When it comes to discussing what the greatest horror franchise of all time is, there are plenty of contenders. For a long time, Scream was in that conversation for rejuvenating the slasher genre, though the most recent installment felt like the first miss in the series. There’s also The Conjuring, Saw, Final Destination, Halloween, Insidious, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and several others that are all in the conversation, though each has at least one or two aspects that hold it back from ranking at the top.
There is one horror franchise that feels like it stands above the rest and that’s Evil Dead. It all began with Sam Raimi’s vision with the original film from 1981 and things have only remained as strong as ever since. The subsequent sequels were well-received, yet all also feel different enough that they make for an intriguing set of movies. A new installment, Evil Dead Burn, is on the horizon and it continues the remarkable string of consistency for the franchise.
While arguments can be made for other horror franchises, if you look a bit closer, you can see that there really isn’t much competition for Evil Dead. There are several things about Evil Dead that make it, far and away, the peak of horror.
Every Evil Dead Movie Is Really Good
The most important thing to consider when you’re talking about the best movie franchises of any genre is the quality of the films. From Toy Story to The Lord of the Rings, these series are considered the greatest by many because each installment is great. Popular franchises like The Terminator, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Alien, and Predator are just some franchises that either saw a dip in quality over time or had been inconsistent from start to finish.
Evil Dead doesn’t have that problem because each installment is strong. The Evil Dead is a landmark horror movie that inspired so many future releases in the genre and is held up as a classic. Evil Dead II hits a lot of the same beats as the original, yet it also incorporates just enough comedy to stand out and is also considered one of the best releases ever in the genre. Army of Darkness was another critical success that totally goes down a comedic route.
The franchise seemed done at that point, only to see a revival in 2013. Evil Dead was seemingly a remake when trailers dropped, but it’s actually a sequel and goes back into the realm of pure horror. It’s gruesome, gory, and downright terrifying, while featuring Jane Levy in one of the best final girl performances of all time. Evil Dead Rise followed in 2023 and kept the pure horror vibes, delivering another film that was both a critical and commercial success.
Ash Is An Iconic Horror Protagonist
Pretty much every great horror franchise has to have an iconic character. Halloween has Michael Myers, Saw has John Kramer, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has Leatherface, and The Conjuring has the Warrens. For Evil Dead, that legendary character is the protagonist, Ash Williams. Played by Bruce Campbell, he was the focal point of the first three films and has become a beloved pop culture staple for everything from his toughness to his one-liners.
Ash is an interesting character to watch evolve. He started as just a pretty regular guy in The Evil Dead who survives the ordeal and it’s in Evil Dead II where he becomes great. The focus is more on him in that film and it’s where Campbell gets to start bringing his comedic chops into play. He blends the comedy with the maniacal, the unhinged, and the badass so well. In Army of Darkness, it’s basically all one-liners and the movie features Campbell’s best deliveries.
Evil Dead Has Some Great Comedy
While people tend to think about nothing but the scares when they watch great horror, they need to understand that comedy has gone hand in hand with horror for a long time. A Nightmare on Elm Street allowed Freddy Krueger to be goofy while he was terrorizing people, while Scream played on the tropes of the genre to comedic effect. The laughs are needed to help relieve the tension and stress of the frights.
As noted, Evil Dead II did the same, and it made for what many consider the best installment in the franchise. One thing that makes this series stand out is Army of Darkness. It’s set in the Evil Dead world and certainly has some scary elements, but it’s completely a comedy. When sitting down to watch all the Evil Dead movies, Army of Darkness works as a perfect change of pace, especially since it comes right before the films go down the route of pure horror.
It also helps that, as noted, Bruce Campbell is at his best when he gets to show off his comedic skills. Campbell shines brightest in Army of Darkness and seeing him chew scenery is just so much fun.
There’s Also A Great Evil Dead TV Series
While Evil Dead has enough to make it the greatest horror film franchise ever, you can’t overlook the TV spin-off. Beginning in 2015, Bruce Campbell returned to the franchise for Ash vs. Evil Dead, a show that lasted three seasons. It felt like Evil Dead II because it’s the perfect mix of horror and comedy that the franchise is known for. Set 30 years after Army of Darkness, it sees Ash come together with his young friend Pablo and Kelly, a girl Pablo’s in love with, as they take on the Deadites.
Despite being a TV series, the scale is bigger than ever in Ash vs. Evil Dead as their missions see them save humanity from the Deadites. Campbell is hilarious in every season, while Pablo and Kelly stand as some of the best characters introduced in the franchise. The monster designs are also among the best ever and reviews were strong. Although the series was canceled, there’s word that an animated revival is in development.
It might not be among the movies in the series, but Ash vs. Evil Dead proved that everything Evil Dead touches is gold, which is why it’s the greatest horror franchise in history.
- Video Game(s)
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Evil Dead: Hail to the King, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick, Evil Dead: Regeneration, Evil Dead: The Game
- Cast
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Bruce Campbell, Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lily Sullivan, Nell Fisher, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo
- Character(s)
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Ashley Williams, Mia Allen, David Allen, Bethany Bixler, Kassie Bixler, Pablo Simon Bolivar, Kelly Maxwell
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