The Evil Dead Universe: All 5 Films in the Franchise
The Evil Dead Universe begins with five friends
travelling to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh‑possessing
demons.
This overview is based on a video from my YouTube
channel Cinema Awards Archive, where I cover every film in
the Evil Dead saga, from Sam Raimi’s original cult classic
to Evil Dead Rise.
The Evil Dead Universe (5 films)
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release
flesh-possessing demons.
- The
Evil Dead (1981)
- Evil
Dead II (1987)
- Army
of Darkness (1992)
- Evil
Dead (2013)
- Evil
Dead Rise (2023)
1. The Evil Dead (1981)
Five college students vacation in an isolated cabin in the
woods, where they find an audio tape that, when played, releases a legion of
demons and spirits.
Four members of the group suffer from demonic possession,
forcing the fifth member, Ash Williams (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of
increasingly gory mayhem.
The film's extensive prosthetic makeup and stop-motion
effects were created by artist Tom Sullivan.
The Evil Dead grossed $2.4 million in the United
States and $27 million overseas, for a worldwide gross of $29.4 million.
Both early and later critical reception were universally
positive. In the years since its release, the film has developed a reputation
as one of the most significant cult classics, having been cited among the
greatest horror films of all time and one of the most successful independent
films.
2. Evil Dead II (1987)
It is also known in publicity materials as Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi, who co-wrote it with Scott Spiegel.The second installment in the Evil Dead film
series, it is considered both a remake and sequel (or "requel")
to The Evil Dead (1981).
It stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, who vacations with
his girlfriend to a remote cabin in the woods.
He discovers an audio tape of recitations from a book of
ancient texts and when the recording is played, it unleashes a number of demons
which possess and torment him.
The finished film was released in the United States on March 13th 1987.
Due to its high level of violence, it was released through a
pseudonymous distributor to curb an anticipated X rating from the Motion
Picture Association of America.
Evil Dead II opened on March 13th 1987 to an
unimpressive weekend gross of $807,260, due to its limited release in 310
theatres at the time.
However, after spending a little over a month in theaters,
it ultimately grossed $5,924,421 worldwide.
READ : The Real Evolution of Paranormal Activity | 2007 to 2021
3. Army of Darkness (1992)
It is a 1992 American dark fantasy comedy film directed, co-written and co-edited by Sam Raimi.The film is the third installment in the Evil Dead film
series and the sequel to Evil Dead II (1987).
Starring Bruce Campbell and Embeth Davidtz, it follows Ash
Williams (Campbell) as he is trapped in the Middle Ages and battles the undead
in his quest to return to the present.
Army of Darkness had its premiere at the Sitges
Film Festival on October 9th 1992 and was released in the United States on
February 19th 1993.
It received generally positive reviews from critics, who
praised Raimi's direction, humor, visuals and Campbell's performance, though
criticism was aimed at the lighter tone compared to the previous films.
It was released by Universal on February 19th 1993 in 1,387
theatres in the United States, grossing $4.4 million (38.5% of total gross) in
its first weekend.
On a budget of $11 million, the film earned $11.5 million in
the US and $21.5 million worldwide.
4. Evil Dead (2013)
It is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by Fede Álvarez, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues.It is the fourth instalment in the Evil Dead film
series.
The story follows a group of five people under attack by
deadites in a remote cabin in the woods.
Talks for a fourth Evil Dead film began in
2004, with original film actor Bruce Campbell talking about the possibility for
a next film in the franchise.
The project was officially announced in July 2011, with
Ghost House Pictures producing it, Diablo Cody in the process of revising the
script and Fede Álvarez chosen as the director.
Evil Dead had its premiere at South by Southwest
on March 8th 2013 and was released in the United States on April 5th by Sony
Pictures Releasing through the TriStar Pictures label.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics
and grossed $97 million worldwide against a production budget of $17 million.
A fifth instalment, titled Evil Dead Rise, was
released by Warner Bros Pictures on April 21st 2023.
5. Evil Dead Rise (2023)
It is a 2023 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Lee Cronin.It is the second standalone entry and the fifth instalment
in the Evil Dead film series.
The film stars Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland as two
estranged sisters trying to survive and save their family from deadites.
The film's development was preceded by scrapped plans for
direct sequels to Evil Dead (2013) and Army of
Darkness (1992) and a fourth season of Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018).
The film was originally set to premiere on the streaming
service HBO Max, but distributor Warner Bros Pictures opted to release the film
theatrically first after positive test screenings.
Evil Dead Rise had its world premiere at South
by Southwest on March 15th 2023 and was theatrically released in the United
States on April 21st 2023 by Warner Bros Pictures.
The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed
$67.2 million in the United States and Canada and $79.8 million in other
territories, for a worldwide total of $147 million, becoming the
highest-grossing film of the series.
At the 51st Saturn Awards, it earned two nominations: Best Horror Film and Best Make-up.
Looking for more cinematic universes, long-running sagas,
and connected movie timelines? Dive into these in‑depth franchise guides:
- The Conjuring Universe Experience
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/experience-conjuring-universe.html - The Real Evolution of Paranormal
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-real-evolution-of-paranormal.html - The
Evolution of the Predator Franchise
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/the-evolution-of-predator-franchise.html
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