Weekends are the perfect time to snuggle up on the couch with a stack of scary movies. You can opt for a fun triple feature like John Carpenter’s unofficial Apocalypse Trilogy, which includes The Thing (1982), Prince of Darkness (1988), and In the Mouth of Madness (1995). Alternatively, you could choose any three genre films that share a theme to make the most out of the experience. Obsession is finally available to rent online, so why not pair it with Possession for a spine-chilling double feature?
But if you’re in the mood for inventive zombie horror, look no further than Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy, which is the definition of the perfect horror binge. These films, namely The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992) — streaming together on HBO Max as of July 1 — are best watched in a single sitting thanks to the unique genre-blend that this wild ride offers.
The indie origins of The Evil Dead make its ability to spawn such an influential (and still-flourishing) horror franchise feel doubly impressive. Raimi worked with a shoestring budget and relied extensively on makeshift camera rigs and cost-effective stop-motion effects to create an atmosphere of dread.
The Evil Dead introduces us to Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell), who goes through hell after encountering undead parasitic demons known as Deadites during a weekend cabin trip with friends. This film offers the earliest interpretation of the franchise’s convoluted lore surrounding the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (also known as the Book of the Dead), which acts as a catalyst for the deaths of Ash’s loved ones. (It’s also a blood-soaked spectacle, as Raimi paints his underpaid cast with several hundred gallons of corn syrup and red food coloring.)
However, Ash’s journey in The Evil Dead is incomplete. While the first movie opts for a grim ending in keeping with its visceral atmosphere of hopelessness, Evil Dead II gives Ash a do-over and the chance to embrace brazen heroism. This shift in tone from straight-faced horror to surreal horror-comedy works due to Raimi’s taut mastery of slapstick (or, in this case, “splatstick”) scares that balance grounded and oddball tendencies. Part remake and part sequel, Evil Dead II takes the original’s campy elements to delightful extremes, mapping Ash’s transformation from a traumatized man to a chainsaw-wielding hero.
As soon as Ash starts feeling “groovy,” a time portal sends him back to the Middle Ages at the end of Evil Dead II, setting the stage for a wisecracking Ash having no choice but to throw himself headfirst into a bizarre fantasy adventure. This becomes the premise for Army of Darkness, where Ash takes advantage of his fish-out-of-water situation to fulfill the role of a clumsy prophesied savior. The genre-appropriate quest narrative in Army of Darkness cements Raimi’s subversive imitation of the Hero’s Journey.
Beginning as a scared, reluctant hero who refuses the call to greatness, Ash gradually overcomes his acute fear of the Deadites and accidentally accomplishes extraordinary feats to combat evil, only to return to the ordinary world and his demeaning big-box retail job by the end of the third installment. Even so, the outcomes differ greatly in tone based on whether you watch Raimi’s original downer ending or the more upbeat theatrical one.
This life-altering experience continues to benefit Ash and the rest of humanity beyond the scope of the trilogy, as seen in the three-season Starz comedy-horror, Ash vs Evil Dead, which is streaming for free on Pluto TV and also makes for an excellent binge. But even if you stick to Raimi’s celebrated trilogy, these films are foundational to our understanding of Ash Williams, who emerges as an unconventional “final guy” in a world where bravado doesn’t always ensure survival. An emotionally devastated Ash watches his friends turn into unrecognizable monsters in the first two Evil Dead films, but chooses to turn his trauma into a shield of irreverence halfway through the trilogy.
Although Army of Darkness leans hard into the silliest gags to reframe the Deadites into campy sources of dread, Ash’s hero’s journey feels complete only when you watch The Evil Dead trilogy in one go. These films are also the blueprint for the extreme gore and gut-punch horror that has come to define one of the most enduring horror sagas to ever exist. While the Evil Dead franchise has reinvented itself with effectively gnarly additions like Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise (2023), Raimi’s uncompromising vision in his trilogy will forever serve as the building blocks for what’s to come.
Over the years, everything from Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive (1992) to Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead (2004) has been influenced by Raimi’s unique approach to splatter and horror-comedy in The Evil Dead trilogy. What’s more, the franchise paved the path for the “cabin-in-the-woods” horror trope, lovingly paid homage to by titles like The Cabin in the Woods (2011) and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010). This is why it makes perfect sense to retrace our steps to the heavy hitters that started it all.
The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness can be streamed on HBO Max.