Evil Dead | The Future of a Beloved Horror Series

3 Directors that could carry the torch of the Evil Dead franchise

The announcement of another Evil Dead film starting pre-production has excited many Raimi fans like myself. The longstanding horror franchise is one of the most consistent and entertaining strings of films to come from the genre since its inception. Now with Evil Dead Burn scheduled for release in 2026 by co-writer and director Sébastien Vaniček (Infested) and another Evil Dead film to be directed by The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023)’s Francis Galluppi. Not to mention the animated show that is in early development with Bruce Campbell returning to voice the franchise’s ‘hero’ Ash Williams.

With many director’s names being thrown around and Evil Dead films ramping up to be released every few years instead of every decade, I thought it would be a bit of fun to throw some directors names in the ring that I can see having a fun interpretation on the Evil Dead formula. I’d hate for one of my favourite franchises to become a stale, repetitive lump of films that have no individual identity that people roll their eyes at embarrassingly when a new one is released. Please don't take this hypothetical too seriously.

1. Robert Morgan

Robert Morgan has been on my radar for a few years now and has made some incredibly visceral and slimy short films that feel plucked from one of the circles of hell. His stop motion shorts like Bobby Yeah (2011) have amassed a cult following and the worlds he creates and the figures that inhabit, though having a Lynchian quality, have an atmosphere of dread and pathetic existences as a deadite would. His unique style would both reinvigorate and pay homage to the stop motion used at the end of the original 1981 Evil Dead film. An iconic ending wherein the book of the dead is thrown into the fireplace leading the screaming deadites into a series of life-ending wails and whimpers with the uncanny visuals of the stop motion tongues and rotting flesh. The Evil Dead films always being in one prime location (except Army of the Dead) allows the dreary set design and creepy sound effects that Morgan implements throughout his shorts really shine. A few years ago he released his feature debut with Stopmotion (2023) and like the other directors on this list, has one feature indie horror film or short before being asked by Raimi and co to create an evil dead film in their own vision. This would follow the pattern of the majority of the directors hired for Evil Dead projects since Fede Álvarez being hired for the 2013 Evil Dead film and Lee Cronin with Evil Dead Rise (2023). It's far-fetched but I can't get the idea of a stopmotion Evil Dead film out of my head going back to that practical and visceral feel of the original film.

2. Natalie Erika James

In 2020 I randomly came across the film Relic (2020). It is a psychological horror film wherein a daughter and granddaughter go to take care of the dementia ridden grandmother. It both terrified me and made me very emotional with its subject matter. The one thing the Evil Dead franchise has yet to do (for me personally) is have me on the verge of tears. Sure it’s had its solid attempts at something deeper like the family relationship in Rise or fleshing out Ash’s character in Ash Vs Evil Dead but nothing that would tear your heart out. Something in the vein of this film could be fascinating and with the psychological angle it could create a new direction to make the deadites scarier than ever. I feel like the powers of the book of the dead have only been skimmed through and there’s a lot more variants of deadites to be explored. Deadites are playful as seen from the very start but they’re crafty too, manipulative and cunningly mean. Imagine one that has a long term plan of gaining power that would allow them to commit more chaos in the world and or small town, akin to Baal in the show but in a domestic setting.

3. Josh Ruben 

   
   

Over the last few years Josh Ruben has proven himself a successful horror comedy writer/director and has continued in that subgenre with his newest film Heart Eyes (2025.) I first became aware of Ruben through the videogame adapted film Werewolves Within (2021) and seems to be the genre he is most comfortable with. The Evil Dead franchise might be known as a horror one but the first film has many lo-fi campy elements and the most famous film of the franchise, Evil Dead II is one of the most famous and iconic horror comedies through and through and though the last two films of the Evil Dead name, though great editions to the overall franchise, have had no levity or overt comedy moments (other than darker humour by the deadites). I'd love another Evil Dead film that does something wildly different like Army of Darkness did, a whole other genre in a whole other setting with that humourous edge to it. But knowing the common Hollywood trends at the moment it's unlikely that one, it wouldn't make much money at the box office and two, make a film that has such a slapstick comedy element that Army of Darkness had. And let us not forget that AOD is a movie that takes a massive step away from the genre it originated from and most if not all fans wouldn’t class it as a horror film. Though it's got that Evil Dead core in its attitude and fun loving nature (a lot of that is largely due to Raimi’s kinetic and inventive style) but something in that vein of humour mixed in with the splatter gore would stick out against other modern horror releases.

Though these films would never seem to happen there are elements of them that don't seem too unbelievable. While we sit and wait for the new editions to the Evil Dead franchise, it's fun to do what fans do best and daydream about what could happen with this beloved franchise I’d say I’d be daydreaming about my perfect evil dead film but that means I’d just be thinking about Evil Dead II. 

Written by Michael Tasker | IG: @thegoldenecstasy | LB: Haelcim