Evil Dead Rise Is 'Firmly' Set In The Evil Dead Universe, And Will Expand It Further

"Evil Dead Rise" is something of a left-field movie, as most of us didn't even know it was in the works until it was well into filming — gotta love those sneaky, under-the-radar titles. So there's been an air of mystery around this thing. We know it's an in-universe sequel, but that it's also going to be radically different than previous "Evil Dead" entries just by virtue of being set in an urban environment, specifically a high rise.

That's a far cry from the cabin in the woods feel of most of "Evil Dead" or even the medieval period setting of "Army of Darkness." So just what the heck is "Evil Dead Rise?" Is it a sequel? A side-quel? Something else entirely?

While we still don't know all the answers, director Lee Cronin did go on record recently to set the stage (and horror fan expectations) in talking with Total Film Magazine.

Cronin got some attention for his low-budget 2019 horror film "The Hole in the Ground" and being a huge "Evil Dead" fan jumped at the chance to expand the world. He tells Total Film that his film is indeed an in-universe film, but acknowledges that it is missing two crucial things that make up a true blue "Evil Dead" film: a cabin in the woods and Bruce Campbell's Ash.

He did quickly add, though, that what we do get are tons and tons of Deadites, gore, and, of course, the iconic Book of the Dead.

Lee Cronin tells Total Film that while he doesn't have a cabin in the woods, he knows they needed to translate the claustrophobic feeling audiences get from the early "Evil Dead" films in order to make it feel right.

"It still needed to maintain some of the claustrophobia and that translated really well from the cabin into an urban environment. This is about a family in a rundown building stuck in their apartment, so it follows the same rhythm but puts it in a more contemporary space."

On a technical level, that tracks, but don't be surprised if there are more direct nods to the previous films as well.

"It's firmly in the universe. There's a lot of fun callbacks, and there are direct lines to the past. But part of the goal of making this movie was to create something that could expand the Evil Dead universe further."

As an '80s horror kid, I can't help but get "Demons 2" vibes from this project. There are not a whole lot of horror movies that take place in an apartment block, outside of  "Poltergeist III," "Dark Water," and "Attack the Block," I suppose, but it's a pretty underutilized location for spooky stuff. 

"Evil Dead Rise" is currently scheduled to release on April 21, 2023, on HBO Max.