30 Things You Didn't Know About the "Evil Dead" Franchise

Familiarize yourself with all things Deadite before seeing the insanely brutal remake.

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Complex Original

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This weekend, there will be two sects of moviegoers anxiously buying tickets to see the new balls-out horror flick Evil Dead. On one side, you'll have the hardcore genre fans who pledge allegiance to all things Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, the writer-director and star, respectively, of the 1982 cult classic The Evil Dead. In addition to spawning a pair of similarly cherished sequels (Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness), Raimi's feature-length directorial debut revolutionized the way unknown, horror-loving filmmakers could make professionally staged and endlessly inventive films with little to no money.

As for the other crew of Evil Dead viewers, which promises to be around 21 and under, mentions of "Ash," "Deadites," and "Naturon Demonto" mean nothing—after all, it's been over 20 years since the last part of Raimi's original trilogy, Army of Darkness, opened in theaters. For them, first-time writer-director Fede Alvarez's take on the film's age-old conceit—five kids encounters all kinds of nightmarish mayhem while spending time inside a cabin in the woods—will be their first time seeing someone get raped by a tree or hearing passages from the flesh-strewn "Book of the Dead."

Thus, the following list of 30 things you didn't know about the Evil Dead franchise serves a twofold purpose: to provide the initiated with a thorough refresher course and give a primer to everyone who's about to have his or her cherry demonically popped.

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Compiled by Matt Barone (@MBarone)

Sam Raimi and his friends made several short films before "The Evil Dead."

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Sam Raimi directed the horror short "Within the Woods" before "The Evil Dead."

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The original title was "Book of the Dead."

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One of the original film's alternate titles was "These Bitches are Witches."

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The actors smoked real marijuana during one scene.

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Tom Savini saw some early footage in Sam Raimi's editing room.

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Sam Raimi puts a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 in all of his movies.

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Stephen King wrote a magazine review of "The Evil Dead" in 1982.

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Peter Jackson cites "The Evil Dead" as one of his biggest influences.

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"The Evil Dead" is one of the most infamous "video nasties."

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Joel Coen was an assistant editor on "The Evil Dead."

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Irvin Shapiro was the first to suggest a sequel.

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"Crimewave" prompted Sam Raimi's decision to pursue an "Evil Dead" sequel.

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Stephen King convinced producer Dino De Laurentiis to make "Evil Dead II."

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Scenes from "The Evil Dead" were recreated in "Evil Dead II" due to rights issues.

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Holly Hunter inspired one of the "Evil Dead II" characters.

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The medieval setting in "Army of Darkness" was originally meant for "Evil Dead II."

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Hannibal Lecter caused a problem for "Army of Darkness."

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Fans didn't love "Army of Darkness" at first.

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Yes, there is a Tina Fey connection.

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There are three "Evil Dead" console video games.

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Rob Tapert is one of the producers behind Spartacus.

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Bruce Campbell directed and starred in "My Name is Bruce."

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Fede Alvarez's "Panic Attack!" builds his buzz.

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Lily Collins was close to playing Mia before Jane Levy.

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The remake initially received an NC-17 rating.

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Easter eggs are hidden throughout the remake.

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The remake's characters' names spell "DEMON."

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Ash appears in the deleted "Evil Dead" post-credits scene.

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There are big future plans for the "Evil Dead" franchise.

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