Evil Dead Rise, a new entry in the Evil Dead franchise that’s coming to us from writer/director Lee Cronin, is going to be released through the HBO Max streaming service sometime this year. A specific release date has yet to be announced – but we should have that information very soon, since the film has already been screened for the ratings board! The latest batch of ratings released through FilmRatings.com reveals that Evil Dead Rise has earned an R rating for “strong bloody horror violence and gore, and some language“. Exactly the ingredients that should be found in an Evil Dead movie.

Cronin made his feature directorial debut with 2019’s The Hole in the Ground (watch it HERE), and that film inspired Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi to give him the job of writing and directing Evil Dead Rise. Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert hold the rights to Evil Dead, so Tapert is producing the new movie while Raimi and Campbell serve as executive producers. Romel Adam, John Keville, and Macdara Kelleher are also executive producing.

Although filming took place in New Zealand, the story of Evil Dead Rise is set in Los Angeles. The synopsis:

A road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A apartment. The sisters’ reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.

Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland star as the estranged sisters at the heart of the story. Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher play Ellie’s three kids. Mia Challis is playing Jessica, “an 18 year old girl, who is obsessed with fashion and Instagram. Jessica loves to be the center of attention, although she is smarter than she lets on”.

Campbell does not appear in the movie, as he has formally retired from playing the role of franchise hero Ash.

Evil Dead Rise, and its R rating, is a collaboration between Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, and Ghost House Pictures. Are you excited for this movie, despite the lack of Ash? Let us know by leaving a comment below.