“Evil Dead” is a horror franchise created by Sam Raimi that consists of five films and a TV series.
Let’s find out some more trivia and facts about the franchise.
- Evil Dead is an American horror film franchise
- It was created by Sam Raimi
- It consists of five feature films and a television serie
- The series revolves around the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a group of cabin inhabitants in a wooded area in Tennessee.
- The franchise is also referred to as Army of Darkness
- The protagonist, Ashley Joanna “Ash” Williams (Bruce Campbell), is the only character to appear in every installment of the series
- The original trilogy includes The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992)
- All written and directed by Raimi
- They were produced by Robert G. Tapert
- Campbell starred in all of them
- The franchise has since expanded into other formats
- Including a television series, video games, comic books, and a musical
- The film franchise was resurrected in 2013 with Evil Dead
- The film served as s soft reboot and a loose continuation of the series
- It was directed by Fede Álvarez
- Álvarez co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues
- It was produced by Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert
- The film featured new protagonist Mia Allen (Jane Levy)
- A television series, Ash vs. Evil Dead, premiered on cable network Starz in 2015
- The series lasted for three seasons
- It ended in 2018
- With Campbell announcing an animated revival to be in active development in July 2022
- It starred Bruce Campbell as Ash and was executive produced by Campbell, Raimi, and Tapert
- A fifth film in the franchise, titled Evil Dead Rise, was theatrically released on April 21, 2023
- Lee Cronin served as writer and director
- Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan starring as sisters Ellie and Beth
- Tapert served as a producer
- With Raimi and Campbell both acting as executive producers
- Each film of the franchise has received generally positive reviews from critics
- With the original trilogy developing a cult following
- The franchise has grossed a collective $166 million worldwide
- “The Evil Dead” was filmed in 1979
- It was released in 1981
- It is the first film in the series
- It introduces the series’ protagonist Ash, the Book of the Dead, and the Deadites
- “Evil Dead II” was released in 1987
- This film is a sequel to the original, continuing where the last film ended
- It starts with a recap of the previous film is shown in the beginning
- This entry shows the horrors of Ash’s continuing battle with the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis and the Deadites
- It also introduces elements of slapstick humor that came to define the series
- “Army of Darkness” was filmed in 1991
- It was released in spring of 1993 in the United States
- This is the third film in the franchise
- It was the last featuring Ash Williams taking a lead role so far
- The film takes Ash back in time to England in 1300 AD
- The movie has horror attributes, but is based mainly on slapstick and action
- Evil Dead is the title of a film that serves as a soft reboot and a continuation of the Evil Dead franchise
- Unlike the first three films, this one does not feature the character of Ash Williams in a major role
- Ash only appears briefly in a post-credits scene
- Instead follows a new protagonist named Mia Allen
- The film is considered a continuation of the franchise
- And plans to feature both Ash and Mia in future installments have been discussed
- In October 2019, Raimi announced at the New York Comic Con, that a new film was officially green-lit and in development
- Robert G. Tapert was set to produce, while Raimi and Campbell served as executive producers only, all under their Ghost House Pictures banner
- In June 2020, Lee Cronin was chosen as a director with a script he wrote
- Raimi chose the filmmaker from a list of potential directors, to continue the franchise
- Officially titled Evil Dead Rise, the project was announced to be developed by New Line Cinema and released on HBO Max
- Principal photography commenced on June 6, 2021, in New Zealand
- In May 2021, Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan had been cast in the film
- Followed by Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher in June and Mia Challis in July
- Cronin stated the production was half-way completed by July 2021
- Filming concluded on October 27, 2021
- The filmmaker stated that the project used over 6,500 liters of fake blood during production
- In March 2023, Sam Raimi expressed interest in developing a sequel with Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams, while also expressing hope for future developments for Mia Allen from Evil Dead (2013)
- Later that month, Campbell stated that after positive experiences as a producer on Evil Dead Rise, he would consider reprising his lead role in a future film if Raimi were to return as director
- By April of the same year, writer/director Lee Cronin stated that he has ideas for future Evil Dead installments, that he hopes to see realized
- That same month, Campbell announced that Sam and Ivan Raimi were co-writing a bible to outline the future of the franchise
- Stating that films that follow will adhere to the overall outline
- Current plans include releasing a new film every couple years, as opposed to the most recent activity of once every decade
- The series stars Bruce Campbell reprising his role as an older Ash Williams with a supporting cast that includes Dana DeLorenzo, Ray Santiago, Lucy Lawless, and Jill Marie Jones. The series is executive produced by Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert.[20] It premiered on Starz on October 31, 2015.
- Ash vs. Evil Dead proved to be a critically well-received television show, earning a 98% from Rotten Tomatoes
- Four days before its premiere, the show was picked up for a second 10-episode season
- The series lasted for three seasons (30 episodes) before it was canceled by Starz in April 2018
- Following the series’ cancellation, Bruce Campbell announced he was officially retired from portraying the character of Ash
- Although he would continue to voice the character in animation
- Subsequently, on July 25, 2022, Campbell announced that an animated revival of Ash vs. Evil Dead was in active development
- With Campbell returning as the voice of Ash
- A prototype short film, produced by Raimi on a micro-budget was developed to market his concept and acquire funding from producers and studios for a feature-length film
- Titled, Within the Woods, the short was a meager success
- Despite this, the release proceeded to spawn an entire franchise
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