You'll Have To See Evil Dead Rise More Than Once To Catch All The Easter Eggs
This post contains spoilers for "Evil Dead Rise."
For the first time in a long time, moviegoers have the chance to see an "Evil Dead" movie on the big screen, as "Evil Dead Rise" is finally in theaters. The movie was originally destined for HBO Max but Warner Bros. wisely pivoted to a theatrical release once they saw what director Lee Cronin delivered. He's successfully revived the franchise, and clearly has lots of love for the earlier entries. Case in point, there are quite a few Easter eggs that viewers can be on the lookout for. So much so that multiple viewings will be required to catch 'em all.
Cronin addressed the Easter egg topic at the Q&A following the film's premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas. An audience member asked about his relationship to the franchise before winding up in the director's chair, and he talked about the quantity of Easter eggs:
"It was actually my dad who showed me 'Evil Dead' and 'Evil Dead II' back to back on VHS when I was like eight years old. I had no idea what I was watching, but I knew it was important. In my early teenage years, I was like, 'Oh, it's those guys' and 'How are they getting away with it?' It made a massive impression, we all know why, there's so much praise for these movies. But to me, it was the energy scare factor, and the entertainment, and that was the thing I wanted to carry through to 'Evil Dead Rise.' I think for fans, I'm sure it's a few right there I guess [in the audience], I think you're gonna have a lot of fun with the Easter eggs. You've got to go see in the theaters probably three times opening weekend to pick up all of them."
Yes, there are plenty of Easter Eggs in the movie
Naturally, it behooves the director of a film to encourage people to see his movie multiple times in theaters. But as someone who was present at the screening at SXSW, I can attest to the fact that there are definitely some solid Easter eggs in the movie, which is a wild ride that presents a great many things to focus on and doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room to go on an Easter egg hunt. Still, there are a few overt examples worth pointing out.
For one, the movie is bookended by a "cabin in the woods" bit that harkens back to Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead," paying homage to where this all started, even though the movie at hand largely takes place in a high-rise apartment building in the city. There's also a moment where the Deadites are chanting "dead by dawn," in reference to the subtitle attached to "Evil Dead II." There are even a few nods to other horror classics, such as the massive amount of blood pouring out of the elevator towards the end of the movie, a clear tip of the cap to "The Shining."
But Cronin got pretty clever with some Easter eggs. We do see a chainsaw coming back around in the movie's third act, a clear homage to the weapon of choice for Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams. Additionally, as Cronin explained to SFX Magazine (via Bloody Disgusting), the chainsaw itself is a reference to Sam Raimi's Oldsmobile Delta 88 that has become synonymous with the franchise. "Although there's no Oldsmobile Delta [in the movie], the chainsaw in the movie is exactly the same colour as the Oldsmobile Delta," Cronin said. So be on the lookout for far more subtle Easter eggs as well.
"Evil Dead Rise" is in theaters now.