Evil Dead Burn Has Me Worried About The Future Of The Franchise
With the release of Evil Dead Burn right around the corner, I’m worried about the future of the classic horror franchise. When Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead was released in 1981, it offered a glimpse into the future of the horror genre. The low-budget indie flick offered unique chills and had a generation of moviegoers rethinking their next cabin vacation.
The film made stars of Raimi and Bruce Campbell, and launched a franchise that continued with Evil Dead II in 1987. The follow-up ditched straightforward scares in favor of an over-the-top horror comedy tone. Part sequel and part soft remake of the original, Evil Dead II set the pace for the franchise for decades.
Army of Darkness continued that trend, but Evil Dead was absent from cinemas for more than two decades after the third film. When the series resurfaced in 2013, the remake took things back to the gritty roots of the 1981 original classic. Another decade-long hiatus ensued, but the series came back with a vengeance in Evil Dead Rise.
The gory 2023 gem proved that the franchise still had excellent potential. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, Evil Dead Burn was greenlit immediately and given a 2026 release date. Another sequel has also been announced, but that’s where things get tricky. Never has so much planning gone into the future of the Evil Dead franchise, and it’s concerning.
Evil Dead Is One Of The Only Perfect Horror Franchises
Horror usually doesn’t have a very good reputation, and ongoing franchises even less so. Even the most beloved series has its fair share of clunkers, and a bad sequel here and there isn’t out of the ordinary. However, that’s where Evil Dead is different from its contemporaries. It’s one of the few horror franchises without a bad movie.
Every installment has either grown or maintained the franchise’s reputation, which is something that very few long-running series can say. Even the 2013 remake is a great flick, though it sticks out from the rest of the canon. Secondary media like Ash vs Evil Dead, the video games, and the huge catalog of comics are all worth checking out too.
As was the case with Evil Dead Rise, any new installments in the Evil Dead franchise risks breaking the streak. That isn’t to say that sequels shouldn’t happen, but it makes them risky because of the franchise’s perfect reputation. It’s unclear if the 45-year-old franchise can withstand a crummy outing. One bad movie could bring the whole thing down.
Back-To-Back Sequels Risk Overexposing The Franchise
With an Evil Dead movie in 2023, 2026, and 2028, the franchise is quite exposed. There has never been less than a five-year gap between sequels, and that is one reason why the series has worked so well. There is a deliberate pace to its releases, and it’s clear that vision has always come first.
Though producer Sam Raimi and director Sébastian Vaniček have a clear vision for Evil Dead Burn, the upcoming Evil Dead Wrath is less certain. Unlike other sequels which have had time to develop and evolve, this current trio of Evil Dead films are happening in rapid succession. This leaves little room for meaningful change.
Change is what makes Evil Dead such a great franchise, and the constant evolution has kept it fresh. Whether it’s the shift to horror comedy, or the adoption of modern themes, Evil Dead changes to stay alive. Evil Dead Burn already looks like a shift from Rise, but how much actual change can happen in only three years?
