New Evil Dead movie marks start of filming with set photo

Groovy. Evil Dead Rise – the latest instalment in the series following 2013’s Evil Dead soft reboot – has begun filming. Writer-director Lee Cronin has marked the occasion with a set photo from the first day of shooting.

Taking to Twitter, Cronin posted a behind-the-scenes shot from the set of the new Evil Dead movie. Naturally, there’s a clapperboard and… someone’s foot poking out at the side of the image. Still, it’s better than nothing – and is a sight sure to excite fans of Evil Dead fans everywhere.

Evil Dead Rise, though, is set to be a departure from the other movies in the franchise. Not only is Bruce Campbell’s iconic Ash Williams not starring in the fifth Evil Dead movie, the setting is heading out of the traditional cabin in the woods format and into the big city.

Variety reports that Evil Dead Rise will “build off” the original trilogy, with Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan starring as two estranged sisters fighting a horde of demons. Those hoping for an authentic Evil Dead, though, are in luck: original director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell have signed on as producers.

"I’m thrilled to bring Evil Dead back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film," Raimi said in a press release from May. "The company’s history as pioneers of horror speaks for itself. I’m equally excited to be working with Lee Cronin, whose gifts as a storyteller make him the ideal filmmaker to continue the enduring legacy of the franchise."

No release date has been set yet for Evil Dead Rise, though we know its end destination. The horror will be streaming exclusively in the US on HBO Max – a platform that has slowly made its name as one of the premiere locations for major movies thanks to its deal to debut the majority of its 2020 lineup day-and-date with theaters. Everything from The Matrix 4 to Space Jam: A New Legacy will be available on streaming for a limited time in the same day as theaters. The UK release, however, is still coming to cinemas.

Need to scare yourself silly? Here’s our curated, chilling list of the best horror movies around.