All 6 Evil Dead Necronomicon Versions & Their Differences Explained (2024)

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead introduced the world to the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead responsible for unleashing an indefatigable force of darkness upon a group of clueless campers, but the third film in the franchise, Army of Darkness, mentioned three different versions when de facto hero Ash traveled back in time to find evil's source, and subsequent films have featured different Necronomicons. Whether by name, appearance, or demonic abilities, each Book of the Dead has been slightly different from one another, leading to some inconsistencies within the Evil Dead movie timeline. Throw in remakes and a television series and the Evil Dead book becomes a fixture of confusion.

Raimi didn't make his films with a great degree of consistency for a variety of reasons including issues involving the rights to Evil Dead, time spent between films and their overall reception, and ever-evolving budgets. In many ways, the Necronomicon adapted to fulfill its role in each film and create Evil Dead's most powerful Deadites, and as each one was destroyed, another one replaced it in the next film. The Book of the Dead and all its many forms have joined Hellraiser's Lament Configuration puzzle box, Leatherface's chainsaw, Hannibal's Mask, and countless other props as one of the horror genre's most iconic pieces of paraphernalia.

6 Necronomicon Ex-Mortis - Evil Dead

The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis is the progenitor of all "evil" in the Evil Dead films. Bound in human flesh and inked in blood, this H.P. Lovecraft-inspired text allows for ancient demonic entities to pass from hidden realms into the human world. Reading from it unleashes the forces of darkness who search for living vessels to possess. It seems to focus on Deadites (also known as Kandarian demons) which, in Evil Dead lore, lurk in dark forests such as the one Ash and his friends find themselves in during the events of the original film. It's recognizable by the distinct face it has on its cover, which becomes more refined over time.

5 Necronomicon Ex-Mortis - Evil Dead II

After the original book is burned in the cabin's fireplace, which destroys the Deadites attacking Ash, another Necronomicon appears in Evil Dead II that closely resembles its predecessor. This book gets sucked up into the time warp that connects the film to Army of Darkness and it disappears into medieval times. In the intro to Evil Dead II, Professor Knowby discusses the Necronomicon Ex Mortis in tape recordings, but also refers to the Naturom Demonto. Fans have taken this to mean that the Necronomicon in Army of Darkness and Ash vs. Evil Dead is the larger, complete volume, while the other books are more like "chapters."

4 The Necronomicon - Army Of Darkness

When Ash is sent to 1300 AD in Army of Darkness, he must locate "The Necronomicon" and present it to the Wise Man (Ian Abercrombie) in order to return to his own time period. What he finds are three Necronomicon books in a graveyard, each with their own mystical properties, and while he believes only one of them to be the true Necronomicon, Evil Dead Rise (2023) makes it clear that each of them was a separate volume entirely, which is why a new Necronomicon can appear in the Evil Dead trilogy (as well as the television series Ash vs. Evil Dead), the Evil Dead remake (2013), and Evil Dead Rise.

3 The Necronomicon - Ash Vs. Evil Dead

The Necronomicon appears in the Ash vs. Evil Dead series as the source of Deadite-related incidents, but it's not the same book that helped transport Ash back to the modern world in Army of Darkness. This version of the Book of the Dead stands out for its distinct appearance; in addition to having a face on its cover, it also has an ear on its back, and a generally rough design on the jacket. Unfortunately, the series was canceled before it received a definitive end, leaving the fate of this Necronomicon unknown, but like the one in Army of Darkness, it's considered by some fans to be the "complete" version.

2 Naturom Demonto - Evil Dead (2013)

The Necronomicon featured in the Evil Dead remake is known as the Naturom Demonto and, similarly to other versions of the Book of the Dead, is bound in human flesh, but appears to be stitched together from various pieces of skin, and is substantially bigger than the others. In the film, Mia (Jane Levy) and her friends visit a remote cabin in the woods and use the book to awaken The Abomination, a dangerous entity that requires five souls in order to be reborn. Mia believes she destroys it when she burs the cabin to the ground, but the book is seen lying on the grass in the final scene.

1 The Necronomicon - Evil Dead Rise

The Necronomicon in Evil Dead Rise is found buried in the vault of a bank beneath an apartment complex along with vinyl recordings of its passages. The book resembles the version found in the Evil Dead remake, with veins in its binding rather than stitches, and pin-like teeth clamping it shut. After the record is played and the book is opened, the forces of darkness possess a young mother and make her turn on her children in a horrific fashion, and while the victims think to kill her, they don't focus on destroying the book, ensuring that it's still left in the apartment complex to provoke someone else's curiosity.

The version of The Necronomicon in Evil Dead Rise is noteworthy because of the explanation its recorded passages give for the reasons those possessed by its darkness don't kill their victims. With one line in Evil Dead Rise the Deadites' unpredictability is explained; they thrive on "chaos" and disorder and seek to create that sort of environment around them through torture rather than simply disposing of their victims quickly. This explanation adds to the world-building of the franchise and the lore of previous films that didn't have a precise answer for Deadites' erratic behavior.

Given that all three volumes of the Book of the Dead are intact and active, the future of the Evil Dead series is assured for as long as unsuspecting readers open gateways to the forces of darkness. According to the director of Evil Dead Rise, a fourth volume of the Necronomicon could exist that functions as an inverse to the rest, opening up even more possibilities for future installments in the franchise. Perhaps all three of the volumes will appear in a future film, one that sees heroes like Ash, Evil Dead Rise's Kassie (Nell Fisher), and Mia fighting the demons of Evil Dead together.