Is Ash in Evil Dead Rise? Bruce Campbell cameo explained

Evil Dead Rise hits screens this week, but will the fifth of the Evil Dead movies be the first that doesn’t feature Bruce Campbell? Read on to find out what the Ash Williams actor has said about his potential participation.

Evil Dead Rise is out this Friday, April 21. You can read our review of the movie here, and our ranking of the Evil Dead movies here.

The official synopsis for the movie is as follows: “A new group of young people uncover the Necronomicon, inadvertently unleashing the mother of all evil. Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, Evil Dead Rise tells the twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.”

Irish filmmaker Lee Cronin both writes and direct, but does Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell appear as cult character Ash Williams in the movie? Read on to find out, but BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD…

Is Ash in Evil Dead Rise?

Ash Williams isn’t in Evil Dead Rise. But Bruce Campbell is, playing a priest, though you only hear his voice.

Bruce Campbell has appeared in all the Evil Dead movies thus far. He played lead Ash Williams in the first three movies – The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1993).

Sam Raimi directed that trilogy, but handed over the reins for 2013’s Evil Dead to Uruguayan helmer Fede Alvarez. That film introduced new characters, and a new central heroine in the shape of Jane Levy’s Mia. But at the end of the movie – via a post-credits scene that very much felt tacked on – Bruce Campbell appears as Ash Williams, turning to camera to say his catchphrase: “Groovy.”

In Evil Dead Rise, Campbell plays a different character, whom we hear, but don’t see, as the actor explains…

Bruce Campbell on his Evil Dead Rise cameo

Speaking to Collider last summer, Bruce Campbell said: “I do have one line of dialogue in the movie. I play a priest. You’ll hear me on an old record that is being played back over the speakers.”

There might be more Bruce Campbell and/or Ash Williams easter eggs in the movie, but we won’t write about them until Evil Dead Rises hits screens. So check back here on Friday.

Evil Dead Rise is in cinemas now. For more on the movie, check out the following features…

Evil Dead Rise review | Runtime explained | Is the movie based on a true story? | Ranking the Evil Dead movies | Bruce Campbell cameo | Is Evil Dead Rise streaming? | Ending explained | Post-credit details | Evil Dead sequel plans

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