Without question, one of the most anticipated horror movies of 2023 is Evil Dead Rise. This is the first film set within the iconic franchise to arrive in a decade, and thanks to some shifting behind the scenes at Warner Bros., it will get a theatrical release rather than going straight to streaming on HBO Max. It's good news all around. While we (impatiently) wait for a trailer to drop, the folks at Total Film have revealed a new image from the film. Let's take a peek, shall we?
Exclusive: Here's a new look at #EvilDeadRise – plus, we spoke to the movie's director about what to expect from the "expanding" Evil Dead universe https://t.co/01SnVTpCTF
— Total Film (@totalfilm) December 14, 2022
Admittedly, not a lot to go on there. One thing we know for sure is that this movie will not feature Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams, though it will take place in the same universe. Instead, the action is headed to the city. Los Angeles, to be exact, which is a first for the series. Yet, this image features a floating woman, seemingly in blood-soaked clothes, above a lake in the middle of nowhere. Intriguing! It's pretty different from the previous photo that was released. Director Lee Cronin, who helmed The Hole in the Ground, is promising lots of Deadites and claustrophobia.
"There's no Ash in this story and there's no cabin in the woods, and they're two iconic elements of what Evil Dead is. But the movie does include the book and an extraordinary amount of vicious, malevolent Deadites, so I was always pretty comfortable making that move [to LA]. It still needed to maintain some of the claustrophobia, and that translated really well from the cabin into an urban environment. This is about a family in a rundown building stuck in their apartment, so it follows the same rhythm but puts it in a more contemporary space."
While Ash won't be in this latest movie, Campbell is producing the sequel alongside original director Sam Raimi and original producer Rob Tapert. So, even though they aren't quite as involved, the people who made this franchise what it is are very much present. As for the specifics? Here's a synopsis for Evil Dead Rise:
"In the fifth Evil Dead film, a road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A. apartment. The sisters' reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie's building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable."
The cast includes Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings), Lily Sullivan (Picnic at Hanging Rock), Gabrielle Echols (Reminiscence), Morgan Davies (The End) and Nell Fisher (Splendid Isolation). And, if it wasn't clear from Cronin's comments, the movie is rated R, so no punches will be pulled.
Evil Dead Rise is set to hit theaters on April 21, 2023.
