The upcoming installment in The Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Rise, is moving from its standard cabin in the woods setting to an urban, city environment; this could bring major changes for the series.
The Evil Dead movies have become cultural touchstones for horror, and they’ve helped both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell become mainstream figures, not just within the horror genre, but the film industry as a whole. The original Evil Dead is very much a low budget horror movie made simply, but it has spawned an expansive universe that includes a TV show, comic book, video games, and a 2013 reboot.
The Evil Dead franchise has experienced a lot of changes over the years, from hurling protagonist Ash Williams back to medieval times to saddling him with a daughter and a young team of evil hunters in the exceptional Ash Vs. The Evil Dead TV show. Despite these shifts, at its core the Evil Dead movie have revolved around the simple idea of an unassuming cabin in the woods unleashing an ultimate evil. Evil Dead Rise‘s choice to pivot toward moving the Deadites’ chaos to the city has some very interesting implications.
Expanding the world of Evil Dead to a much larger environment inherently takes away some of the claustrophobic tension of the original movies, but that doesn’t mean it’s destined to fail. Both Army of Darkness and Ash Vs. The Evil Dead place Deadites in a new, more populated setting and prove that it can still work. The most important factor here is that Evil Dead Rise doesn’t lose sight of Evil Dead’s unique tone. The original trilogy employs a bizarre blend of extreme horror with surreal comedy that is arguably more important than whether it’s set in a cabin or not. On that note, there are many other horror movies that have gravitated towards the cabin in the woods concept, so it isn’t as unique as it used to be.
The biggest hurdle that Evil Dead Rise has to face with a new city setting is how not to make it feel like every other zombie apocalypse movie. It’s a lot harder to be original in this sub-genre, so the vintage Evil Dead energy becomes even more important. Evil Dead Rise could still play around with this setting in creative ways, like by slowly reduce the environment, or starting in the open streets and then retreating to more enclosed areas, perhaps even ending in something that resembles a cabin. A city setting allows for a lot more movement than what has been experienced in previous Evil Dead films, which naturally lends itself to more creative set pieces than being limited to the iconic cabin and tree-filled woods.
If Evil Dead Rise does decide to go with the zombie movie approach, it should be set far in the future where the Deadite epidemic has reached unheard of proportions. This could show off a new side of the Deadites, and how they operate when they’re in charge and no longer the minority. These ideas have potential, but hint at a dangerous precedent for the Evil Dead series. The success of Evil Dead Rise could mean a future sequel that moves even further away from its roots and blends in with the rest of its ilk. Bigger isn’t always necessarily better.
