Few franchises have refused to die quite like Evil Dead. Since 1981 it's mutated from grimy backwoods nightmare to slapstick fever dream to glossy ultra-gore reboot — and on July 10, 2026, it goes again with Evil Dead Burn. Before that fresh blood hits theaters, you've got homework. So we ranked all five released films worst-to-best (yes, this is going to start arguments), and we're telling you exactly where to stream each one. One quick PSA before we descend into the cellar: streaming rights shift constantly, so double-check availability before you press play.
5. Army of Darkness (1992) — dir. Sam Raimi
Hear us out before you grab a pitchfork. Raimi's medieval slapstick swerve is an absolute blast, but it's barely a horror movie anymore — it's a Three Stooges short with a Necronomicon. Iconic? Endlessly. Scary? Not for one second. That's why it lands at the bottom of a horror ranking and nowhere else. Where to stream: rent or buy only right now — it's not on any subscription service at the moment.
4. The Evil Dead (1981) — dir. Sam Raimi
The one that started it all, and we will defend its honor to the death — it's just outgunned by what came later. The original is raw, mean, and made on a shoestring of pure ambition, the kind of scrappy nightmare that launched a genre dynasty. It loses points only because the franchise literally perfected this exact recipe five years later. Where to stream: rent or buy only right now — no subscription home at the moment.
3. Evil Dead Rise (2023) — dir. Lee Cronin
Dragging the cabin chaos into a crumbling high-rise and wrapping it around motherhood was the freshest idea the series has had in decades. Cronin proved this thing can thrive far from the woods, and it rules. It only sits at three because the two films above it are untouchable legends. Where to stream: streaming on HBO Max.
2. Evil Dead (2013) — dir. Fede Álvarez
The straight-horror reboot threw out the laughs and turned the dial to pure, punishing dread — and it's relentless. Álvarez understood the assignment: no winking, no mercy, just a cabin that wants you dead. A reboot this confident has no business being this good. Where to stream: limited subscription availability (on YouTube TV); otherwise rent or buy.
1. Evil Dead II (1987) — dir. Sam Raimi
The horror-comedy reinvention is the platonic ideal of this franchise and one of the greatest horror films ever made, full stop. It's terrifying and hilarious in the same breath, a tightrope act nobody has matched since — including the sequels that tried. This is the blueprint. This is number one. Fight us in the comments. Where to stream: streaming on AMC+ (including AMC+ via Amazon and Apple channels), The Roku Channel, and Kanopy.
Now go catch up. Evil Dead Burn — directed by Sébastien Vaniček and co-written with Florent Bernard — is the sixth theatrical Evil Dead film, opening in US theaters July 10, 2026 (France and Italy get it July 8). New blood behind the camera, the same ancient evil clawing its way out. Get current on the canon, then go let the new one wreck you.
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