While Evil Dead Rise will struggle to match the shock value quotient of earlier movies in the series, the Evil Dead installment may have already proven that the reboot is the most extreme horror in the franchise. The Evil Dead movies have always been controversial. The original Evil Dead was banned in Britain for a decade thanks to its horrifying gore effects, while the 2013 remake of the same name was initially rated NC-17 before the gory horror was cut to achieve a contractually mandated R rating.

With such a pedigree to follow up, it would be understandable for viewers to assume that Evil Dead Rise couldn't match its predecessors' impact. However, far from embracing 80s nostalgia, Evil Dead Rise has gone for an even more extreme, shocking twist than any earlier movie in the series since it is an Evil Dead movie starring children. Historically, the Evil Dead movies have torn adult men and women to pieces but left kids out of the carnage, something that Evil Dead Rise has already avoided with a creepy teaser trailer that features a possessed mother trying to attack her own children.

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Why Every Evil Dead Movie (So Far) Starred Adults

Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams in Evil Dead

Thus far, the Evil Dead franchise has steered clear of depicting children in peril. After all, the Evil Dead movies are full of gory body horror and nihilistic dark humor, making the franchise's world unsuitable for kids. While Army of Darkness is the most comparatively goofy movie of the series, that sequel still has a relentlessly downbeat, mean-spirited ending, while Evil Dead II's cartoonish nastiness leaves every character dead or doomed. Evil Dead Rise's young heroes can inject emotion into the franchise, but this comes at the cost of massively raising the story's stakes.

Why Evil Dead Rise Changed This Trend

Evil Dead Rise GABRIELLE ECHOLS as Bridget NELL FISHER as Kassie LILY SULLIVAN as Beth MORGAN DAVIES as Danny and ALYSSA SUTHERLAND as Ellie

Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin's last movie, The Hole in the Ground, saw a mother slowly realize her son was possessed by some sort of demonic force while, in contrast, the earliest teaser and poster for Evil Dead Rise depict children dealing with their mother who is possessed by some a demonic force. Creepy kids are one thing, but innocent children being attacked by demonically possessed parents is a hardcore horror premise that makes Evil Dead Rise the most extreme outing in the franchise. Making the heroes children automatically raises the stakes since they can't fend for themselves, and it is a lot more upsetting to see them killed off.

While 2013's Evil Dead was a reboot like Evil Dead Rise, the re-imagining kept the same setting and basic setup as the original movie. The tone was darker, and the effects were more convincing, but the mood was still the same. In contrast, Evil Dead Rise's earliest promotional materials make it clear that the movie will likely kill off children. This prospect makes the Evil Dead installment inherently nastier than its predecessors.

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