The Growing ‘Evil Dead’ Universe Is Fun, But Is It Getting Too Big?
My love of both Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn and the franchise as a whole is already well-documented here at Dread. The Infested filmmaker’s sequel is vicious as Hell and rages like it, too. From a fierce heroine in Alice (Souheila Yacoub) to gallons of gore, sadistic Deadites that bite and tear at flesh, and a level of brutality that somehow manages to exceed previous entries, Burn rips. It’s a more than worthy addition to one of the most consistently good horror franchises there is.
The sixth film in the series, begun by Sam Raimi with The Evil Dead, Burn fills the screen not just with blood, but fun Easter Eggs for fans with a keen eye for such details. Some personal favorites are the appearance of the Kandarian dagger from Evil Dead 2 and that iconic 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that has been with the series since the beginning. Maybe some of you missed those. I can’t blame you. It’s not always easy to notice such things when you have Deadites screeching in your face and trying to rip your eyeballs out. But there’s one nod to previous films that’s impossible to miss…one that, as far as I’m concerned, changes everything, for better or worse.
EVIL DEAD BURN SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
After the credits roll, we return to the funeral home where the Price family said goodbye (or thought they did) to Will (George Pullar), aka Alice’s POS husband. There, we learn that the ashes of Ellie (Alyssa Larson) from Evil Dead Rise reside within the very same funeral home. Seconds later, Ellie appears behind a very unfortunate little girl, snapping her neck before dropping the cheer-worthy line, “Mommy’s back”.
The Evil Dead franchise has a long history of spectacular Deadite performances. There are the women of The Evil Dead: Ellen Sandweiss (Cheryl), Betsy Baker (Linda), and Theresa Tilly (Shelly). Henrietta (Lou Hancock) from Evil Dead 2. Jane Levy (Mia) of Evil Dead (2013). We all have our favorites. Yet there’s no denying that Alyssa Larson, as Evil Dead Rise’s Ellie, is one of the most popular. Between her intense physicality and mocking dialogue delivery, few have stepped into the Deadite role and commanded the screen as firmly as Larson. It doesn’t hurt that she also just seems like a really cool person.
Burn’s coda with Larson recalls another post-credit sequence from Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead…that simple but exciting shot of the face of the franchise, Bruce Campbell (Ash), as he utters, “groovy”. At that time, the excitement over Campbell returning to Evil Dead after two decades was leaps and bounds over that of Larson’s cameo, but I cheered for each equally. After all, they can hardly be compared, and both would have been/are game changers for the universe of Evil Dead. And it’s that word “universe” that I want to open the Necronomicon on here.
Like many in my audience, I cheered when Larson popped up on screen. I whooped, and I hollered, and I left the theater with energy crackling through my body. Alyssa Larson, back in Evil Dead. What did it mean? What could it mean? Was it a “just for fun” moment that meant nothing? Questions without concrete answers that have spent the last week screaming and twisting through my head like that shot from Evil Dead 2 of Ash soaring through the forest. Whatever it all means, Larson’s surprise appearance implies a larger expansion of the Evil Dead universe.
I hate to be a buzzkill, but that worries me.
Before you all call me a primitive screwhead and throw a chainsaw, hear me out.
When it comes to the Evil Dead films, I think most fans would agree that these things are always at their best when they’re kept isolated and small. The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Evil Dead (2013), Evil Dead Rise, and Evil Dead Burn have all been intense nightmares set within a single location. Army of Darkness expanded the scope a bit, but even it’s mostly set at a castle as Ash and others fend off a horde of Deadites. Not all, but many of the scariest horror films are those that are kept contained. Stories where the characters are trapped by some sort of evil. No way out. No help coming anytime soon.
Larson’s inclusion, however, suggests a scope that threatens to shatter what works best about Evil Dead.
If Ellie is back from the grave and roaming the streets, then that means Lily Sullivan’s Beth is still out there, as well. The same goes for Jane Levy’s Mia. Evil Dead (2013) already hinted at Ash’s existence in the universe. So, might as well throw in Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) from the Ash vs. Evil Dead series. At first glance, you might think, “Hell yeah!” Who doesn’t want to see that group on screen together at some point? I know I do. But—and this is a big but—if there is a plan to bring everyone together, wouldn’t that fizzle out the horror quicker than Bruce Campbell can say, “Groovy”?
Think about it. Imagine you’re back watching Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead for the first time. You’re in your seat, gripping your chair as you’re pummeled with one visceral, gnarly image after another. And then, out of nowhere, in walks Bruce Campbell as Ash to save the day. He announces himself with a clever one-liner and then treats a Deadite to the wrong end of his boomstick. The audience goes nuts. Bruce Campbell, back in Evil Dead. Cool, right? Except you’re not scared anymore, are you? Just like that, any sense of fear evaporates, and all you can think about is how excited you are to see a fan-favorite character back in the flesh.
That’s not me saying I wouldn’t welcome the return of Bruce with open arms, if only for one last hurrah. But it is me saying these movies lose something when they focus too much on fan service and less on scaring the hell out of us.
By the time I got to my car after seeing Evil Dead Burn, the excitement over Larson’s cameo had died down. Replacing it was confusion. Why throw that in there? What purpose did it serve? And as I scratched my head bloody over these questions, I realized that the coda reminded me of large movie universes such as DC and Marvel. Raimi did direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so maybe that’s where he picked it up from. Whatever the case may be, is that really what we want from Evil Dead? An ever-expanding “universe” where no one’s ever truly gone, and characters unexpectedly return at any time?
I don’t speak for everyone, but I don’t want that.
Not to mention, the Evil Dead lore is already getting increasingly difficult to follow. At this point, we now have multiple old men leaving around recordings of themselves repeating words from the Necronomicon so that some hapless dingbat can play them and unleash hell. Unless I missed it somewhere in Burn, I don’t believe that Evil Dead 2’s Professor Knowby (John Peakes) is mentioned as a member of the Circle of Wise Men (wise, my ass!), but I have to assume he is, no? Meaning, there are many more old fools doing the same.
Between secret cults, a universe where all of Evil Dead’s heroes (and villains) are still roaming around somewhere, and multiple tape recordings seemingly left all over the damn world, it seems as if Evil Dead is building toward something big. Perhaps much bigger than any of us are currently anticipating. I don’t know how to feel about that.
On the one hand, we know Evil Dead can work without being so contained. Ash vs. Evil Dead proved that, time and time again. But would it work as well for an Avengers-style feature (assuming that’s where we’re going)? I’m not so sure, but my gut says, no way.
If Evil Dead becomes a franchise where we’re waiting until the end of every film to see who pops up in the end credits, hinting at their return in the next movie, it doesn’t feel like a horror franchise anymore. It feels like the series is fully leaning into the “superhero” element it explored with Ash in Army of Darkness and, to some degree, Ash vs. Evil Dead. Does that mean future entries would be “bad”? No. But it would mark yet another digression from what fans have come to expect.
With the Evil Dead Wrath prequel on the way, we probably shouldn’t anticipate Ellie showing up in that one. Larson’s appearance hints at a future role that could be years away, if we ever see it at all. Maybe I’m wrong, but producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert are getting a little ahead of themselves here.
Evil Dead introduced the cabin in the woods horror trope. These movies are built on a foundation of small stories suffocated by isolation and eerie atmospherics. Go too big, and all of that goes away.
I’ve loved every Evil Dead film to this point. But if the plan is to keep ripping open the universe wider and wider…I’m a little worried for a franchise that has perfected a formula that keeps audiences returning in droves. Time will tell.
Until then, don’t go opening any Necronomicons. The Evil Dead universe is big enough already.
Categorized:Editorials