The Evil Dead is now 40 years old, which is a strange thought given its staying power within the Horror Genre. While the film was initially released in October of 1981, it didn’t get its wide release in the US until 2 years later, April 15, 1983. With a brand-new movie on the way this month, and having it hit its major 40th milestone, I turned to my old pal ChatGPT to create a brand new Evil Dead film. Based solely on its own thoughts, you can read what ChatGPT thought would be a fitting iteration into the franchise.
Title: Evil Dead: Curse of the Necronomicon
Genre: Horror
Logline: A group of friends on a weekend getaway stumble upon an ancient book of spells and unleash an evil force that threatens to consume them all.
Opening scene:
FADE IN:
EXT. CABIN IN THE WOODS – DAY
The camera pans over a dilapidated cabin in the middle of a dense forest. The windows are boarded up, and the door hangs off its hinges. The camera moves closer to the door and we hear footsteps crunching on the leaves.
A group of five friends, all in their mid-twenties, approach the cabin. They are JESSICA, a smart and resourceful woman; ALEX, a cocky and impulsive guy; BEN, a nerdy and anxious man; KATIE, a bubbly and outgoing girl; and DEREK, a quiet and brooding man.
JESSICA Are you sure this is the place?
ALEX Yeah, this is it. The cabin my uncle used to own.
BEN I don’t know about this, guys. This place gives me the creeps.
KATIE Oh, come on, Ben. It’s just an old cabin. What could go wrong?
DEREK (his first line, spoken softly) I have a bad feeling about this.
JESSICA Let’s just get inside and start unpacking. We’ve got a fun weekend ahead of us.
The friends push open the door and step inside. The interior is dark and musty, with cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.
ALEX (chuckling nervously) Man, this place is a dump.
JESSICA It’s rustic. And it’s free, thanks to your uncle.
BEN Still, we should have brought some cleaning supplies.
DEREK (speaking again, even quieter) We shouldn’t have come here.
As the friends begin to unpack their bags, the camera lingers on a book sitting on a table, bound in human skin and adorned with strange symbols. We hear faint whispers coming from the book.
FADE TO BLACK.
End of opening scene.
From here, the film could follow the friends as they unwittingly unleash an ancient evil by reading from the book, and must fight for their lives as the evil consumes them one by one. The plot could include supernatural scares, visceral gore, and plenty of tension and suspense as the friends try to survive the night.
Cast
- For the lead character Jessica, I would suggest someone like Emma Stone or Zoey Deutch, who can bring a mix of intelligence, strength, and vulnerability to the role.
- For the cocky and impulsive Alex, I would suggest someone like Ansel Elgort or Tye Sheridan, who can convey a sense of recklessness and bravado.
- For the nerdy and anxious Ben, I would suggest someone like Jesse Eisenberg or Timothee Chalamet, who can bring both humor and pathos to the role.
- For the bubbly and outgoing Katie, I would suggest someone like Lily James or Dove Cameron, who can play a character who starts off lighthearted but is forced to confront some darker realities.
- For the quiet and brooding Derek, I would suggest someone like Dane DeHaan or Ezra Miller, who can play a character with a lot of inner turmoil and depth.
I then asked ChatGPT to incorporate Bruce Campbell into the film, giving it the freewill to either make him a new character or return as Ash. Here’s what ChatGPT wanted:
As the evil force unleashed by the book begins to take hold, the group of friends are besieged by demonic entities that seem almost unstoppable. As they huddle in the cabin, desperately trying to come up with a plan to survive, they hear a knock at the door.
When they open it, they find Ash (played by Bruce Campbell), the grizzled and wisecracking demon hunter from the original “Evil Dead” films, standing there.
ASH (to the group of friends) You guys look like you could use a hand.
JESSICA Who are you?
ASH Name’s Ash. I’m a demon hunter. And I’m here to save your asses.
The group of friends are initially skeptical of Ash, but soon come to realize that he is their only hope of defeating the evil force. Ash teaches them how to fight back against the demons, and together they mount a desperate last stand against the forces of darkness.
Throughout the film, Ash could provide a mix of comic relief and badass heroics, injecting some of the trademark humor and action that made the original “Evil Dead” films so beloved.
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