EVIL DEAD
Created by Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert via Renaissance Pictures, Evil Dead is one of horror's most enduring and recognizable franchises. Spanning feature films, television, video games, comic books, tabletop games, and live theatrical productions, it evolved from an ultra-low-budget indie splatter film into an iconic mix of visceral horror, slapstick comedy, and medieval fantasy.
Cronologia
Panoramica
The Evil Dead franchise was created by writer and director Sam Raimi alongside star Bruce Campbell and producer Robert Tapert through Renaissance Pictures.
Beginning with the seminal 1981 film, the franchise encompasses six theatrical feature films—the original trilogy, a 2013 soft reboot, 2023's Evil Dead Rise, and 2026's Evil Dead Burn—along with additional spin-offs in active development.
The franchise also expanded into a three-season Starz television series (Ash vs Evil Dead), an upcoming animated continuation, short films, video games, comic book series, tabletop board and card games, pinball machines, and interactive stage shows.
Origini
The origins of Evil Dead trace back to Within the Woods, a short film prototype created by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell and Ellen Sandweiss to pitch potential investors for funding.
That success led to the feature-length splatter-horror classic The Evil Dead (1981), in which college student Ash Williams and his friends visit a remote cabin in Tennessee and accidentally unleash Kandarian Demons by playing recordings of passages from the Naturom Demonto (Necronomicon Ex-Mortis).
Raimi escalated the lore in Evil Dead II (1987) by blending splatter horror with slapstick comedy, establishing Ash's iconic chainsaw hand, before sending Ash back to 1300 AD in Army of Darkness (1992).
Personaggi
I PEZZI DI EVIL DEAD
Collezionismo
Evil Dead has built a dedicated tabletop and gaming collectible footprint. Notable physical releases include Leading Edge's 1993 Army of Darkness Board Game, Dynamite Entertainment's Army of Darkness: The Board Game (2023), Space Goat Productions' board game releases, and Eden Studios' 2005 Army of Darkness Roleplaying Game.
Trading card and tabletop gamers collect licensed crossover runs such as UniVersus (2020) and Magic: The Gathering (2023), alongside dedicated physical card games like Evil Dead 2: 1% (2024). The franchise also extended into full-sized physical entertainment with the release of the official Evil Dead Pinball machine in 2024.
Curiosità
• Within the Woods was shot as a short prototype to convince investors to fund the original feature film. • Evil Dead The Musical features an interactive 'Splatter Zone' where front-row audience members are sprayed with fake blood.
• Ash Williams famously replaces his severed right hand with a chainsaw in Evil Dead II after losing it to demonic possession. • Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi confirmed an animated continuation of Ash vs Evil Dead is in development so Campbell can voice Ash without physical strain. • Army of Darkness transported protagonist Ash Williams back to medieval 1300 AD to fight Deadite hordes with his chainsaw and shotgun.
Film
• **Within the Woods (1978)**: Prototype short film created by Sam Raimi starring Bruce Campbell and Ellen Sandweiss. • **The Evil Dead (1981)**: The original splatter-horror film directed by Sam Raimi, introducing Ash Williams and the cabin in Tennessee. • **Evil Dead II (1987)**: Directed by Sam Raimi, blending horror with slapstick comedy as Ash replaces his severed hand with a chainsaw.
• **Army of Darkness (1992)**: Directed by Sam Raimi, taking Ash Williams back to 1300 AD to battle Deadite armies. • **Evil Dead (2013)**: Soft reboot directed by Fede Álvarez following Mia Allen and her friends at the cabin. • **Evil Dead Rise (2023)**: Urban horror entry directed by Lee Cronin set in a Los Angeles apartment complex. • **Evil Dead Burn (2026)**: Standalone spin-off directed by Sébastien Vaniček featuring a French twist on the Deadite mythology. • **Francis Galluppi Spin-off (In Development)**: Standalone feature written and directed by Francis Galluppi for Ghost House Pictures.
Serie TV
• **Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018)**: 3-season television series aired on Starz, following an older Ash Williams alongside companions Pablo and Kelly.
• **Ash vs Evil Dead Animated Series (In Development)**: Animated continuation series featuring Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams vocally.
Videogiochi
• **The Evil Dead (1984)**: Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro • **Evil Dead: Hail to the King (2000)**: PlayStation, Dreamcast, PC • **Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick (2003)**: PlayStation 2, Xbox • **Evil Dead Pinball (2003)**: Mobile (J2ME) • **Evil Dead: Regeneration (2005)**: PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC • **Army of Darkness Defense (2011)**: iOS, Android • **Evil Dead: The Mobile Game (2011)**: Mobile • **Poker Night 2 (2013)**: Crossover Video Game • **Hit It Rich!
(2014)**: Crossover Video Game • **Family Guy: The Quest For Stuff (2016)**: Crossover Video Game • **Evil Dead: Endless Nightmare (2016)**: iOS, Android • **Phantom Halls (2017)**: Crossover Video Game • **Deploy And Destroy (2018)**: Crossover Video Game • **Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare (2018)**: Oculus Go, Mobile • **Dead By Daylight (2019)**: Crossover Video Game • **Evil Dead: Extended Nightmare (2019)**: Mobile • **Evil Dead: The Game (2022)**: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, PC • **Fortnite (2022)**: Crossover Video Game • **Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 (2023)**: Crossover Video Game • **RetroRealms: Ash vs Evil Dead (2024)**: PC, Consoles
Libri & Fumetti
• **Army of Darkness Adaptation (1992–1993)**: Official 3-issue comic adaptation published by Dark Horse Comics, written by Sam and Ivan Raimi. • **Army of Darkness: Ashes 2 Ashes (2004)**: Comic mini-series published by Dynamite Entertainment. • **Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator (2005)**: Crossover comic mini-series published by Dynamite Entertainment. • **Marvel Zombies vs.
The Army of Darkness (2007)**: Crossover comic run published by Dynamite Entertainment and Marvel. • **Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash & The Nightmare Warriors (2007–2009)**: Crossover comic series published by Dynamite Entertainment. • **Army of Darkness/Xena: Warrior Princess (2008)**: Crossover comic series published by Dynamite Entertainment. • **Space Goat Productions Adaptations (2015–2018)**: Official comic book adaptations of The Evil Dead (1981). • **Army of Darkness Forever (2023–2024)**: Comic series published by Dynamite Entertainment.
