Evil Dead Rise: Will there be a sequel?

Evil Dead Rise slightly switches things up from previous films in the franchise by setting the bulk of the action in an apartment block rather than a cabin in the woods, but it includes most of the other features fans of the series know and love – and has opened to some very positive reviews.

With that in mind, viewers will be keen to know if another sequel is on the cards any time soon, and whether writer/director Lee Cronin has any plans to return to the franchise.

Read on for everything we know so far – with the warning that there are spoilers for Evil Dead Rise below.

Evil Dead Rise: will there be a sequel?

So far, there have been no confirmed reports about a sequel to Evil Dead Rise, but given the positive reception to the new film, we wouldn't rule it out.

Writer/director Lee Cronin certainly seems open to doing more entries in the series, telling RadioTimes.com during an exclusive interview that he has a "great affinity" for the characters.

"Someone said to me today, the movie has been well reviewed so drop the mic and walk away," he said. "But I also feel a great affinity to the characters, so it's all about if... I always say let the audience decide – if the people want more of these characters, or this particular aspect of the world, I obviously feel a sense of ownership."

But Cronin added that if he does return for another film, he might look to strike a different tone to Evil Dead Rise – which would more or less be in keeping with what Sam Raimi did with the original sequel back in the '80s.

"This is a movie that hits a pretty hot temperature, it's quite intense," he explained. "[So] there's also from my point of view, maybe I want to do something tonally different. Because it would be hard to make a movie much more intense than this without it just exploding. So yeah, I'm both interested in what can happen in this world, but also as a writer exploring multiple different ideas.

"My first movie, The Hole in the Ground, is psychological horror, it's quite quiet like a whisper at the back of your neck. This movie is like a bloody scream in your face. But I might just want to go somewhere else in the playpen, and do something tonally a little bit different again."

Evil Dead Rise sequel cast

If the sequel does get the go-ahead, it's likely that there will be a number of new faces in the cast – what with the characters played by Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies and Gabrielle Echols all having fallen victim to the Deadites in Evil Dead Rise.

However, we would expect the two survivors Beth and Kassie to play a major role in a sequel, so we can probably count on Lily Sullivan and Nell Fisher returning in any future film.

Beyond that, it's difficult to say who might feature in a sequel, beyond the fact that we would definitely bet on another cameo from franchise legend Bruce Campbell. We'll update this page if and when anything becomes more official.

Evil Dead Rise sequel plot

The end of the film certainly leaves things open to a sequel in a few different directions.

For one, there are a couple of survivors from the Deadites' attack on Ellie's family, and so it seems likely that Beth and Kassie would be the central characters in a sequel, probably once again forced to fight off the deadly demonic parasites.

Meanwhile, the cabin in the woods segments that bookend the main action could also be further explored in a sequel – although this seems like a less likely option based on Cronin's comments on his decision to set most of the action away from that location in Evil Dead Rise.

"I felt like going back to the cabin, I was just going to tie myself up in knots in trying to make it original," he said. "The furthest place I could think of from a cabin in the woods was the top floor of an apartment building in LA, so it felt like a natural place to go."

Evil Dead Rise is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

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