Evil Dead Director Says Sequel Will Be Completely Different

The Evil Dead franchise has always had an interesting approach to sequels. Unlike Sam Raimi’s original, which was made as a pure-blooded horror film, Evil Dead II introduced comedy and Three Stooges-esque gags into the mix, while Army of Darkness totally flipped the script and transported the story from a cabin in the woods to medieval times. So it’s only fitting that the sequel to the upcoming remake would do the same thing.

Having screened the movie last night at the opening of the South By Southwest Film Festival (you can read my review right here), I had the chance to sit down one-on-one with director Fede Alvarez earlier today, and at the end of our interview we talked about his plans for a potential part two. “I think it has to go to a place that nobody will expect,” the director said, having revealed his plans for a sequel last night during the Q&A session after the premiere. “That’s what it should be…We have to take everybody by surprise and do something completely different, because that’s what we owe to the legacy of Evil Dead.”

But thoughts of creating something new and different were in Alvarez’s mind while making the remake as well. Acknowledging that the film is a throwback to the first film, his goal was never to make a copy. “I don’t think this one is similar to any other previous ones – it’s the same spirit, but it’s not just like it,” he said. “So I think that the next one is definitely going to have that. If people enjoy this one, believe me, the second one is going to be a fucking blast.”

Stay tuned for my full interview with Fede Alvarez later this week!

For more of our SXSW 2013 coverage, click HERE.

Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.