Evil Dead Rise, the latest entry in the long-running horror franchise, has shattered a 13-year critical drought for the Evil Dead universe. The Sébastien Vaniček-directed film earned a fresh Rotten Tomatoes score upon its debut, marking the first time since 2013 that a franchise installment cleared the review aggregator's 60 percent threshold.
The last film to achieve this was Evil Dead (2013), Fede Álvarez's divisive remake that rebooted the franchise with a grittier tone. That film managed a 63 percent RT score, establishing a critical ceiling the franchise struggled to surpass for over a decade. Rise marks a significant recalibration for a property that has existed in the critical wilderness since then.
Vaniček brings fresh directorial energy to the 40-year-old franchise, which originated with Sam Raimi's 1981 cult classic and evolved across sequels, the Army of Darkness spinoff, and Bruce Campbell's iconic Ash Williams. The franchise weathered mixed-to-negative reception with Ash vs Evil Dead's three-season run on Starz, though that show developed devoted streaming audiences.
Rise arrives during a horror renaissance where elevated horror and franchise revivals dominate the market. The film faces July 10 release date competition from other tentpoles, but early critical reception signals that Vaniček's approach resonates with reviewers in ways recent Evil Dead projects haven't managed.
The franchise's return to critical favor arrives as producer Sam Raimi remains active across multiple horror and superhero projects. The timing positions Evil Dead Rise as a potential franchise reset, much like 2013 attempted, but with clearer critical validation. Audiences have shown consistent appetite for legacy horror franchises with fresh creative vision, as proven by successful reboots across the genre