The new Evil Dead movie, Evil Dead Rise, will ditch the cabin-in-the-woods backdrop for a unique setting, Bruce Campbell revealed. The lucrative Evil Dead franchise, which consists of four films and a TV-series- most led by Bruce Campbell, was launched by seasoned filmmaker Sam Raimi in 1981. Raimi’s first Evil Dead movie wasn’t just a box-office hit, but it was also a cult sensation that spawned two sequels: Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992). After 1992, Evil Dead remained mostly dormant for two decades until Fede Álvarez revived it with a soft reboot in 2013. Later in 2015, an Evil Dead TV-series, Ash Vs. Evil Dead, starring Bruce Campbell, was also released. The show ended in 2018, and now the franchise is gearing up for a new cinematic installment.
Bruce Campbell had revealed in June that he, along with Sam Raimi, was working on a new Evil Dead film, tentatively called Evil Dead Now. Campbell had, however, mentioned that he wouldn’t star in the movie, nor would Raimi helm it. Instead, the actor-director duo would only oversee the film’s production. With Raimi signing-off at the helm, indie moviemaker Lee Cronin was assigned the directorial duties, while the search for a lead continues. According to Campbell, he is eyeing a female protagonist for his upcoming unholy slapstick horror-comedy. The new Evil Dead movie, which has recently been rechristened as Evil Dead Rise, is poised to be a radical spruce up from the previous films. The movie will attempt to explore the horror-comedy genre within a broader spectrum and, as Campbell just revealed, against a new setting.
In an interview with 1428 Elm on Wednesday, Campbell revealed that Evil Dead Rise would trade its cabin-in-the-woods milieu for urban scares. The ghastly Deadites will now terrorize unsuspecting people in a metropolitan city, particularly in the high-rises and skyscrapers in the area. While the Deadites have traditionally tyrannized remote locales, in Evil Dead Rise, they will take over a packed civic zone, sending its entire population into a frenzy. Campbell only subtly alluded to the setting of his new movie without going into much detail. “The Evil Dead are going to **** up a city this time,” Campbell told 1428 Elm, hinting that the Deadite infestation will occur on a city-wide scale this time.
During the interview, Campbell also fielded some foreseeable questions about his potential appearance in the new film. The actor reiterated that he had hung up his Ashley Joanna “Ash” Williams chainsaw for good, and at the moment, he wasn’t considering a cameo role in Evil Dead Rise. When inquired about the possibility of a guest-appearance, Campbell sarcastically retorted, “Who knows? Shouldn’t I just be in it.“ Campbell had earlier stated that the Evil Dead franchise was headed in a new direction. Hence, his cameo seems unlikely as it would inevitably create tie-ins to the old movies.
This isn’t the first time when an Evil Dead movie will experiment with a varied setting. In the past, Evil Dead films’ premise has spanned from cabin-in-the-woods terror to pure slapstick amusement to medieval swashbuckling. Yet all stories have been entertaining and anthemic, while only loosely hinging to the concepts of continuity and canon. Evil Dead Rise is also aiming to widen the horizons for the franchise, although this time, it’s placing the central escapade in a relatable setting. A metropolitan backdrop isn’t the nostalgic context that fans were hoping for. Still, it opens the door to new political and social avenues, through which the franchise can tell unique, never-heard-before tales.
