The Fantasy Review’s list of The Evil Dead movies ranked by how groovy they are.
#5 – Evil Dead Rise (2023)
Evil Dead Rise is one of those movies that if you had no previous knowledge of the rest of the franchise, you’d probably think was pretty good. If the movie had been its own thing, without the Evil Dead elements, and some original content instead, I might have enjoyed it more.
This movie didn’t know if it wanted to be full-on goofy or an actually scary film. Because of this, it succeeded in neither comedy nor horror. There were some enjoyable elements, but for the most part, Evil Dead Rise fell pretty flat.
Groovy level: sad groovy
#4 – The Evil Dead (1981)
The original movie in this franchise is an imperfect horror flick with a lot of charm. What they managed to achieve on a shoestring budget is astounding, and as a cinema nerd, I love the cinematography and special effects.
However, the movie itself falls short on greatness because of the meandering dialogue and poor narrative structure. There are elements here that go on to inspire some incredible films (coming to them shortly!) but as a solo movie, The Evil Dead isn’t amazing.
Groovy level: mediocre groovy
#3 – Evil Dead (2013)
Evil Dead (2013) is a remake/reboot of The Evil Dead (1981) and it’s one of the best reboots around. It leaves most of the silliness behind and focuses instead on the horror.
I watched this when it came out and it creeped me out. The horror elements of Evil Dead are incredible, showing what you can do with the franchise when you truly want to scare the hell out of the audience.
It’s not a perfect movie, but for the most part we have great characters, awesome visuals, and an engaging narrative.
Groovy level: scary groovy
#2 – Evil Dead II (1987)
Evil Dead II (1987) was the first reboot/sequel to The Evil Dead (1981) which came in and did the same movie again but better. I think in general it’s not as “good” as Evil Dead (2013), but I rank it higher because as an Evil Dead movie it succeeds more.
These films are supposed to be slapstick fun, and Evil Dead II is the only movie in the franchise that manages to be both hilarious and scary at the same time.
This movie is the beginning of Ash’s character, cementing him as the glue that makes this franchise great.
Groovy level: oh, boy, this is groovy!
#1 – Army of Darkness (1992)
Finally, in this list of the Evil Dead movies ranked, we have the best of the best: Army of Darkness (1992).
This movie is insane. You think you know what you’re getting into, and then it gets weirder, funnier, and even more insane.
Army of Darkness is a medieval, historical fiction action movie, but with skeletons and no fucks given to any historical reality. I absolutely love it.
Evil Dead II might be the best of the conventional horror flicks in this franchise but Army of Darkness will entertain you more than any of the others.
This movie just went, “What if the orcs in Lord of the Rings were undead skeletons and Aragorn had a chainsaw?” and then proceeds to answer that question with, “GROOVY!”
Groovy level: All aboard the groovy train!!
