The Evil Dead Alternate Ending Is Real. Here's How You Can See It
They say that curiosity killed the cat, but in the "Evil Dead" world, curiosity can also unleash powerful demonic entities that possess and kill.
Acting as a soft reboot (and a hidden sequel), 2013's "Evil Dead" was directed by Fede Alvarez, produced by "Evil Dead" franchise veterans Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi, and starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas, Lou Taylor Pucci, and Elizabeth Blackmore. Closing following many of the same beats as the original 1981 "The Evil Dead" — which follows five young adults who come across a dilapidated cabin and accidentally summon demonic entities from a flesh-bound book — the 2013 film eschews the humor of the original film's sequels, and instead ups the violence and gore.
The primary focus of the newer movie is a new character, Mia (Levy), a recovering drug addict who is being supported in her detox by her brother (Fernandez) and an assortment of friends as they decide to spend some time in a rather familiar cabin. Unfortunately, Mia becomes possessed as the evil book (here referred to as Naturom Demonto, its original name in the 1981 movie) is read from once again, and in typical "Evil Dead"-style, almost all of the characters are brutally killed with copious amounts of gore, viscera, and so on.
The theatrical ending to 2013's "Evil Dead" sees Mia as the sole survivor, but it seems like an alternative ending would have gone in a slightly different direction.
Alvarez released the alternative Evil Dead ending on Twitter
The side effect of reading from the Naturom Demonto is that an entity is released that requires five souls, and upon collection, a terrible monster known as the "Abomination" will be set loose. When the Abomination is called forth in "Evil Dead," the sky begins to rain blood and Mia must fight a demonic clone of herself. Mia eventually wins, but it seems like the alternative ending would have seen the tortured Mia being attacked by the demonic force that attacks Ash at the end of the original 1981 film, as the director posted on Twitter:
Here it is. This is what was written originally. But Sam Raimi (wisely) pointed out “after everything she’s been through, she deserves to live†so I rewrote it to the actual ending. (@jcolburnlevy let out one of her best screams in the movie on this take) #EvilDead9years pic.twitter.com/q0PFWCT7Pw
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) April 6, 2022
In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Alvarez said that while this scene was filmed with the intention of being the ending, the script actually went further down the darkest of rabbit holes. "So we will do this shot," the director said, "and after she turns and screams, we will see what happened to her. It was written as she levitates for the first time — because you never see levitation in the movie [...] Suddenly her body was all tensed up like Exorcist-style, and then we were going to rip her apart like every limb or something like that. She was going to explode into this bomb of blood."
It ended up being "Evil Dead" creator Sam Raimi who — as Alvarez said on Twitter — argued that the character had suffered enough that audiences would want to see her survive. Luckily for fans of "Evil Dead," Alvarez took the suggestion to heart, and the movie ends on a more positive note. Groovy!
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).