Evil Dead Rise (2023)

In the fifth Evil Dead film, a road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A apartment. The sisters’ reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.

This project was originally going to have an HBO debut until new management within the studio decided to make a number of changes on new and upcoming projects and their releases. It’s now believed to be going to theaters only. (8/24/22)

Filmed in New Zealand.

Sam Raimi had a recent interview where he spoke briefly on the film, saying: “I’ve seen a rough cut [of ‘Evil Dead Rise’], a medium fine cut, and a fine cut. There’s probably a few changes that Lee Cronin is making that I haven’t seen, but it’s great. It’s terrifying and it’s going to knock people’s socks off.” (5/2/22)

Bruce Campbell spoke a bit about the film again, detailing more about what fans can expect from the story, saying: “People can actually call it what [they] want: Sequel, remake, reimagining. It really is just another Evil Dead movie. It’s book-centric. It’s all about [the Necronomicon]. Where does this book wind up and what happens to it over the millennia? In this case, it’s set in the city, it’s no more cabin in the woods. It’s entirely different, unsuspecting heroines who are going to save the day. It’s filming now in New Zealand, with some of their amazing crews down there and they’re well into it. Rob Tapert is the hands-on producer and we’re all very involved in the script. We all jump in at various times to chime in. But, yeah, the three of us are very involved.” (7/12/21)

It was announced today that filming is aimed to begin next month in New Zealand and the movie will eventually be released on HBO Max. Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings) and Lily Sullivan (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Barkskins) are first to join the cast and will be playing the lead sisters. Producer Sam Raimi was quoted saying: “I’m thrilled to bring ‘Evil Dead’ back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film. The company’s history as pioneers of horror speaks for itself. I’m equally excited to be working with Lee Cronin, whose gifts as a storyteller make him the ideal filmmaker to continue the enduring legacy of the franchise.” Bruce Campbell added.. “At its core, ‘Evil Dead’ is about ordinary people overcoming extraordinarily terrifying situations. I can’t wait for Alyssa and Lily to fill the blood-soaked shoes of those who have come before them and carry on that tradition.” (5/26/21)

Bruce Campbell offers an update and more details on the movie in another recent interview. As for the current status, here’s what he had to say: “We’re honing-in, circling the building now trying to lock in a partner. We have a couple of bidders and we’re trying to just find the correct suitor and we have a script written and a director picked. Sam Raimi hand -picked a guy named Lee Cronin, who’s a very good Irish filmmaker. And it’s got a very good modern tale. It’s a modern-day urban “Evil Dead,” it’s called “Evil Dead Rise.” And we’re hoping to do that next year.” He goes on to reveal some story details.. “What we’re doing now is we’re saying,” Look, this is another ‘Evil Dead’ movie and that book gets around, a lot of people run into it and it’s another story.” The main key with “Evil Dead” is they’re just regular people who are battling what seems to be a very unstoppable evil, and so that’s where the horror comes from. It’s not someone who’s skilled. They’re not fighting a soldier. They’re not fighting a scientist. They’re not fighting anybody more than your average neighbor. This one is going to be a similar thing. We’re going to have a heroine, a woman in charge, and she’s going to try and save her family.”

Bruce Campbell had a recent interview where he confirms that the new movie will take place somewhere in a city, saying: “The Evil Dead are going to fuck up a city this time.” There have been rumors indicating that the film may take place on a skyscraper, but so far nothing has been confirmed other than it being in a city. Campbell also hasn’t fully ruled out possibly showing up in the film in some sort of cameo capacity. (9/2/20)

Bruce Campbell gave new details on the project in a new interview, where he reveals the new title and says that there will be no “cabin in the woods” this time ’round. Here’s what he had to say: “The official name is Evil Dead Rise. We’re getting a new draft in. I don’t think anything will happen until 2021. Full bore ahead, we’re very excited about it. A whole, new ballgame. No more cabin in the woods.” (6/24/20)

Previously said to be titled Evil Dead Now.

It’s said that there will be no “cabin in the woods” in this movie.

Written and directed by Lee Cronin (The Hole In The Ground), who was apparently “hand picked” by Sam Raimi to take on the project.

At the moment this project will reportedly have no ties to the past films (including the Fede Alvarez movie). Here’s what Bruce Campbell had to say about the movie: “From this point forward, they kind of have to stand on their own. Which is fine. And liberating. You could have different heroes, different heroines in this case. This one’s gonna be a little more dynamic. We just want to keep the series current. And the mantra, really, is that our heroes and heroines are just regular people. That’s what we’re going to continue.” (6/8/20)

This is said to be a standalone project that’s set in the Evil Dead universe and will feature a brand new character.

Evil Dead Rise arrived in theaters in the UK and USA on April 21, 2023.

Warner Bros. released Evil Dead Rise for early Premium Digital Ownership at home for $24.99 and for 48-hour rental via PVOD for $19.99 SRP on participating digital platforms where you purchase movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play and Vudu on May 9, 2023.

In the UK, Evil Dead Rise arrived for home premiere on June 5, 2023.

Evil Dead Rise premiered on Max (formerly HBO Max) on June 23, 2023.

Warner Bros. released Evil Dead Rise on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on June 27, 2023.

StudioCanal released Evil Dead Rise in the UK on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD, plus special edition SteelBook, on July 17, 2023.

Evil Dead Rise premiered on Amazon Prime Video on July 2, 2024.

IMDb

Director: Lee Cronin