Evil Dead Rise is easily one of the most anticipated movies of 2023. Beyond being the first Evil Dead movie in over a decade, Rise will be the longest movie in the franchise. It is also set to take the horror from the woods to an apartment building, which will no doubt add new and terrifying elements that haven’t been explored in the franchise yet.
Beyond the runtime and setting, the movie’s cast is another exciting tenet to look forward to. Led by Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan, the cast will include Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher, and more. Prior to Evil Dead Rise, Sullivan was widely known for her role in Monolith while Sutherland was well known for playing Aslaug on Vikings, a hit series which ran for six seasons. Sutherland’s Aslaug was a brilliant and complex character who rarely, if ever, got her dues. As Ragnar Lothbrok’s second wife and eventual queen of Kattegat, she was met with some resistance from characters in the show – particularly Lagertha, who believed Aslaug was a witch who enchanted Ragnar away from her.
During a turbulent Season 4, which was also filled with epic moments, Aslaug is killed by Lagertha who had conquered Kattegat. As a testament to her intelligence and cunning, though she was surrendering and requesting safe passage through, she chose her words with the intent of provoking Lagertha and curiously ensuring her death. Speaking with Collider’s own Perri Nemiroff, Sutherland discussed the “performance subtext” of the scene and figuring out the right tone for her conversation with Lagertha. Sutherland explained:
"Credit to Michael Hurst for the way he wrote that scene. It really mirrored some personal feelings I had. You know, you're coming in, you're a second wife, you're sort of trying to force your way into a fandom, and you're a controversial character… So to have this death scene and basically have Aslaug kind of be like, ‘I was a part of this history too,’ that sort of a subtext, and it was perfect for my personal feelings about it because I always wanted the fandom to embrace this woman who was so complex from where I stood, and I wanted them to see that, and I wanted them to have empathy for her. So it sort of mirrored that, and I decided with that scene that she was negotiating her death, and if she could provoke Lagertha and be killed then technically she died in battle and would go to Valhalla."
The Odds Were Stacked Against Aslaug
As earlier mentioned, Sutherland’s character was in a precarious position. Being Ragnar’s (Travis Fimmel) second wife meant she wasn’t liked by the other characters in the show who were loyal to Lagertha, and others who saw her as an outsider. However, as Sutherland explains, the animosity for her character extended beyond the TV screens, with negative fan reception as well.
"There was a lot of stuff that I had to stay away from when I first joined the show. I was so excited to have this role and I went onto social media before my first episode aired — won’t be doing that again — and saw comments from people, so many physical comparisons between myself and Katheryn Winnick that were pretty dreadful to read honestly. So I stayed away from it, but I kind of always felt like the fandom weren't with me generally speaking, like there’s a little pocket that really appreciate Aslaug."
While Aslaug didn’t get the credit she deserved, she did earn her place in history. As Aslaug pointed out in her final moments, Ragnar’s story and legacy would not be complete with her. Considering the dynamism and depth Sutherland brought to her role as Aslaug, it will be exciting to see her onscreen as Ellie in Evil Dead Rise, where she plays a mother struggling to raise three children. Their lives then get upended when the Book of the Dead, the Necronomicon, is found in their apartment building, unleashing evil and chaos.
Evil Dead Rise will arrive in theaters on April 21. Keep an eye out for Sutherland's full Collider Ladies Night interview which is coming soon. In the meantime, watch the trailer for Evil Dead Rise below: