How to watch the Evil Dead movies (and series) in order — the complete guide

The Evil Dead franchise is a rite of passage for horror fans. Sam Raimi created it with Bruce Campbell, and together they took this shoestring-budget idea and turned it into a madhouse of gore, gags, and charm. It started off all gritty and indie, but now it has exploded into a pop culture beast—movies, TV, video games, and comics. Four decades later, and it’s still infecting new corners of entertainment.

The Evil Dead dropped in 1981, and it was way more than just another horror flick. Raimi and Campbell cobbled this thing together with a budget of $350k. That’s pocket change by movie standards, but they made it work, sweating it out in some cabin in the Tennessee woods.

The movie has got a raw energy—shaky camera shots, gallons of fake blood, and a wicked sense of humor. And let’s not forget the deadites who are straight nightmare fuel, and were unleashed by an ancient tome called the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (the Book of the Dead).

At the center of all this is Ash Williams. Bruce Campbell pretty much owns that role, balancing goofball charm with haplessness energy. You start with the Evil Dead in 1981, just raw, nerve-shredding horror. Then Evil Dead II drops, and we’re in this slapstick bloodbath. By the time Army of Darkness rolls around, you’re in medieval times fighting skeletons with a chainsaw hand and a shotgun.

But Evil Dead didn’t just stick to movies. It mutated into a cult monster that refuses to die. Comics, video games, haunted house attractions, live shows— there’s even a musical.

After Army of Darkness, the series went into hibernation. Fast forward twenty years: 2013’s Evil Dead reboot comes out of nowhere. This one ditches most of the slapstick, goes full throttle on the gore, and puts a woman front and center. But the DNA’s still there; cabin in the woods and the demon book. Then Ash vs. Evil Dead pops up on TV in 2015, and it rules. Three seasons of chainsaw mayhem and Bruce Campbell being an absolute legend.

The films have collectively minted over $300 million with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98% for the 1981 classic.

So, by now, you probably know this franchise is literally everywhere. A bunch of it went down back in the ‘90s, then more chaos hit in the 2000s, and there’s still more on the way. So, if you just stumbled onto the Evil Dead universe and have no idea where to even start, don’t stress. We’ve got your back. Here’s a rundown on the best way to watch it all and enjoy the ride.

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The Evil Dead films and series: Complete viewing order

The Evil Dead franchise has got five main movies, a little TV show that ran for three seasons, and there’s more cooking behind the scenes.

Some horror franchises are chaotic when it comes to continuity. You almost need a PhD just to figure out what happens when. But Evil Dead is mostly chill. You can pretty much watch the movies as they came out, or follow the basic timeline, and you’re good. There aren’t any crazy time warps or anything—unless you count Army of Darkness, which is just off the rails.

Release order (with series)

• The Evil Dead (1981)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Army of Darkness (1992)
• Evil Dead (2013)
• Ash vs. Evil Dead (TV Series, 2015–2018)
• Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Upcoming:

• Evil Dead Burn (2026, scheduled for July 24)
• Untitled Seventh Film (date TBD, announced)

Chronological order

Most of the movies sort of stick to their own time period. Except Army of Darkness just yeets Ash straight back to 1300 AD. Then you’ve got Ash vs. Evil Dead, which picks up Ash’s mess three decades after all the medieval things. As for Evil Dead (2013) and Evil Dead Rise (2023), they are kind of off doing their own thing, barely tied to the main timeline.

The best recommended viewing order for narrative continuity is:

• The Evil Dead (1981)
• Evil Dead II (1987)
• Army of Darkness (1992)
• Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015–2018)
• Evil Dead (2013)
• Evil Dead Rise (2023)

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Highlights and details of each entry

The Evil Dead (1981)

This is where it all started—the low-budget masterpiece that redefined “cabin in the woods” horror. Five friends head out to a cabin, stumble onto some sinister Sumerian text, and the next thing you know, there are demons everywhere. Gore flies, cameras whip around, and Ash Williams crawls out as the last man standing.

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Evil Dead II (1987)

Evil Dead II is both a sequel and a re-do of the OG 1981 flick. Ash comes back to the same nightmare cabin, but this time, the chaos is elevated with tons of slapstick, buckets of blood, and the kind of whacked-out visuals. The vibe’s way funnier, but it still shreds with horror.

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Army of Darkness (1992)

After the events in Evil Dead II, Ash is in the Middle Ages. He does a full-on time travel, and we get these wisecracks, skeleton armies, and a chainsaw hand. This one leans hard into action-comedy, with Ash swaggering through medieval chaos. He initially makes things worse, but everything falls into place by the end.

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Evil Dead (2013)

Here’s where the franchise gets a bloody facelift: a new cast, a new curse, and the same spooky book. Mia takes center stage, her friends get possessed, and the gore goes from 0 to 100. This one has zero slapstick, just relentless, modern horror with some serious teeth. It nods to the classics but carves out its own vibe.

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Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018)

Ash is back, but older, grumpier, and somehow even more of a disaster. He teams up with Pablo and Kelly, and together they fight waves of deadites. The show is one of the greatest hits of everything that made the originals rule: wild gore, bonkers monsters, and Ash being Ash. It’s way better than most horror TV out there.

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Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Forget the woods—now evil is loose in a dingy L.A. high-rise. Two sisters, their kids, and a whole lot of deadites are tearing up the apartment building. Both the critics and fans loved this one. Also, the franchise felt fresh again, but still packed with savage callbacks.

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Evil Dead Burn (2026, announced)

All eyes on this one. Sébastien Vaniček is calling the shots, the cast is stacked with new faces, but that’s about all anyone knows. Plot is under wraps, but the hype is real, especially with that July 2026 release date looming. If the rumors are true, we’re in for something wild.

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Untitled seventh film (Announced, date TBD)

Sam Raimi’s back, which is always a good sign. Details are locked up tight, but apparently, the Evil Dead train isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Studio wants a new movie every couple of years, so buckle up.

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The timeline: Does order even matter?

The first three films—your Ash Trilogy—are a straight shot, more or less, even if they fudge continuity here and there. Everything after is reboots, spin-offs, and new directions. You could shuffle them and still have a blast. Hardcore fans stick with release order, which works just fine.

But where does the TV show fit in? Just binge it after Army of Darkness. Ash vs Evil Dead picks up decades later, with Ash still a walking disaster magnet. It’s the official next chapter, loaded with nods to the old movies and more chainsaw mayhem.

So do the reboots connect? Sorta, kinda. The 2013 and 2023 flicks introduce new heroes and settings, but there are enough winks and shared evil books to keep the universe feeling tied together. Raimi and Campbell have teased crossovers, and if you’re looking for deep lore, just keep an eye out for Necronomicons popping up everywhere.