Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series has been a favorite among horror fans for decades despite having a relatively small amount of content when compared to other franchises. Starting with the 1981 original Evil Dead, Raimi introduced his world of Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell), the Necronomicon and the Deadites. The iconic filmmaker then followed it up with two sequels, 1987's Evil Dead II and 1993's Army of Darkness, before a soft 2013 reboot from Fede Álvarez finally brought the series back, well, from the dead.
Bruce Campbell would eventually return and reunite with Raimi only two years later with Ash vs Evil Dead, a sequel series that ran for three seasons on Starz. But a fifth film entry for the franchise has been dwindling in development hell for nearly a decade now, with fans kept eagerly awaiting any news about when the Deadites may strike terror on the big screen next.
The wait is now over: A new film titled Evil Dead Rise is officially coming to theaters next April from Warner Bros. Pictures. It will be written and directed be Lee Cronin, best known for his 2019 horror sensation The Hole in the Ground. "In the fifth Evil Dead film, a road-weary Beth (Lily Sullivan) pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), 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."
Raimi's Ghost House Pictures will of course be producing the new film. Cronin has released the first look for it and it's certainly a good and creepy one. Take a look below and be sure to brush up on your knowledge of the Book of the Dead before it hits theaters next year.
'Evil Dead Rise' arrives in theaters on April 21st, 2023.
