Evil Dead producer Robert Tapert has confirmed that Evil Dead Wrath, an upcoming installment in the Evil Dead franchise will take place before the original Evil Dead film.
“This is yet another great departure,” he told Dread Central . “It predates everything. It takes place in 1972.”
The Evil Dead franchise was created by filmmaker Sam Raimi, producer Robert Tapert, and actor Bruce Campbell. The series began with the 1981 independent horror film The Evil Dead, which follows a group of friends who encounter the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, an ancient book that unleashes supernatural forces at a remote cabin. The film introduced Ash Williams, played by Bruce Campbell, who became the central character of the franchise.
The first sequel, Evil Dead II, was released in 1987 and combined elements of horror, comedy, and a partial retelling of the original film’s events. The third installment, Army of Darkness, followed Ash after he is transported to medieval England and expands the series into a fantasy adventure. In 2013, the franchise continued with Evil Dead, a film directed by Fede Álvarez that served as a new interpretation of the story without Ash Williams as the main character.
The television series Ash vs Evil Dead premiered in 2015 on Starz and brought Bruce Campbell back as Ash Williams. The series continued the storyline from the original trilogy and ran for three seasons through 2018. Other franchise media has included video games, comic books, novels, and merchandise based on the characters and mythology. In 2023, the franchise returned to theaters with Evil Dead Rise, written and directed by Lee Cronin, which moved the story away from the traditional cabin setting and introduced a new group of characters connected to the Necronomicon.
The franchise is set to continue with Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn, premiering July 10 in US theaters, with Evil Dead Wrath set to premiere April 7, 2028.