Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead was unleashed into the world in 1981, creating a franchise that horror fans will hold dear for decades to come. From terrifying horror to side-splitting humor, there’s a lot to love about each Evil Dead installment. They all have elements that allow them to stand out from the rest and are enjoyable in their own ways, but some feel better than others. Let’s take a look at how they stack up against each other, ranked worst to best.

6) Evil Dead (2013)

The remake in 2013 felt completely unnecessary. It also felt more like a different possession movie, like The Exorcist, than an Evil Dead entry. It also doesn’t really add anything new to the series, and the foreshadowing is a little too obvious throughout. That being said, it’s very well shot, and handles the gore quite well. It also uses the Evil Dead lore as a vessel for metaphor regarding overcoming drug addiction, which is creative and interesting. This is the obvious weak link in the franchise, but it’s worth checking out.

5) Army of Darkness (1992)

Army of Darkness is probably the wackiest installment in the franchise. It’s essentially The Lord of the Rings meets Looney Tunes, and I mean that in the best way possible. It’s an entertaining trip back to the dark ages that’s paired surprisingly well with over-the-top slapstick. The production design is fantastic and the action is a blast. Unfortunately, not a whole lot of story happens, and it’s not nearly as scary as anything else in the series. It barely scratches the “horror” surface. That being said, if you’re someone looking for Ash Williams unleashing everything he has on Deadites and demons, this is the one for you.

4) Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Evil Dead Rise found a way to return to the series by keeping things feeling fresh without straying too far from what fans want out of Evil Dead. Sure, we don’t get Ash slicing through Deadites, but we do get a genuinely scary contained tale that fits into the established world quite nicely. If you pay enough attention, it also sets up more of a conflict so that the series may continue in the future. Having one main Deadite (played spectacularly by Alyssa Sutherland) and having the characters stuck on a single apartment floor made it feel just as creepy as ever. It also has gore that feels so real it’s hard not to scream and cringe at it.

3) Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015 – 2018)

Ash vs. Evil Dead is a 3-season TV series that takes place within the canon set up by the classic films, and serves as a send off for Ash as the main character. The series is filled with some of the best action, some of the goriest moments, great scares, and plenty of dark humor. It also offers some of the best heart in the entire franchise, as well as introduces brilliant new characters and worldbuilding to it. It gives much needed backstory to what the movies set up while also celebrating the films themselves. With so many Deadites and so much action, though, it does make an individual Deadite seem a bit less scary and less of a threat than before, which is unfortunate. Still, this series is everything long-time fans could hope for.

2) Evil Dead II (1987)

A lot of people list Evil Dead II as their favorite of the franchise, and it’s definitely understandable. It blends the horror and comedic elements together perfectly. The traditional effects and puppeteering are positively phenomenal. Bruce Cambell handles the slapstick especially well for someone who’s essentially acting alone throughout a lot of the film. It introduced a lot of lines, weapons, and setpieces that are now considered staples of the series. It’s overall great, and is what jump-started the IP into a full blown franchise with an ongoing storyline. 

The main drawback of it, though, is that the recap in the beginning muddies what is actually canon from the original movie (there were rights issues preventing them from showing the previous footage). It’s caused a rather major plot hole in the ongoing story, and it’s a pretty distracting one. However, it doesn’t stop this from being a tremendous movie with a lot of passion put into it.

1) The Evil Dead (1981)

The first film in the franchise, The Evil Dead, is essentially a perfect horror movie. It’s filled with terrifying imagery, incredible traditional effects and gore, and captures the feeling of being trapped with a threat with no way out insanely well. The image of the Deadite under the trap door is one of the most haunting things in horror. It also feels like a standalone story, which can’t be said for most of the other installments. It’s truly impressive that this accomplishment of a movie was made on such a low budget. It causes chills no matter how many times it’s seen, and for that, it’s safe to say that the original Evil Dead has yet to be beaten.

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