Posted in: Horror, Movies, Sony | Tagged: evil dead, evil dead 2013, fede alvarez, jane levy

Evil Dead: Fede Alvarez Reveals Alternate Original-Inspired Ending

For many fans of the Evil Dead franchise, the 2013 remake, directed by Fede Alvarez and starring Jane Levy, was as warmly received as the 1981 Sam Raimi original that starred Bruce Campbell. As the latter two would produce two theatrical sequels in 1987's Evil Dead II and 1992's Army of Darkness; and a 2015 TV sequel in the Starz! series Ash vs. Evil Dead. Alvarez and Levy have largely moved on, with the director remaining hopeful of continuing Mia's story. While Raimi and Campbell decided to turn to writer-direct Lee Cronin for their next chapter in the upcoming Evil Dead Rise for HBO Max, Alvarez commemorated his 2013 film's ninth anniversary revealing via Twitter that his alternate ending as a nod to the 1981 original that ended up changed.

The original ending to the 2013 film saw Mia (Levy), after taking a chainsaw to her evil deadite doppelganger, hitching a ride to escape the cursed cabin that took her loved ones. The ending that Alvarez intended before it changed to the happier ending actually mirrored the conclusion of the 1981 film that saw Mia within several feet of the cabin overtaken by the deadite threat she thought she took out. The 1981 ending saw Campbell's Ash also survive the night trying to flee the cabin before the same force overtaking him. The 1987 sequel left Ash at the cabin with another set of arrivals meeting their doom to the same deadite threat before a time portal sends Ash to the distant past leading to Army of Darkness.

The Evil Dead franchise was initially defined by its sadistic dark horror before it evolved, embracing more black comedy in the 1987 sequel and adopting more campy horror by the third film. While the 2013 reboot embraced its more sadistic roots, there were plenty of references to the Raimi films throughout, up to the point of including a cameo by Campbell in the end credits. The actor's final live-action turn as Ash was in the Starz! series that lasted three seasons before it's cancellation that equally embraced the campiness and excessive gore of the first two films. Which ending do you think was better, Alvarez's original or alternate?

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