Hello hello and happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a great and safe holiday season. Whether you spent it with family, friends, your pets, or even a relaxing time alone, I hope that it was wonderful. 🖤
I accidentally took an entire two months off from the blog and I would like to thank everyone for your patience. This post has been long awaited and thanks to a community member, Axel, for becoming a member over on Ko-Fi, we get a little bit of a deep dive into the world of Evil Dead!
I had the opportunity to watch and discuss Evil Dead (2013) with some wonderful people and while we talked in depth about the film itself, we didn't talk much about the Necronomicon. It's an ancient tome that is a prominent and truly terrifying object that aides in the horrors that await all that are unfortunate enough to come across it.
Fans of the Evil Dead franchise will notice that there are different versions of this death book and though I would love to do a deep dive of each one, I haven't seen every entry into the franchise, so for today's post I will do my best to cover as much as I can (in terms of the Necronomicon). I will also only cover the films of the franchise, so if there's anything I'm missing, it is because I am not diving into the television show or the comic books.
**Also please stay tuned for an update about the blog for 2025. A big life change is happening and there may be short form posts (or none at all) until Summer 2025. Again, I appreciate everyone so much for your patience and your kindness as I've been navigating life for the past couple of months. Please enjoy this post; it is quite lengthy to make up for missed time.**
Without further introductions, let's jump into the world of Evil Dead...
Evil Dead (1981)
In Evil Dead (1981) a group of friends decide to vacation in a cabin in the woods. There are multiple signs within the beginning scenes that point to the cabin (or the woods) being abnormal. Eventually the Book of the Dead is found (along with a tape recorder) that will soon mean bad news for the friends.
The Necronomicon came into fruition due to H.P. Lovecraft's imagination and had been adapted into many works including the Evil Dead franchise. Although this book began as Lovecraft's idea, Sam Raimi's interpretation expanded upon it by giving the characters (and by extension, the viewer) the autonomy to read parts of it and glimpse its illustrations. By also giving it a horrific physical description, Raimi further illustrates the book's horror, giving the first impression that this is something that shouldn't be messed with. It being bound in human flesh and scribed in blood is enough to make me want to refuse its influence or commit to the impulsive thoughts compelling me to touch it.
Raimi's Necronomicon is accompanied by a tape recorder that recites the incantations written within the tome. Unfortunately, this combination releases the entities bound to it. The book is small in this film, looking more like a small journal that only needs to be held by one of Ash's hands while he uses the other to flip through the pages. Whatever one's faith, the illustrations coupled with the items found in the basement point to some kind of evil, leading one to believe that rituals were done by whoever had left them behind.
If you're interested in seeing what was inside of this film's Necronomicon, I found someone who replicated the illustrations clearly. Take a look and observe them for yourself. In the context of the film, what do they make you feel?
It remains unknown as to when and where the Necronomicon was created (within the franchise), but it is later discovered that it was created by The Dark Ones, ancient creatures who had once ruled the Earth and enslaved the human race. They were banished some time later, but their presence still remained through artifacts that were left behind.
This information is revealed later on in the universe, but when The Necronomicon is discovered in the first film, the recording accompanying it belongs to an archaeologist named Professor Rayment Knowby who had brought it to the United States to study it. Professor Knowby's findings and research were left in the very cabin that Ash and his friends were vacationing in.
The tome harbored ancient powers in order to possess any human that was within its reach. Unfortunately, once possessed, this meant the end for the person who will ultimately be used as a vessel. The infamous Deadites would be the product of this possession, allowing for demons to wreak havoc on those closest to the one(s) possessed, killed, and reanimated. Evil Dead (1981) ends with the Necronomicon being tossed into a fire and instead of being "released", those reanimated as Deadites perish as well.
Ash's nightmarish night is over, allowing him to leave the cabin. Right?
...Right?
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
The second film begins with a quick retelling of the events of the first film before continuing on with Ash's story and how he remained at the mercy of the entity. I have yet to see this film in its entirety, but am including it because it leads right into Army of Darkness, which is a different movie in comparison to the first.
I will not be doing a deep dive on the film itself, but I will share a little bit of backstory to bridge the gap between the first and third installments of the franchise.
The cabin belonged to Professor Knowby, who had died long before the events of the first film due to his work in translating the Necronomicon. In Evil Dead 2 his daughter, Annie Knowby, returns to the cabin from an expedition in which she finds pages that had been missing from the Necronomicon. She had gathered them to help translate them before joining them with the rest of the tome.
Annie begins to translate the pages dated 1300 A.D. and finds an illustration of someone resembling Ash. The character is wielding a chainsaw and was named "The Hero from the Sky". While the goal is to read from the missing pages of the Necronomicon to be rid of the evil that's been lurking there, everyone who attempts to help is forced to fight for their lives as the demon fights to not be dispelled. The incantation that Annie translates opens up a vortex that pulls the demon into it, but Ash gets pulled into it as well.
The viewer learns that the Necronomicon not only possesses the power to summon demons, but also has the ability to eradicate the area of them. This vortex is powerful enough to suck in everything around it, including Ash's car, the trees, and parts of the cabin within it. This means that Ash is also forced into it, transporting him back in time to 1300 A.D...
Army of Darkness (1992)
Unfortunately, Ash's luck continues to run low due to him being misplaced in time. Now navigating in a time not meant for him, he is forced to embark on a quest to search for the very thing he wants to remain far away from.
The picture above shows that the Necronomicon's face is slightly different than that of Evil Dead (1981). We're also transported back in time, far away from a timeline that would be familiar to us (though that's not an issue considering the pure comedy that takes place during this film).
The viewer learns that the Necronomicon's evil existed in this time when it is revealed that Deadites are kept in a pit and used as a way to execute enemies of war. Ash learns that the Necronomicon (called a "Holy Book") might have the spell to send him back to his time. When he finds it, he has to remember to recite a sort of incantation to be allowed access to it. The mere mention of it surfaces a Deadite that is adamant about killing Ash (until he prevails). The tome continues to have a hold on the Deadites even in 1300 A.D., with them wanting to protect it with their "lives".
When Ash happens to find the Necronomicon, he realizes that there are 3. They all look similar, but after opening the first one he is disfigured in a cartoonish manner, before righting himself. The second book's face animates, biting Ash's hand when he tries to open it, but it isn't hard for him to escape. The third and final option, Ash deems as the real book and attempts to recall the incantation required to take it from its place. He can't remember it, but tries to remove it anyway, which awakens the Army of the Dead.
After the battle with the Army of the Dead, Ash is able to return back to his time, but he reveals that he messed up the incantation again. Meanwhile, a Deadite followed Ash to this time, thinking that it would be lucky enough to kill him. Ash triumphantly saves those around him, finally wrapping up this trilogy...
or... does he?
(Maybe one day I'll cover Ash vs. Evil Dead.)
Evil Dead (2013)
This film is a reimagining of Evil Dead (1981) that still follows a group of friends who suffer the horror of the tome's power. This film offers the viewer a little more time with the Necronomicon by allowing us to sit with a character named Eric as he translates the writings. He translates with ease, reciting the incantations that will bring to life the stuff of nightmares. Because this film was released in a different time without restrictions and censorship, the viewer is allowed to witness the true horror and power of the evil. Abandoning the comedy that was ingrained into the first three installments, Evil Dead (2013) embraces the idea of gore, making the idea of the Necronomicon a truly horrific experience for viewers of this film.
As you can see above, even the illustrations are different from the original franchise (here) , utilizing them in a way to explain the process of the ritual. If you'd like to see more pages of this version's Necronomicon, click here.
The characters will be included for the sole purpose of explaining how the evil energy works in this film. The group of friends consist of:
Mia: The reason everyone is there. She's detoxing from drugs at this cabin and everyone is there to support her.
David: Mia's brother.
Natalie: David's girlfriend.
Eric: Mia and David's friend, translator of the Necronomicon.
Olivia: Mia and David's friend.
Its power is released due to Eric's inability to ignore his curiosity and it takes over the friends one-by-one. The rules feel a little different as well because at one point, it is mentioned that five souls must be taken in order to release a demon. The friends can also be possessed through that of a bite or a scratch. Mia is the first to be caught in the woods as the evil makes its way to (and through) her before making it to the cabin. Mia's transformation into a Deadite is slow, but once there it seems to know that her friends are going to trap it. Deadite Mia works quickly to transfer the evil to her friends. Previous installments showed that a simple attack like being stabbed from an infected host could cause the evil to jump from person to person, but it seems as if this film wanted that evil to spread differently.
Evil Dead (2013) introduces infection through bodily fluid and scratching like that of a zombie attack. Deadite Mia infects the next victim, Olivia by throwing up black liquid onto her face (and into her mouth). Deadite Olivia stabs Eric with a needle before he bludgeons her. While Eric and David are preoccupied, Deadite Mia lures Natalie into the basement before taking the opportunity to bite Natalie, further passing on the evil. Deadite Natalie attacks Davie and Eric, but is fought off by them, succumbing to her wounds. Eventually Eric is turned, but he had only suffered attacks by the girls that involved him being cut or shot at (by a nail gun).
In previous films, infection happened quickly through whatever means, but in this installment, infection seems to travel more slowly if the recipient isn't affected by this evil due to direct contact with someone already infected. In the case of Eric, he isn't truly taken over until the end of the film. Every time he is attacked it is with a sharp object (syringe, glass, nail gun, also beat with a crowbar, before being fatally stabbed) and it seems as if the evil wasn't able to make its way into him until the very end. Perhaps it was due to him finally giving up, unable to fight for his life any longer. Perhaps as he bled out, he became the weakest link as Mia was resurrected. `
I'm not sure how the Necronomicon is supposed to work in this film, but it seems as if the evil makes its way into people more easily if they are truly broken. Mia went to the cabin to detox and fight her addiction. She was already in a very weakened state physically, mentally, and probably even spiritually when she was first attacked. She threw up onto Oliva, "transmitting" the evil through bodily fluid. The same thing happens when Mia later bites Natalie. The other two girls "turn" rather quickly, unable to fight the influence of the evil most likely due to their frightened state.
Eric was aware of the evil and made attempts to warn people about it. He fought for his survival even when he was being attacked and also fought to protect David right before the final act. Unfortunately, this is where he meets his demise, but he at least had a fighting chance. It seems his last attack took the fight out of him and opened him up to the influence of the evil.
I have this theory based on (the very recent) rewatch of the film. If you're at all interested in our discussion on it, you can find it, I'm linking it again here. Paying close attention to the characters can make one wonder about this specific version of the Necronomicon and what it's capable of. This one may not have opened up a vortex to the medieval times, but a gateway was opened in order to bring a demon into the human realm, before it was quickly sent back.
The entity wasted no time in causing havoc, making way for a gory installment into the franchise. This gore is kicked up a notch with the next installment while putting an interesting twist on the relationships between the characters.
Evil Dead Rise
The Necronomicon and its research is discovered in the ruins of an old bank beneath the dilapidated apartment of our main characters. This film follows a family through their desperate attempts to survive the horrors of the forces unleashed.
I will again describe each character since each of them are the focus of this film:
Ellie: Mother to three children, sister to Beth
Danny: Eldest son of Ellie
Bridget: Second eldest (daughter) of Ellie
Kassie: Youngest daughter of Ellie
Beth: Ellie's sister and aunt to Ellie's children
Evil Dead Rise has a volume of the Necronomicon that is much different in appearance and function. It has teeth to keep it enclosed, that are only opened due to Danny cutting his finger on them. It seems that the blood, combined with the recording he was listening to, releases the evil that befalls this family.
Ellie is the first to be attacked by this entity. The "rules" of the Necronomicon are not as clear when it comes to how and when someone is attacked/taken over. In Evil Dead (2013), it seemed like the weakest person was the first to attract the evil before transferring it to another, but I couldn't quite figure out why Ellie had been attacked first.
Beth had figured out that she was pregnant, likely making her the most susceptible. There are also children in this film and they are usually the first to see, interact with, or be attacked by spirits or demons. It is also unclear as to how the evil moves from victim to victim. Neighbors residing in the apartment are attacked or massacred as opposed to being used as vessels to further terrorize the family. One neighbor suffers losing an eye due to Deadite Ellie using her mouth. I would assume that her saliva would have been enough to reanimate him, but he simply dies.
Beth is attacked by being stabbed in the hand by Ellie, but Bridgit is next to be possessed after Ellie attacks her with a tattoo gun. Perhaps the needle had Ellie's blood on it, enabling the evil to spread to another. But, if the needle didn't have Ellie's blood on it, it seems the attack itself was enough to attach the evil to Bridget. Interestingly, if the attack was enough, Beth survived two. The first being by Ellie, and the second being by Bridget scraping a cheese grater across her leg. I want to believe that Ellie's Deadite blood was on the tattoo needle, causing Bridget to be killed and "possessed" because when Danny is attacked, he gets the same treatment as Oliva from Evil Dead (2013). Unfortunately, this marks three members as Deadites, hard set on taking out a pregnant Beth and Ellie's youngest child.
Spoiler alert: the two survive and take out the Ellie/Bridget/Danny-hybrid with a woodchipper. In my opinion, this film is amazing, especially with it's easter eggs (the blood elevator being my favorite), though it was interesting how the Necronomicon worked. The Deadites were the focus, leaving the Necronomicon to have little screen time in comparison to the previous installments. It was first found in the ruins under the apartment building before Danny released the evil. And it showed up one more time as Beth tried to understand what was happening to her family.
She escapes with Kassie, but at the end of the film, the spirit still somehow finds its way into another vessel, Jessica as she's leaving to go to a cabin with her cousin Teresa and Teresa's boyfriend, Caleb. The ending of this film comes full circle with the beginning of it where Jessica (as a Deadite) attacks and kills Teresa and Caleb.
Based on how Deadites are created throughout Evil Dead Rise, I wondered if the ending broke the "rules" of the Necronomicon. Jessica hadn't been attacked by any of the Deadites, but is still attacked right before her departure by the evil. If this Necronomicon works in the same way as the one from the original three films, the spirit is able to roam free because there was no spell said to force it back to where it came. So after the Deadite family goes through the woodchipper, ultimately destroying the vessels that the spirit possessed, it had nowhere to go until someone else came along. It makes me wonder about Jessica's story because she was easily able to be attacked. I am also curious to know how long it took her to fully "change" because she would have had to drive to the cabin and hang around Teresa and Caleb for a time before they were ultimately attacked. They would've noticed her appearance and strange behavior, but the viewer only gets the point of view right as Jessica is attacked and right as she is being checked on. Are entities able to hold off on a full takeover of their victims?
Maybe we'll find out with the next installment?
In short:
I love how each film teases its viewers with what the Necronomicon is capable of. The only film that seems to show its true potential is the campy, less serious Army of Darkness. To see a modern reimagining of that film would be a dream and I would love to see added backstory on how the book came to be (especially a more horror-related story as opposed to the campiness that we get with the original trilogy and show).
Let me know your thoughts. How do you feel about the differing versions of the Necronomicon? Do you like the campiness of the original films or do you prefer the more recent horror adaptations?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this extensive deep dive and I hope that you have a wonderful and safe New Year!
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