobby Joe.
8 The Flying Demon’s POV
Evil Dead Rise’s speeding demon point-of-view flying to the apartment building is a reference to the end of The Evil Dead (1981), which featured a shot of a speeding demon flying through the forest. POV shots are just another example of how Lee Cronin keeps the franchise fresh and alive while maintaining the classic trademarks of Raimi’s movies.
7 Ellie Is Tied Up By The Demon
One notable detail in Evil Dead Rise that serves as a clever callback to past installments in the franchise occurs when the demon initially attacks Ellie in the elevator. Ellie is tied up by elevator cable wires that bind her wrists and suspend her in the air, which is a common method used by Evil Dead’s demons to subdue hosts. However, the demons used possessed tree branches and vines to tie up Cheryl in The Evil Dead and Mia in Evil Dead (2013). Clearly, the demons know how to adapt to their surroundings.
6 Evil Dead Rise’s Opening Cabin Scene
Evil Dead Rise primarily taking place at an urban apartment building instead of a cabin in the woods is a franchise first. However, Evil Dead Rise still features nods to isolated cabins’ importance to the franchise in the opening scene, which briefly follows young characters being attacked by their Deadite friend at a cabin by a lake.
5 Deadites Reading Without Seeing
The opening scene in which Jessica becomes a Deadite also features a nod to the curious powers of a Deadite in The Evil Dead. As Teresa reads Wuthering Heights, Deadite Jessica is sitting on her bed facing the other direction yet is able to read the words aloud on the page. This detail is a reference to when Deadite Cheryl suddenly started reading the correct playing cards without looking at them.
