Ash Williams said it best: the Evil Dead franchise is “nice”. last week, the sixth film in the franchise, Evil Dead Burncame to theaters and a the seventh is on the way in 2028Opening with The Book of the Dead is a world of murderous demons shows no signs of slowing down.
There is no sign of a major drop in quality either. Most franchises, especially horror franchises, lose quality almost immediately. Halloween, Friday the 13thNightmare on Elm Street, Screaming; all of which have one or two standouts (usually the originals), and then a lot of bad, albeit entertaining, sequels. Evil Dead it didn’t happen.
Many would agree that e.g Star Wars or The Lord of the Ringsthe first three Evil Dead movies are kind of untouchable. Even when you rank them, you’re just dealing with bigotry or personal preference. Then 20 years passed and new films appeared. Films made by filmmakers who grew up with those originals, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell themselves, took it to another level.
Basically, we don’t think it’s bad Evil Dead movie. But some are better than others, and we’ll explain where to put each below.
Honor: Ash and the Evil Dead
no evil dead –the adjacent discussion was completed without an outcry Ash and the Evil DeadThe series ran for three great seasons on Starz from 2015 to 2018. The show picks up 30 years after Ash Williams thought his days of slaying the dead were over, only to discover there were still some souls in need of chainsawing – with Bruce Campbell playing an older version of his character.
Although the serials were left behind Evil Deadmore humorous aspects, he also introduced the franchise’s trademark terrifying special effects and expanded his lore in more and surprising ways. Lee Majors as Ash’s father? It doesn’t get cuter than that! But this is a movie list, so you should definitely watch it again Ash and the Evil Dead as often as possible, it is not part of the io9 rankings.
6. Evil Dead Burn (2026)
The latest installmentnow in theaters, not because it’s bad, but coming in last. It’s actually pretty cool. It’s lower than the others because it’s the purest representation of how much there is Evil Dead changed from the beginning. Burn is a down and dirty, brutal and bloody horror film. There is almost no humor. And as you will soon read, we think so Evil Dead It’s best when it’s scary and gross, but also funny.
5. Evil Dead (2013)
Fede Álvarez’s reboot is responsible for the horror-first, humor-second twist. Evil Dead received None of what’s happening now, including the TV show, probably wouldn’t happen without him. Plus, the fact that it’s taken from the original movies with the cabin setting helps with nostalgia, even though it’s still very brutal murders and gruesomely heavy.
4. Rise of the Evil Dead (2023)
we put Rise of the Evil Dead It’s on top of the other two new movies because it really feels like a new generation Evil Dead. It has a new setting, new characters and a great sprinkling of satanic humor. This is the first film to take things in an interesting new direction. One, we think will continue in the future.
3. Army of Darkness (1993)
Now at this point it is important to reiterate two things. One, there is no bad Evil Dead movie. And two, Army of Darkness is my personal favorite Evil Dead movie. Ash Williams going back in time to fight the Deadites is obviously more of a comedy than a horror movie that we love, and Bruce Campbell is electric in this one. But it definitely steers clear of the horror elements Evil Dead so unique. So we put him in third place by a small margin.
2. The Evil Dead (1981)
while Army of Darkness leaned much more to its comedic roots Evil Dead franchise, Sam Raimi’s original film is pretty much the opposite. It’s funny, sure, but it’s more of a gritty horror movie than what the franchise has become. There are some legitimate scares throughout, and that makes it cool. But still not the best.
1. Evil Dead II (1987)
Evil Dead II therefore Evil Dead the franchise still lives on. In this game, Raimi found the perfect balance that we didn’t know was possible. There are a lot of gruesome kills and great special effects. But there are also a few silly lines and scenes. It all comes together perfectly, acting as a sequel and refresher to the original film. Evil Dead II it’s perfect Evil Dead movie and others tried, but none quite managed to get it the same way.
Additional reporting by Cheryl Eddy.
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