Alien Vs Evil Dead – The Greatest Horror Franchise Ever [Round 10]

Welcome to the Tournament of Terrors, a /Film bracket where we argue about the greatest horror franchise of all time, and you, the readers, get to decide the winners. The rules are simple: two iconic horror movie series enter the ring, each represented by a /Film writer ready to champion them. And you — yes, you, the person reading this right now — will vote on which one gets to move forward.

You can find all the details, including a schedule for all the showdowns, right here. And here is the complete bracket, so you know where things stand.

Last time we checked in with the tournament, Ghostface and Michael Myers were in a duel to the death. And now, we have two franchises that could not be more different from one another. The "Alien" series defined what science fiction horror can be. The "Evil Dead" series blended gore and humor so well that filmmakers are still chasing it. Both are vitally important. Both deserve your love and adoration. But only one can move forward.

Which one wins? That's up to you. First, the arguments. And then, you vote!

It feels particularly cruel to make anyone go up against the likes of Sam Raimi in this downright gladiatorial bracket. He's indisputably earned his horror cred by now and has never been shy about injecting scares into the unlikeliest of places — here's looking at you, emotionally traumatizing "Spider-Man 2" surgery scene! But when the particular horse I'm backing comes loaded with everything that "Alien" has to offer, well, that just means I have to bring out the big guns.

Although the Universal Monsters were criminally eliminated in the opening round, /Film's Eric Vespe correctly pointed out that Raimi's "Evil Dead" series fails to deliver the level of depth and meaning on display with other franchises. The kills and gore are all (mostly) well-executed, sure, but how can four movies of varying degrees of B-movie schlock possibly measure up to the nightmarish, Lovecraftian terror inherent within each and every "Alien" film? I touched on this aspect last time, but at any given moment, the antagonists of the "Alien" franchise can stand in for the dehumanizing wheels of corporate capitalism, toxic masculinity, the existential horror of seeking (and meeting!) our makers, or just the sheer exhaustion of trying to get by day-to-day. And if we're arguing about who's the more dynamic, beloved protagonist to stand the tests of time? I'm sorry, but Ripley beats Ash any day of the week.

If you ask me, the absurd horror of "Evil Dead" ends the moment the credits start rolling. "Alien" disturbs by digging underneath your skin and bursting out, fully-formed and repeatedly, well after the fact. (Jeremy Mathai)

The punk-rock, do-it-yourself authenticity of the "Evil Dead" franchise managed to win against the original movie monsters themselves, the Universal Monsters. If Ash and the Deadites can take down Dracula, then what's to stop them from stomping every single franchise in this tournament?

The "Alien" franchise has its fair share of great movies and great moments. Pitting Ellen Ripley against Ash Williams feels wrong, somehow. But when you start setting the movies against one another, the "Evil Dead" franchise leaves the xenomorphs in the dust. Every entry in "Evil Dead" is a winner, including the television series and the remake. The "Alien" franchise has multiple entries that are hit-or-miss depending on your tastes. The weakest entry in "Evil Dead" is probably "Army of Darkness," and it wipes the floor with "Alien: Covenant," "Alien: Resurrection," and the "Alien vs. Predator" spin-off flicks. 

"Alien" has been touched by so many different writers and directors that the quality is never entirely ensured. "The Evil Dead" has been Sam Raimi's baby from its inception, and he even produced the Fede Álvarez-directed remake. It's all Raimi, all the time, and that means it's always quality. (Danielle Ryan)

So there you have it. The arguments have been made. The defenses have been mounted. The attacks have concluded. The ball is now in your court, folks. Using the Twitter poll below (which will close 12 hours after publication of this article), vote for which movie franchise you want to see advance. Will it be the "Alien" series or the "Evil Dead" movies? Whoever wins will return this week, facing off against the winner of the "Halloween" and "Scream" showdown.

Who has your vote in our next #TournamentOfTerrors match-up — Alien or Evil Dead?

— /Film (@slashfilm) October 26, 2021