Sam Raimi may have borrowed the idea of a cursed tome of eldritch knowledge from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, but the filmmaker’s vision of a demon-faced book bound in a patchwork of human skin is obviously the definitive version of the Necronomicon. And ever since we were first introduced to the blood-inked volume discovered by Professor Raymond Knowby back in 1982, the book of the dead has gone on to be associated with all sorts of supernatural shenanigans – not all of them within the Evil Dead series.
In fact, fellow filmmakers have often borrowed Tom Sullivan and Brian Rae’s original stunt prop from Evil Dead II and included it in their own stories in order to pay homage to one of the greatest horror movies of all time. And in honor of Evil Dead Burn bringing the grimoire back for another Deadite rampage, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting five times that Sam Raimi’s Necronomicon appeared in non-Evil-Dead media!
For the purposes of this list, we’ll only be considering media that uses the specific Evil Dead version of the book rather than Lovecraft’s public domain original. That being said, don’t forget to comment below if you think we missed a particularly memorable cameo by the Naturom Demonto.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
5. Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994)
Jeff Burr’s Pumpkinhead 2 may not benefit from Stan Winston’s unique brand of movie magic (and Lance Henriksen allegedly refused to reprise his role as Ed Harley because he found the film’s script to be terrible), but I’d argue that the sequel is still an entertaining horror romp if you don’t take it too seriously – which also happens to be my assessment of the flick’s tie-in videogame, the FMV-heavy Doom-clone Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead’s Revenge.
Of course, the more irreverent tone here also means that the film contains a handful of nods to the horror classics of yesteryear, with one pivotal scene involving a group of youngsters that invade a witch’s home and find a page from the dreaded Necronomicon.
While future Pumpkinhead projects don’t really consider Blood Wings to be canon, the implication that the titular demon could be part of Evil Dead universe is fascinating to think about!
4. What Comes After – The Walking Dead Season 9 (2018)
Special effects wizard and master of horror Greg Nicotero had a hand in several of the most iconic genre productions in history, so it’s no surprise that the executive producer of AMC’s long-running zombie show was also offered a directing spot on one of the series’ most important episodes.
A bittersweet farewell to Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, the Season 9 story What Comes After also serves as an homage to some of Nicotero’s previous work in the horror genre. At a certain point in the episode, Rick stops to rest in a familiar isolated cabin and we get a brief glimpse of the Necronomicon collecting dust in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
While this is almost certainly just a fun little easter egg, I wouldn’t mind it if the show eventually revealed that the Book of the Dead was responsible for the zombie apocalypse (though I’m also partial to Robert Kirkman’s initial pitch for the Walking Dead comic where it would eventually be revealed that the plague was a bioweapon engineered by aliens).
3. Public Television of the Dead – Creepshow Season 2 (2021)
Something of an unofficial spin-off of the Evil Dead series, Public Television of The Dead also happens to be directed by genre veteran Greg Nicotero. In this second half of Creepshow’s Season 2 premiere, a public broadcast station is attacked by demonic forces after Ted Raimi shows up to an antique appraisal show with a certain mysterious tome.
And while the story features a legally distinct design for the Necronomicon, the leathery face binding the cursed pages together combined with the obvious Deadites unleashed by the book make it pretty clear that this entire endeavor is meant to be a stealth sequel to the Evil Dead movies. It’s just a shame that Ash never pursued a career in broadcasting!
2. That Actually Hurt – Invincible Season 1 (2021)
Robert Kirkman’s Invincible may not be as nihilistic as something like The Boys, but the show still has its fair share of dark and gruesome moments. And with Kirkman being a big horror nut, it makes sense that we occasionally see references to iconic imagery from beyond the world of comic-books in Amazon’s animated hit.
In one hilarious addition to the series’ expansive mythology, paranormal investigator and benevolent demon Damien Darkblood (meant to be a tongue-in-cheek combination of characters like Rorschach, The Question and Hellboy) is revealed to use the dreaded Necronomicon Ex Mortis as his personal notebook.
Funnily enough, Season 4 would later have Bruce Campbell himself make a guest appearance as Damien’s father, Satan, which is just another reason why horror fans are likely to enjoy this hyper-violent satire of superhero media.
1. Jason Goes to Hell (1993)
One of the most famous additions to this list, 1993’s Jason Goes to Hell features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by Evil Dead II’s version of the Necronomicon in a scene where characters are rummaging through the dilapidated remains of the Voorhees residence. While it was never confirmed if this was intended to be an actual clue towards Jason’s supernatural comeback or just a tongue-in-cheek reference to another franchise, the same film was instrumental in setting up the Freddy vs. Jason crossover years later.
So is Jason a Deadite? Not necessarily, but it’s easy to imagine a murderous Pamela investigating the dark arts in order to bring her beloved son back from the dead. If you ask me, maybe her killing spree in the original Friday the 13th was actually some kind of resurrection ritual that required human sacrifice. Unfortunately, as horror fans are well aware, sometimes dead is better!
