Evil Dead Rise Officially Rated R, Surprising No One

In a move that is surprising to literally no one, the new Evil Dead movie, the upcoming Evil Dead Rise, has been given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association. This is line with the rating for almost every other film in the series, all known for their gratuitous amounts of blood. According to a new release from FilmRatings.com, Evil Dead Rise has been rated R for “strong bloody horror violence and gore, and some language.” This is pretty close to the reason that 2013’s Evil Dead (the remake by Fede Alvarez) was also Rated R which was for “strong bloody violence and gore, some sexual content and language.”

Compared to what came before as well, Evil Dead II was also rated R while Army of Darkness, arguably the softest of the series, also managed an R rating (for simply “violence and horror”). The only outlier in the series is in fact the original movie, The Evil Dead, which maintains an NC-17 rating officially from the MPA. According to the ratings board, The Evil Dead earned its NC-17 for “substantial graphic horror violence and gore.” Considering the black spot that the NC-17 rating carries with it, the classic movie is largely released “unrated” on home media when a new version comes out (which is often).

The new film in the series will make two big changes to the formula, first it won’t feature Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, and second, it won’t be set at a remote cabin in the woods. Instead the new film will be set in a city, specifically a skyscraper, presenting an all-new location for Deadites to cause mischief and mayhem. Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan and young stars Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher, are confirmed to star in Evil Dead Rise which is directed by Lee Cronin.

The film’s synopsis reads, “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.”

Evil Dead Rise is expected to debut on HBO Max later this year.