Brutal new teaser flips the franchise on its head

Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise has been delivering zombie scares for decades, and in 2023 the action is going to reach new, bloody heights. Even without Bruce Campbell, the franchise’s iconic star who even made a cameo in the 2013 reboot, Evil Dead Rise looks like it’s got the potential to be the gnarliest yet, combining the secluded slasher with some classic zombie action. Don’t believe us? Watch the new trailer and judge for yourself.

Evil Dead Rise follows the formula of many Evil Dead movies: there’s a main character, an evil book, and a lot of Deadites. But the twist is just how isolated the story seems to be. While other Evil Dead movies, and other zombie stories in general, love to show crowds of zombies clamoring for brains, this one appears to focus on just one zombie. But this zombie is also the mother of children. That’s right, she’s a MOMbie. Check out the trailer below.

Written and directed by Lee Cronin, Evil Dead Rise’s plot is described by Warner Bros. as:

“A road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A. apartment. The sisters’ reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.”

What this synopsis doesn’t include is the fact that “nightmarish version of motherhood” is in fact her own sister as a Deadite.

The terrifying poster for Evil Dead Rise.Warner Bros.

There’s a lot to get excited about in this trailer, but the highlight is probably the gore. We see a needle perilously close to an eye, a Deadite chowing down on glass (and the effect that has on a throat, ouch) and the most brutal use of a cheese grater ever seen in theaters. Thankfully, all the true body-horror looks like it’s saved for the movie itself, but this is definitely enough to whet the appetite of any Evil Dead fan. And before you ask, yep, that’s a chainsaw, just like in the original movies.

Thankfully, you don’t have long to wait, as Evil Dead Rise is slated for an April release. Then, we’ll see just how this movie works in the Evil Dead canon as a whole — and if Bruce Campbell will have the cameo fans will surely expect from the poster child of the franchise.

Evil Dead Rise premieres in theaters April 21, 2023.

Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise has been delivering zombie scares for decades, and in 2023 the action is going to reach new, bloody heights. Even without Bruce Campbell, the franchise’s iconic star who even made a cameo in the 2013 reboot, Evil Dead Rise looks like it’s got the potential to be the gnarliest yet,…

Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise has been delivering zombie scares for decades, and in 2023 the action is going to reach new, bloody heights. Even without Bruce Campbell, the franchise’s iconic star who even made a cameo in the 2013 reboot, Evil Dead Rise looks like it’s got the potential to be the gnarliest yet,…