Evil Dead Franchise Timeline
Cabin recordings, cursed books, and every Deadite descent.
Evil Dead begins with Ash Williams and a cabin in the woods, then expands into splatstick fantasy, a severe modern reimagining, and a separate high-rise outbreak.
Release order is the clearest route through the films. Continuity matters most across Ash's original trilogy, while the later entries work as new encounters with the same kind of ancient evil.
The quick answer
First time watching? Release order is the safest default. Chronology is shown only when it materially changes the route.
The complete timeline
The Evil Dead
Five friends awaken a force in an isolated cabin after playing a recorded translation.
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Evil Dead II
Ash battles possession in the cabin as slapstick chaos overtakes the night.
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Army of Darkness
Thrown into the Middle Ages, Ash must recover the book and survive an undead army.
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Ash vs Evil Dead
An older Ash returns to the fight when a new Deadite outbreak follows him home.
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Evil Dead
A remote intervention becomes a brutal fight after a forbidden book is opened.
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Evil Dead Rise
A family reunion inside a condemned high-rise is consumed by a new Deadite outbreak.
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Evil Dead Burn
A family tragedy carries the modern Deadite outbreak into another isolated nightmare.
Read entryOne mythology, several points of entry
The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness form Ash Williams' feature-film path, although Evil Dead II partially retells the first film before continuing it. Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise follow new characters and can be watched independently, with connective mythology rather than a required plot sequence.
Evil Dead Frequently Asked Questions
How many Evil Dead movies are there?
There are six released films: The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), Army of Darkness (1992), Evil Dead (2013), Evil Dead Rise (2023), and Evil Dead Burn (2026). A seventh film, Evil Dead Wrath, is in development for 2028 and reportedly expected to serve as a prequel.
Should I watch the Evil Dead movies in release order?
Yes. Release order is the clearest path through the franchise, especially since the three most recent films, Evil Dead (2013), Evil Dead Rise, and Evil Dead Burn, do not follow Ash Williams’ story and can be watched independently of the original trilogy.
Is Evil Dead II a sequel or a remake?
Both. Rights issues at the time meant Sam Raimi could not assume audiences had seen the low-budget original, so Evil Dead II opens by briefly retelling its events in a condensed, more comedic style before continuing as a direct sequel to where the first film left off.
Is Evil Dead (2013) connected to Ash Williams?
Not directly. The 2013 film introduces entirely new characters in its own continuity, though it shares the same Book of the Dead mythology and ends with a mid-credits cameo tying it loosely back to the original series.
Do I need to watch the earlier films before Evil Dead Rise or Evil Dead Burn?
No. Evil Dead Rise (2023) works as a standalone entry with new characters, and Evil Dead Burn (2026) was also designed to stand on its own. You will get more out of Burn if you have seen Rise first, since Burn is a direct narrative follow-up rather than a fully separate story.
How is Evil Dead Burn connected to Evil Dead Rise?
Burn is a direct consequence of Rise’s ending, not just a shared mythology. The car accident that kills the protagonist’s husband in Burn is tied to Jessica, the Deadite from Rise’s opening lakeside scene, making Burn the first real sequel in the rebooted continuity rather than another standalone entry.
Where does Ash vs Evil Dead fit?
The TV series picks up decades after Army of Darkness, following an older Ash Williams as new Deadite outbreaks emerge. It continues the original trilogy’s continuity directly and is not connected to the 2013, Rise, or Burn films, which exist in a separate, newer continuity.