The Evil Dead franchise sits in high regard among fans of the horror genre. Even though the first film was released in 1981, the franchise remains relevant today, and its latest film, the Lee Cronin-directed Evil Dead Rise, is proof of this.
Although there have been more than 40 years separating the first film and Evil Dead Rise, it still attracted many viewers to the theaters and was a massive return on investment. Evil Dead Rise made over $146 million on a modest budget of $19 million.
If nothing else, the film’s performance proves the franchise’s central story is compelling and that Cronin knows how to wow the audience. The film’s performance has also led to questions about whether Cronin will direct another installment.
Recently, Cronin sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he talked about the process of making the film and his experiences on set. The Irish filmmaker also revealed his thoughts on taking the helm of another film in the universe.
Cronin admitted that a new film is a possibility, especially because he had a swell time making it. On what the story would be about, he said that they bounced some ideas around while they were making Evil Dead Rise and, given how the film played out, a sequel is something worthy of discussion.
In April, around the time of the film’s release, Cronin did share some of his ideas on a potential sequel, we aren’t at all too surprised to hear him share this view.
Unfortunately, Cronin refused to commit his future to the franchise. He revealed his desire to stamp his mark on the horror genre by pursuing something different and original.
Cronin said, “There is a part of me that’s interested in planting a very different flag within genre. This film has a lot of intensity, it has a lot of its own energy and maybe it would be gratifying for me to just go and do something else.”
The director is not short on ideas of what to do. Before he took on the task of making Evil Dead Rise, he had other original ideas and screenplays he was mulling over.
He implied that his next project could either be one of these or another Evil Dead film, and the determining factor will be the first one to get the greenlight.
In his words, “I love all my children equally, and let’s see who’s the quickest to the start line, so we can start the race again with another movie.”
If you didn’t catch Evil Dead Rise during its theatrical run or simply didn’t get enough of it, you can still get your fix of the modern horror classic on Max and Vudu.
