Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the theatrical release of the gleefully gruesome Evil Dead Rise, and director Lee Cronin has marked the occasion by sharing a bunch of previously-unseen behind-the-scenes photos.
The snaps spotlight some of the more deranged and twisted moments in the movie, including the opening sequence scalp-rip, the ghastly injuries inflicted on the characters, and Beth's (Lily Sullivan) final showdown with the creature that used to be her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland).
Though Cronin may return to helm a direct follow-up to Rise down the line, he won't be involved with the next Evil Dead movie. We recently learned that Vermin director Sébastien Vaniček has been enlisted to co-write and helm the untitled project, which is described as a spin-off. This would suggest that the movie won't be a sequel to Rise, but all plot details are still under wraps for the time being.
Whether this new movie will bring back Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams is unclear, but the actor has indicated that we haven't seen the last of the original Evil Dead trilogy's chainsaw-wielding protagonist following the series finale of Starz's Ash Vs. The Evil Dead, so there's a chance he may appear, even if it's just to set up a future instalment of crossover.
"Evil Dead Rise might be an endurance test for non/casual horror fans, but seasoned gore-hounds are in for a blast," we said in our review. "Lee Cronin takes the blood-soaked baton from Sam Raimi and beats the brakes off his characters with it, carving out his own path while adding just enough fan-service to keep the Ash faithful happy."
Written and directed by Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground) the movie stars Lily Sullivan (I Met a Girl, Barkskins), Alyssa Sutherland (The Mist, Vikings), Morgan Davies (Strom Boy, The End), Gabrielle Echols (Reminiscence) and introducing Nell Fisher (Northspur).
"Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, Rise tells the twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable."
Evil Dead Rise was produced by Rob Tapert (Ash vs Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) and executive produced by series creator and horror icon Sam Raimi and cult legend himself, Bruce Campbell, along with John Keville, Macdara Kelleher, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Romel Adam and Victoria Palmieri.