Sam Raimi wins judgement to block unauthorized 'Evil Dead' sequel

An unauthorized sequel to Sam Raimi’s blood soaked, gore-filled The Evil Dead trilogy has been buried in a court-nailed coffin.

A California federal court judge has awarded Raimi’s Renaissance Pictures — which he formed in 1979 with actor-producer Robert Tapert and co-producer Bruce Campbell to make 1981 horror classic The Evil Dead, starring Campbell — a default judgment prohibiting another company, Awards Pictures, from making an Evil Dead sequel.

Renaissance Pictures sued Awards Pictures in May, claiming Awards Pictures’ in-production film Evil Dead 4: Consequences conflicted with Renaissance’s own plans to create a sequel. Award Pictures, plus the company’s president Glenn MacCrae, did not file a court response.

According to last week’s court four-page order, filed by U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer, Awards Pictures is “permanently enjoined” from using the names Evil Dead, Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon, Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon, Part 2 or Evil Dead: Consequences “as or as part of the title of a motion picture, television program, video game, play, book or any other form of entertainment provided or to be provided through any media.”

Awards Pictures had alleged that Raimi’s comment in a 2000 book saying he would never do an Evil Dead sequel was a sign the title’s trademark was up for grabs, also after being used for multiple other movies.

Several calls to Raimi’s office were not immediately returned.

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