Honorable Mention: Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015-2018)
When trying to rank all of the entries into a cinematic franchise, you're prevented from including a TV series. Still, it's worth noting that, with fans begging for a new Evil Dead sequel starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams in the decades since the release of Army of Darkness, Ash vs. Evil Dead went even further than any sequel could have. Over the course of three seasons, fans were given 15 hours of Ash's adventures, which saw him up to all his old antics and introduced some new figures into the fray.
The series as a whole was a delight to revel in, as Campbell hadn't missed a step when jumping back into his iconic Ash, with Sam Raimi also being involved in developing the project. While the series was undeniably entertaining throughout its entire run, it did suffer from the limitations of TV, largely in regards to the overall look of the special effects, and while the series did utilize practical effects, its embrace of CGI was devoid of the charm of the original films.
With the franchise having expanded into mediums like comic books and video games over the years, it can be daunting for newcomers when determining which stories to explore, but Ash vs. Evil Dead is a must-watch for any longtime fans of the franchise.
prevnext5) Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Evil Dead Rise was initially developed as an exclusive original for HBO Max, though based on behind-the-scenes changes at the studio, the film instead pivoted to become a theatrical release. While it's a relief that the film wasn't scrapped entirely, a fate some other originals suffered, the final product still feels like something that was conceived as an experience only to be witnessed on the small screen.
A key component of the Evil Dead franchise is exploring unexpected victims in a remote cabin in the woods, so Evil Dead Rise gets points for changing up the location and instead depicting the aftermath of victims discovering a Necronomicon in the basement of an apartment building. Even if the locale has changed, we're given a number of staples of the franchise, from stabbings to slicings to vomiting blood, with director Lee Cronin embracing some of the greatest hits of the series.
In some regards, this devotion to the franchise's past prevents it from forging a new path forward, as it fails to break new ground in any substantial way, other than the environments of an apartment building. Additionally, by embracing an aesthetic of colder tones of blues and greys as opposed to the browns and oranges of a cabin, the picture often looks flat and muted, with the blood looking more purple than red. There's not much new in the way of carnage and the characters are just charming enough to keep us invested, so rather than being an opportunity to reimagine and revive the franchise, the overall experience feels more like a way to keep the series in the public's eye for a few more years.
Even with its shortcomings, the worst Evil Dead movie can still deliver a lot of fun to an audience better than other franchises, and Evil Dead Rise's finale does deliver some unexpected elements, making sure to send viewers out on a high note.
prevnext4) Army of Darkness (1993)
The third film in the franchise earns impressive marks for its ambitions, as it takes Ash Williams back in time to battle an undead army, so even with its many merits as an isolated adventure, it falls short of what audiences know and love about the Evil Dead franchise.
Thanks to the acclaim Raimi earned with the first two films, Army of Darkness had the biggest budget yet of the series, with the final project feeling more like an opportunity to showcase everything fans knew and loved about Campbell as Ash. In this sense, the experience is more like a compilation of snarky wisecracks and one-liners that were delivered perfectly by Campbell, making for a hilarious experience. This also means, though, that the story itself seemed reverse-engineered to justify these jokes as opposed to inspiring them organically.
A drawback to partnering with Universal Pictures to distribute the film is that Army of Darkness veered away from horror, as the distributor wanted a PG-13 cut, forcing Raimi to make a number of edits to the more unsettling sequences, as well as scrapping the original ending that would send Ash into the future. The project was ultimately released with an R rating, though with most of the violence being aimed at undead skeleton soldiers, we don't get the blood and guts of human victims.
Army of Darkness is an undeniably entertaining experience and might feature Campbell's best performance in the franchise, but by leaning so heavily into the campiness of the concept, it doesn't offer much for those interested in horror.
prevnext3) Evil Dead (2013)
While Army of Darkness might have stripped the series of its blood to instead deliver a campy adventure, director Fede ?lvarez went the opposite direction for this remake to deliver the most brutal and bloodiest entry into the series to date.
The remake of Evil Dead doesn't have Bruce Campbell, or anyone like Bruce Campbell, or any characters as fun to watch as Ash Williams. This understandably puts a throttle on just how good it could have ever been, but with those restrictions in mind, this take on a group of friends becoming the targets of evil forces is about as good a version of that premise as you can get.
From the opening scene of the film, in which a young girl is set on fire before having her head blown off with a shotgun, the tone of the adventure is an abrasive, aggressive, and visceral experience. The characters who are subjected to torture are largely disposable and don't compare to Ash in the slightest, but the inventiveness of the torment that Alvarez subjects them to highlights special effects that honor the spirit of the originals yet are taken to even more realistic levels. From boiling water to box cutters to meat carvers to nail guns, the brutality honors the tone of a cabin in the woods without attempting to directly replicate its predecessors, leading towards an absolutely ridiculous and impressive crescendo of carnage.
Viewers willing to leave their expectations of Ash Williams at the door are treated to a complete symphony of gore, with the only real laughs being at the absurdity of the situation. Even without a character like Ash, Jane Levy's Mia still managed to make a mark on audiences with her commitment to embracing an evil-infused victim and ultimate survivor, as fans still hope to see her unite with Ash in another adventure.
prevnext2) The Evil Dead (1983)
The original The Evil Dead (which originally had a 1981 premiere before releasing wide in 1983) might not have been the first horror story about a cabin in the woods but many would say it perfected the premise.
Developed at a time in which zombies were becoming a popular trend, The Evil Dead borrowed the more gruesome components of the undead ghouls, yet also stripped them of their weaknesses. By making these "Deadites" almost entirely unstoppable and unpredictable, the original movie helped embrace the idea of "nightmare logic" for the franchise, allowing anything to happen to anyone for any reason and without warning. Making the experience all the more disturbing is that this close-knit group of friends that can switch from their normal selves to ghastly and possessed monsters hammers home the terror of the situation and its inescapable nature.
While some independent features suffer from having to cast readily available performers, Raimi lucked out with the talents of friend Bruce Campbell, the clear standout performer of the group. The most earnest of Raimi's films in the series, this debut film offered him the chance to showcase a number of inventive and experimental filmmaking methods, showing horror fans just how much he could do with relatively little and kicking off a longstanding love among fans for the Book of the Dead
prevnext1) Evil Dead II (1987)
The franchise as a whole is known for its humor and for its horror, with no better example of a seamless blend of these tones than Evil Dead II. With a reported budget nearly ten times that of the original, Raimi had the chance to take his core concept and expand it in all the right ways, to the point that the opening of this movie also serves as a recreation of the debut film for those audience members who might not have seen it.
Evil Dead II represents the perfect harmony of the inherent campiness and absurdity of the premise with the writhing, bubbly, and sloppy grotesqueness of evil invading a cabin. Making the film all the more impressive is how much time Campbell's Ash is entirely alone, delivering a tour de force physical performance in which his hand becomes possessed and he is tasked with bashing himself against walls, through bookcases, and even opting to lop off his own hand in hopes of preventing the spread of evil.
Not only is Evil Dead II the best entry in the franchise, it is one of the best examples of '80s horror. Much like how it can be cliched to claim that The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie, it feels redundant to cite Evil Dead II as the best film in the series, but any revisit will showcase that the film is just as good now as it was in the '80s. While new entries in the franchise will be welcome expansions of the core concept, we likely ever can't expect any chapter to improve upon Evil Dead II's accomplishments.
What's your's favorite installment in the series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
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