Evil Dead Rise Stars Say They Weren't Looking To Please Fans of the Original
Evil Dead Rise is now playing in theaters, and it's off to a strong start at the box office. In addition to making some money this weekend, the film is also the best-reviewed movie of the entire franchise with an 84% critics score and an 81% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. ComicBook.com's Kofi Outlaw gave the movie a 3.5 out of 5 and said it "carves out a promising new future for the franchise." Of course, Evil Dead Rise is the fifth movie to don the Evil Dead name. The original Evil Dead was directed by Sam Raimi in 1981 and starred Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams. Raimi and Campbell went on to make Evil Dead 2 in 1987 and Army of Darkness in 1992. The last Evil Dead film, Evil Dead (2013), reimagined the original. While Raimi and Campbell produced Evil Dead Rise, it was Lee Cronin who helmed the new film while Australian actors Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan stepped in as the new stars. Recently, the duo spoke with The New York Times and revealed they weren't too concerned with pleasing fans of the original movie.
"I don't think any of us were looking to try to please fans," Sutherland shared. "Having been a people pleaser most of my life, it doesn't really work. But we have deep respect for the films that came before. Lily and I watched it again last night at a screening and we were laughing the whole way. My laughter at points was uncomfortable. But what Lee does so well is that he makes it OK for you to laugh." Sullivan added, "Laughter is medicine and blood is God in this film."
Will Evil Dead Rise Get a Sequel?
"I think everything's on the table at a point like this. My focus right now is finishing what's been an amazing promotional tour and whirlwind of getting to talk and share the process of making the movie and my opinions on it," Cronin shared with ComicBook.com about the franchise's future. "And I think from there it's like, let's see how audiences really react to it. I definitely have got stories that I feel like I could tell inside this universe. But equally, I think as I've proven with this, I'm also a filmmaker with my own voice. I'm not there to necessarily serve a continuing narrative all the time and probably have made a movie for me in terms of my taste that's right at the edge, intensity-wise, because I think if I pushed it any further, it becomes something that isn't me or that I'd want to make."
During a chat with Variety, Cronin also revealed some potential sequel ideas.
Evil Dead Rise is now playing in theaters.