When it comes to debating what the greatest horror franchise of all time is, there are plenty of contenders. For a long time, Scream was in that conversation to rejuvenate the slasher genre, even if the latest installment felt like a first miss in the series. There are also The Conjuring, Saw, Final Destination, Halloween, Insidious, A Nightmare on Elm Streetand several others that are all in the conversation, though each has at least one or two aspects that hold them back from placing at the top.
There’s one horror franchise that feels like it stands above the rest, and it is Evil Dead. It all started with Sam Raimi’s vision with the original 1981 film, and things have only been going strong ever since. The subsequent sequels were well received, but all also feel different enough that they make up an exciting set of films. ONE new installment, Evil Dead Burn, is on the horizon, and it continues the remarkable streak of consistency for the franchise.
While an argument can be made for other horror franchises, if you look a little closer you can see that there really isn’t much competition for Evil Dead. There are several things about Evil Dead which makes it far away from the height of horror.
Every Evil Dead movie is really good
The most important thing to consider when talking about the best movie franchises of any genre is the quality of the movies. From Toy Story to The Lord of the Ringsthese series are considered by many to be the best because every episode is amazing. Popular franchises like The Terminator, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Alien, and Predator are just some franchises that either experienced a dip in quality over time or had been inconsistent from start to finish.
Evil Dead don’t have that problem because every installment is strong. The Evil Dead is a seminal horror film that inspired so many future releases in the genre and stands as a classic. Evil Dead II hits many of the same beats as the original, but also incorporates just enough comedy to stand out and is also considered one of the best releases ever in the genre. Army of Darkness was another critical success that completely goes down a comedic route.
The franchise seemed finished at the time, only to see a revival in 2013. Evil Dead was apparently a remake when trailers dropped, but it’s actually a sequel and goes back to the realm of pure horror. It’s gruesome, gory and downright scary, while featuring Jane Levy in one of the best Last Girl performances of all time. Evil Dead Rise followed in 2023 and kept the pure horror vibes and delivered another film that was both a critical and commercial success.
Ash is an iconic horror protagonist
Pretty much every great horror franchise has to have an iconic character. Halloween has Michael Myers, Saw has John Kramer, The chainsaw massacre in Texas has leather surface, and The art of magic has the Warrens. Before Evil Deadthe legendary character is the protagonist Ash Williams. Played by Bruce Campbell, he was the focal point of the first three films and has become a pop culture darling for everything from his toughness to his one-liners.
Ash is an interesting character to watch develop. He started out as quite an ordinary guy The Evil Dead who survives the ordeal and it is inside Evil Dead II where he grows up. The focus is more on him in that film, and this is where Campbell starts to bring his comedic chops into play. He mixes the comedy with the crazy, the unhinged and the badass so well. IN Army of Darknessit’s pretty much all one-liners, and the film features Campbell’s best deliveries.
Evil Dead has good comedy
While people tend to think of nothing but the scares when they see great horror, they need to understand that comedy has gone hand in hand with horror for a long time. A Nightmare on Elm Street allowed Freddy Krueger to be silly while terrorizing people while Scream played on genre tropes to comedic effect. The laughs are necessary to help relieve the tension and stress of the scares.
As mentioned, Evil Dead II did the same, and it was what many consider the best installment in the franchise. One thing that makes this series stand out is Army of Darkness. It is set in Evil Dead world and definitely has some scary elements, but it’s completely a comedy. When you sit down to see everyone Evil Dead film, Army of Darkness serves as a perfect change of paceespecially since it comes right before the movies go down the pure horror route.
It also helps, as mentioned, that Bruce Campbell is at his best when he’s showing off his comedic skills. Campbell shines the brightest Army of Darkness and watching him chew scenery is just so much fun.
There is also A Great Evil Dead TV series
While Evil Dead has enough to make it the biggest horror movie franchise of all time, you can’t overlook the TV spin-off. As of 2015, Bruce Campbell returned to the franchise for Ash vs. Evil Deada show that lasted three seasons. It felt like Evil Dead II because it’s the perfect blend of horror and comedy that the franchise is known for. Seen 30 years later Army of Darknessit sees Ash team up with his young friend Pablo and Kelly, a girl Pablo has a crush on, as they take on the Deadites.
Despite being a TV series, the scale is bigger than ever before Ash vs. Evil Dead as their missions see them save humanity from the Deadites. Campbell is hilarious in every season, while Pablo and Kelly stand as some of the best characters introduced in the franchise. The monster designs are also among the best ever and reviews were strong. Although the series was cancelled, word is that an animated revival is in development.
It may not be among the films in the series, but Ash vs. Evil Dead proved that everything Evil Dead touches is gold, which is why it’s the biggest horror franchise in history.
- Video games
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Evil Dead: Hail to the King, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick, Evil Dead: Regeneration, Evil Dead: The Game
- Cast
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Bruce CampbellJane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lily Sullivan, Nell Fisher, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo
- Character(s)
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Ashley Williams, Mia Allen, David Allen, Bethany Bixler, Kassie Bixler, Pablo Simon Bolivar, Kelly Maxwell
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