There’s a couple of things that come to mind when you think of the Evil Dead franchise. That sinister cabin in the woods, a ruby red chainsaw, a cackling mounted stag’s head and blood… buckets and buckets of blood. The sticky red stuff has been a constant presence, with Evil Dead II covering Bruce Campbell in a swimming pool’s worth in one memorable scene. Now, it seems that the upcoming Evil Dead Rise is going to live up to that legacy.
Director Lee Cronin has posted an image to Twitter of what looks like a sea of blood washing over concrete, which he’s captioned “Friday, bloody Friday”. Check it out:
Cronin is worth following on Twitter, as he’s been uploading all kinds of fun BTS images, with my favorite a nod to the demonic Henrietta from the second movie. Those shots also showcased his white Converse gradually becoming saturated with blood, which is a good indication that this movie isn’t holding back.
All signs are that Cronin is bringing The Evil Dead back in style. His new story centers on three estranged sisters whose reunion is ruined by the unwelcome arrival of flesh-consuming demons. The cast includes Gabrielle Echols (Reminiscence), Morgan Davies (The End), Nell Fisher (Splendid Isolation), Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings), and Lily Sullivan (Picnic at Hanging Rock), though sadly Bruce Campbell won’t be returning as Ash Williams.
Even so, he (and Sam Raimi) are closely involved in the production. In a recent interview he gave his perspective:
“People can actually call it what [they] want: Sequel, remake, reimagining. It really is just another Evil Dead movie. It’s book-centric. It’s all about [the Necronomicon]. Where does this book wind up and what happens to it over the millennia?
In this case, it’s set in the city, it’s no more cabin in the woods. It’s entirely different, unsuspecting heroines who are going to save the day. It’s filming now in New Zealand, with some of their amazing crews down there and they’re well into it. Rob Tapert is the hands-on producer and we’re all very involved in the script. We all jump in at various times to chime in.”
Cronin has now confirmed that this film will be a bloodbath, but I’d love to get a peek at some of the Deadites that’ll be menacing these sisters. Let’s hope for some BTS shots of them or a teaser trailer very soon.
Evil Dead Rise will premiere on HBO Max in 2022.
