SerpApi.Org
In 1981, The Evil Dead kick-started a horror franchise that would stretch on for more than 45 years. While The Evil Dead may not be the best movie in the Evil Dead franchise to some, it is definitely a cult classic that introduced the world to Bruce Campbell's Ashley "Ash" J. Williams and the iconic, demonic Deadites. Since 1981, the franchise has grown into one of the best horror franchises ever created, exploring many different facets of the horror genre with heavy elements of comedy and dark fantasy.
In 2023, Evil Dead Rise breathed new life into the franchise by bringing back the concept of the original film for a modern audience. A dumb teenager finds an old book bound in human flesh and listens to a cursed recording that reads directly from said book, which unleashes the Deadites. Evil Dead Burn, a direct sequel to Evil Dead Rise, hit theaters on July 10, 2026. While Rise and Burn have definitely pushed Evil Dead back to its horror roots, there isn't a better time to binge Ash vs Evil Dead, an incredible horror comedy series that falls between the original trilogy and the new movies.
Ash vs Evil Dead Gave OG Fans Exactly What They Wanted
Ash vs Evil Dead is a comedy horror television series that ran for three seasons and has a total of 30 episodes. Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Spezialy created the series as a sequel to the original Evil Dead film trilogy, and it was pretty major. Sam Raimi wrote and directed The Evil Dead, so the franchise very much became his child.
Ash vs Evil Dead felt like the fans' prayers were answered, especially after 2013's Evil Dead. It attempted to reboot the franchise with a soft-core remake that more or less followed a similar story to the original, but would modernize it. Bruce Campbell did make a cameo as Ash in the 2013 movie, but the movie wasn't about Ash or any of the original characters.
Evil Dead wasn't a bad movie by any means, but it wasn't what fans wanted after the 20-year-long hiatus between Army of Darkness and the reboot. The 2013 film didn't even really involve Sam Raimi in any way, which left many fans dismayed by the new direction of the franchise.
So when Ash vs Evil Dead premiered on Starz two years later in 2015, fans flocked to the series. It was everything fans wanted for Evil Dead. Sam Raimi returned as the series creator, Bruce Campbell reprised his role as the beloved Ash, and the series acts as a sequel set 30 years after the final installment of the trilogy, Army of Darkness.
Ash vs Evil Dead also keeps the comedy aspect of Evil Dead fully intact. While the original film wasn't really a comedy film, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness definitely leaned into the more campy nature of horror. Army of Darkness is sometimes referred to as a full-on fantasy film rather than a horror, but that's part of the charm of Ash's films.
Fans and critics had nothing but praise for Ash vs Evil Dead. Currently, the series has a 99% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes and a 95% Popcornmeter. With such amazing reviews, it's shocking that the series only lasted three seasons. To this day, fans are still angry that Ash vs Evil Dead was canceled before it could receive a proper, satisfying ending.
Now Is the Perfect Time to Binge Ash vs Evil Dead
The Evil Dead franchise is currently thriving in full swing. While Evil Dead Rise did not commit to the horror comedy vibe of the previous movies, it did something that Evil Dead failed to do. It revived the franchise without feeling like it was steamrolling over the original trilogy.
Rather than act as a remake or a reboot, Evil Dead Rise's story takes place in the same universe as the original trilogy, which is lightyears more respectful than simply trying to replace it. Evil Dead Burn is a direct sequel and continuation of Evil Dead Rise, and it's not the last installment, either.
After Evil Dead Burn, a third film is planned for 2028 called Evil Dead Wrath. Wrath will likely pick up where Burn's post-credit scene ended, with the return of Alyssa Sutherland's Deadite Ellie. Ellie was the first person in Rise to be infected by the power of the Deadites. Until Burn, fans thought they'd seen the last of her when the Abomination Deadite was fed through a wood chipper and destroyed.
It's safe to say that the Evil Dead franchise is thriving once again. Yes, Rise and Burn have mostly forgone the camp and comedy to slide back into full-on horror. These movies are gory, graphic, and downright disturbing. One scene in Evil Dead Burn needed to be severely censored because it almost pushed the film to having an NC-17 rating.
This new-age trilogy might be focusing almost exclusively on the horror aspect of a world where the Necronomicon and Deadites exist, but since they still exist in the same universe as the original trilogy, Ash's content is more relevant now than ever. The new films do feel fresh, but they also still pay tribute to the classic Evil Dead movies and why they became instant cult classics in the first place.
Ash vs Evil Dead takes place a few years before Evil Dead Rise, but it's the closest insight fans have to what Ash is doing during the current timeline and where his life has gone since the original trilogy. Long-term fans will love dipping into the hilarious, gory, and campy world of Ash vs Evil Dead because it feels like coming home.
The series even includes direct callbacks to the original films, like Henrietta Knowby's reappearance, who first appeared in Evil Dead II. Not to mention, Ash battles with his own evil Deadite self once again. Ash vs Evil Dead is an extremely nostalgic series for a lot of long-term fans because it brings back so much of what fans love about the original trilogy.
At the same time, this is the most modern iteration of Ash the franchise has, and fans are still hopeful Ash will make a proper comeback in the new trilogy. With Evil Dead Burn tormenting fans in theaters everywhere, now's the best time to revisit this incredible comedy horror series.
