Posted in: Horror, Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: evil dead, evil dead rise, film, horror

Evil Dead Rise Director Teases a Perfect Blend of Horror and Comedy

The director of Evil Dead Rise is suggesting that there's one scene that perfectly (and unexpectedly) navigates both horror and comedy.

Evil Dead has always been known to walk a fine line between being a comedy and horror franchise, often pleasing both audiences for its very physical depiction of genres without ever skipping a beat.

In fact, its peculiar balance has proven to be the best asset behind the popular world of Evil Dead, making it something that other visceral genre titles only hope to attain (because nowadays, horror without some comedy is hard to come by). So if you've found yourself hoping that the next installment of Evil Dead still remembers its roots, the film's new director is teasing that one weapon plays a big part in that zany franchise nature.

Evil Dead Rise is Brutal, Yet Comedic

During an interview at SXSW about the film's balance of genres, filmmaker Lee Cronin discussed how one character finds the perfect way to tie two concepts together (teasing one special moment in particular). Cronin tells the publication, "I think the already infamous Staffanie moment is probably a good one to look at because what happens is so outlandish, and I think where the audience gets the fun out of that moment is they were in on the trick at the beginning. They were aware of the development of this thing; they saw this, let's call it, weapon getting made, and then when it returns, it comes out of nowhere. But it's also planted through character in just a couple of scenes before where there's a callback to how this thing might offer protection, and then it does offer protection in a very, very brutal way."

Cronin eventually detailed its origin, admitting, "It was in my head before I even wrote Evil Dead Rise. My little niece, Georgia, who lives in Ireland, my sister's kid, loves horror movies. She's like me when I was her age in terms of the family. She loves horror. Now she's 14, but she was probably about nine, and I called into my sister's one day — she'd love that I'm telling this story — and she was like, 'Hey, I've got to show you something.' And I'm like, 'What?' And she's like, 'Meet Staffanie.' So I was like Beth in that moment, except it never ended up with the pointed end. But she has the OG Staffanie at home, which she's gonna bring to the premiere in Dublin. So she was the creator of Staffanie, and I have to give her props for that. What I then did with it was turn it into something incredibly violent."

Evil Dead Rise will hit theaters on April 21, 2023.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!