‘Evil Dead’: Ranking The Deliciously Nasty Horror Franchise

This weekend sees the release of Evil Dead Burn, the sixth installment of the popular Evil Dead franchise. Beginning with 1981’s The Evil Dead, directed by Sam Raimi, the IP has emerged as one of the most consistent horror franchises thanks in large part to its willingness to embrace the pure mayhem of its nasty nature while also mixing in dark humor and, on occasion, a bit of slapstick too.

Even as Raimi has passed the torch to other filmmakers who want to put their unique spin on the concept, Evil Dead’s aesthetic has remained true to what he created on a very shoestring budget in the Tennessee wilderness with one of his childhood buddies, Bruce Campbell, who would go on to become the face of the franchise across several entries. Even as Campbell’s Ash has come and gone with the recent revivals, the franchise has found new ways to justify its existence and has shown no signs of slowing down.

There honestly isn’t a bad entry in this franchise, but in honor of this new release, it’s time to become one of the deadites and do the daunting task of ranking all six of the Evil Dead movies to date.

6. Army of Darkness (1992)

Army of Darkness is no doubt a fun entry of the franchise, and it’s a joy to see Bruce Campbell transition the Ash Williams character into the icon fans have known him to be. The issue isn’t that Army of Darkness is lackluster; it’s just more of a matter of preference. The comedic leanings that began with Evil Dead II go full-blown into near slapstick for this dark fantasy comedy, and this is one Evil Dead fan who prefers the horror more than the laughs, which is why this one is ranked last. Directed by Sam Raimi and from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Ivan Raimi, Army of Darkness follows Ash Williams (Campbell), after the events of Evil Dead II, as he is trapped in the Middle Ages and has to battle the undead as he fights to return to the present.

Army of Darkness is a funny romp as it mixes several tones and genres without really missing a beat. There’s a bit of swashbuckling entertainment at hand with Three Stooges-inspired comedy and a bit of horror, although minor, mixed in. It’s easy to see that the franchise evolved in this manner because of Raimi’s changing sensibilities, and one has to respect his commitment to going full-on over-the-top as a medieval fantasy. The movie lives and breathes on the charisma of Campbell, who was already making Ash a memorable genre fixture, and totally completes that goal in Army of Darkness. This represents a great second-hand relationship between an actor and a director, but most importantly, two lifelong friends who understand a character as the man behind the camera also trusts his lead to go all in, making Ash a cynical, arrogant, yet likable pop culture hero for the ages.

Raimi should also be credited for his use of practical effects, something he was shown to embrace when he created all of this in 1981. From the stop-motion skeletons to the impressive “Little Ash” sequence, Raimi’s imagination is on full display. It’s easy to see why Army of Darkness, after pulling in a so-so $22 million on an $11 million budget, went on to become a major cult classic. It represents a tonal shift that does work, but for those who prefer the horror over comedy, Army of Darkness is definitely a change in direction one has to get used to.

5. Evil Dead II (1987)

Again, with the Evil Dead franchise, it’s all a matter of preference. Evil Dead II or Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn makes for a fun transition after The Evil Dead, which was more of a straight horror film, into something that is more of a horror comedy. To be fair, there is some comedy in the DNA of that first movie, so Raimi only expanded on what was already there, and he does it well. This is why, as a movie, it’s one of Raimi’s best efforts but in the grand scheme of this franchise, the emergence of silliness makes the horror take a backseat, which makes for a tonal shift that leads to great moments but the terror element is dialed back to a point that you’ll have to fully accept the change to get full enjoyment out of this sequel.

Directed by Raimi and from a screenplay he co-wrote with Scott Spiegel, Evil Dead II is a sequel of sorts to The Evil Dead and probably represents an early example of what we would call a “requel” today. The film works as a direct continuation of the first film, but the first few minutes re-shoot elements of the first movie mostly out of necessity (the filmmakers had an issue securing the rights to use actual footage from the previous movie). So, to get the audience up to speed, an abridged recap was filmed with Ash (Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) before it becomes a full-blown sequel as it follows the duo at a remote cabin in the woods and details his discovery of an audio tape of recitations from what becomes known as the Book of the dead that unleashes demons hellbent on possession and torture.

Credit to Raimi for not wanting to merely repeat himself. It would’ve been easy to make Evil Dead II another demonic possession movie, but he opted to embrace a “comedy of errors” approach that takes the absurdity of the situation and plays it for outright laughs. The violence is over-the-top, and the overall chaos of the situation is so outlandish that it’s hard not to see the humor in it so Raimi, instead of turning up the fear, turns the volume up on the laughs by making just about everything increasingly animated (Ash’s possessed hand is a great example of this). Keeping up with all of this is Campbell, who holds it all together by matching the film’s comedic pitch. The actor goes from the traditional “final boy” of the first film to establishing the beginnings of Ash becoming one of the genre’s greatest anti-heroes.

There is a wildness to much of Evil Dead II, and it’s amplified by Raimi’s frenetic and visceral direction, consisting of his signature camera angles that have continued to be a part of his style, to his ability to create a completely immersive experience that sucks the viewer in. As an evolution of a filmmaker, Evil Dead II is top-notch work, but it’ll come down to the viewer if they appreciate the transition from horror to comedy.

4. Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Ten years after the Evil Dead reimagining was released, the franchise was offered another extension with Evil Dead Rise, which was originally intended to be a streaming release for HBO Max before Warner Bros. got wise after positive test screenings to release it theatrically. In the end, the IP came back with a fury, grossing $147 million worldwide on a $19 million budget and going on to become the franchise’s highest-grossing film to date. It’s easy to see why Evil Dead Rise was a successful relaunch of sorts because it embraced the essence of what makes the series work while offering something new in terms of its execution. Written and directed by Lee Cronin, Evil Dead Rise serves as a direct sequel to 2013’s Evil Dead and follows two estranged sisters, Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), who find themselves trying to survive and save their family as they come under attack from deadites in a Los Angeles apartment building.

Evil Dead Rise is wonderfully barebones as its purpose isn’t to spring the franchise forward with expanded lore but to take the concept of Raimi’s original idea and see what happens when it’s unleashed in a completely different environment. Shifting the carnage from a secluded cabin to a Los Angeles apartment complex is a welcome change because it prevents the film from being a simple retread. Besides, the apartment leads to its own sense of claustrophobia as it creates stifling isolation for the characters. Not only do they have to survive the deadistes, but they also have to endure the potential destruction of their earthquake-damaged location. There’s no real escape or hope for help, and that, mixed with Cronin’s relentless pace and execution, makes for a truly visceral experience. Cronin also conjures up some impressive sequences that would make Raimi proud, particularly a brutal attack that is seen from the perspective of an apartment peephole.

The Evil Dead franchise also works best when the performers match the chaotic pitch, and Sullivan and Sutherland do just that. As the film’s heroine and signature deadite, the pair go through a proper Evil Dead bootcamp and come out on top. Evil Dead Rise works as a fitting image to the original films while also forging its own path to be one of the best horror offerings of the last five years.

3. Evil Dead Burn (2026)

You’ll hear people calling Evil Dead Burn mean-spirited and a nasty piece of work, which would make them 100 percent correct. It’s relentless in its desire to push the boundaries of violence, gore, and uncomfortability, but, in all honesty, this has been a part of the franchise since the beginning, and director Sébastien Vaniček has no qualms about embracing the madness. This alone makes Evil Dead Burn a memorable experience that’s hard to check, and that is meant as the highest compliment. Coming from a screenplay Vaniček co-wrote with Florent Bernard, Evil Dead Burn follows Alice (Souheila Yacoub), who finds herself in tight quarters with her in-laws following the death of her husband, which grows more complicated once Deadites make the family a target with connections to their past.

A lionshare of Evil Dead Burn succeeds thanks to the committed direction of Vaniček, who goes balls-to-the-wall with his use of impressive practical effects and kill scenes that hurl gore at the audience, which might make even the most seasoned horror fan blush. The audience feels like they’ve been stained in blood, and that makes this entry an uncomfortably immersive endeavor. Vaniček’s talents aren’t just limited to the gore, however. His camera work adds to the escalating chaos, with one sequence featuring a character trying to o crawl away and hide as madness erupts behind her being the most impressive. What sets Evil Dead Burn apart from the last two entries is that there is an attempt to expand on the lore a bit, and it succeeds because it’s just enough to add some meat to this story without overexplaining things. The lore creates a running theme of family and the secrets and traumas that family can hide, which erupt to the surface when they go unchecked.

The culmination of this is a dinner scene that gives family bickering a whole new meaning, builds to unrelenting levels until everything just snaps. It should be noted that there is actually more dark humor here compared to the most recent entries, which creates another great callback to Raimi and his blend of horror and comedy that became more prevalent in Evil Dead II. Evil Dead Burn might be lean and mean, but horror isn’t meant to be sunshine and roses, so the film certainly does its job.

2. Evil Dead (2013)

The 2013 reimagining, Evil Dead, which is also described as a soft reboot of the 1981 film, had two directions to go in. The film could’ve continued to embrace the humor that Raimi evolved into with Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, or take it back to the roots of the first movie and dive headfirst into horror. Wisely, at least for this fan, director Fede Álvarez decided to take things back to their roots and make the franchise scary again, something that this installment benefits from, as it feels like a complete breath of fresh air that certainly did its job of taking the series into exciting new directions with different people at the helm while still staying true to Raimi’s original vision. Directed by Álvarez and from a screenplay he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues, Evil Dead follows a group of five people who find themselves under attack by a demonic presence after the infamous words from the Book of the Dead are uttered while staying in a remote cabin in the woods.

Dropping the camp and slapstick humor pays off for Evil Dead as Álvarez clearly took pleasure in directing a film that was pure, unrelenting horror. There is a brutality in this entry that was sorely missed, and it doesn’t just relate to the impressive practical and gore effects. Álvarez’s direction is claustrophobic in nature as the audience feels the walls closing in along with the characters. Even the gore, which there are copious amounts of (allegedly 50,0000 gallons of fake blood were used), is more cringe-inducing rather than being played for over-the-top camp. Evil Dead Burn might be labeled mean-spirited, but the 2013 film set a new tone that has probably made subsequent filmmakers want to match this movie’s horrific pitch.

At the center of the film is a stellar lead performance from Jane Levy, who, like the best Evil Dead alumni, has no problem getting down and dirty for he cause. Even her character’s subplot, which sees her recovering from addiction, is utilized well here because it makes her friends question her state of mind when she begins to tell them there is a demonic presence closing in on the cabin. It provides a plausible reaction for their doubt that helps the movie avoid the horror movie trope of “nobody believes me,” feeling like an asinine reaction considering what’s building around them.

Whether we want to call this a remake, reimagining, or a soft reboot, Evil Dead justified this franchise being carried on for a new generation of horror fans, and for a new generation of filmmakers, as we have seen, who want to pay homage to the great Sam Raimi by adding their touch to the franchise.

1. The Evil Dead (1981)

The Evil Dead put Raimi on the map as a filmmaker to watch. Thanks to his ability to take a micro-budget and turn out a film that utilized every cent of its $375,000. It’s a classic of the genre. So, even though Evil Dead II stands out more for Raimi as an evolving filmmaker, The Evil Dead, within the confines of the franchise, is still its best offering because of the simplicity of what he sets up and how that has been able to be carried on since he created this special horror beast back in 1981. Written and directed by Raimi, The Evil Dead follows five college students who are vacationing in an isolated cabin in the woods.

Their vacation turns into a nightmare when they find an audio tape that summons a legion of demons when it’s played. As films like Obsession have once again shined a light on independent horror films, that movie and more like it owe a debt to Raimi and The Evil Dead, which remains a masterpiece of indie horror filmmaking. Made for just $375,000, Raimi and his ragtag team made every bit of that money count as the practical effects used in the film remain revolutionary and manage to not feel low-budget. His depiction of demonic possession is nightmarish and relentless as the possessed actors go to chaotic places to convey the presence that is taking hold of them one by one.

Adding to this is Raimi’s camera work, which has now become his signature. Between his work behind the camera and Tim Philo’s cinematography, Raimi creates a “you are there” experience through shaky cam and low-to-ground camera shots that chase characters through the woods as if it’s the POV of the demons. This is how you create terror on a minimal budget and make it work without diminishing your vision. There is also an inescapable sense of dread that permeates throughout The Evil Dead.

It’s easy to forget, because of the next two films that followed, that the first movie is a straight horror movie, and beyond the demonic presence looming throughout, it’s also the psychological and physical torture the characters go through that builds the tension to levels of pure anxiety. The Evil Dead remains a classic of the genre and holds its own today as the franchise continues to evolve as one of the most consistent that the horror genre has to offer.

Evil Dead Burn is now playing in theaters nationwide.

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