Evil Dead Rise Director Reveals the Other Horror Franchise He’s Interested In (Exclusive)

Evil Dead Rise is hitting theaters later this week, and the horror movie has already gotten rave reviews from critics. 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.” The new film doesn’t star franchise staple Bruce Campbell nor was it directed by original trilogy helmer Sam Raimi, but both Evil Dead legends serve as producers on the project, alongside original producer Rob Tapert. Evil Dead Rise was directed by Lee Cronin who previously directed The Hole in the Ground. This week, ComicBook.com had the chance to chat with Cronin, and we asked the director if there are any other iconic horror franchises he’s interested in. 

“It’s a great question because there’s not many, and I definitely don’t want to be the franchise refreshment director. The one that I find really hard to not have … What I did with Evil Dead when it was brought to me was I just went and had a good old think about it for a long time. And that was the terrifying part was I might have to say no if I don’t find a story that I want to tell. So the only other one that would put me in the position where I’d be … There’s two things, and they’re tonally very different,” Cronin shared. 

He continued, “I’d find it very difficult to not have a stab at something in the Lord of the Rings world because I’m a big fan. That’s something that … I feel like my skills as a filmmaker, they’re not bound just by the obvious trappings of horror. I think I could create something on that large canvas. But then back in the horror world, the one that I would find really … and I find it really hard to pass up the opportunity would be something in the A Nightmare on Elm Street universe.” 

Will Lee Cronin Direct Another Evil Dead Movie? 

“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.”

He added, “So I may look to go and do something tonally quite different next before I go back and try and push those same buttons again. But look, I’m a fan and a filmmaker and I feel a sense of ownership over those characters and the new direction for Evil Dead, so I’m definitely open-minded to looking at more.”

Evil Dead Rise is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 21st.