The Evil Dead: The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis Powers Explained

All the horrors in the Evil Dead series start with a book made out of flesh called the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, but where does this ancient book and its evil powers come from?

Since the release of Sam Raimi’s original The Evil Dead in 1981, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis has been the source of demon possession and an endless amount of gore for hero Ash Williams. While this book of ancient evil has been with the series throughout its entire run, more about its origin and powers were revealed with each additional movie. While it could easily be confused with the historical Book of the Dead from ancient Egypt, the lore of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis couldn’t be further from its real-life counterpart.

Where Does The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis Come From?

Army of Darkness provides a good amount of origin story for the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, which makes sense since the story involves Ash being sent back in time to medieval England circa the year 1300. The book was crafted by the beings known as The Dark Ones with a combination of human blood and flesh in order to control the Kandarian Demon, an ancient and powerful source of evil. Ash finds the book in its resting place in a cemetery, brings it back to the castle, and all hell breaks loose. The book is rediscovered hundreds of years later and makes its way into the cabin that is the setting of The Evil Dead.

What Power Does The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis Have?

While the monsters of the Evil Dead universe may look like zombies, they are actually known as Deadites and are the result of demonic possession. What the characters learn throughout the course of the franchise is that reading the appropriate passages of the book out loud, physically or via tape recorder, is enough to activate the evil of the Necromonicon Ex-Mortis and summon the Kandarian Demon nearby. This is why it appears in the woods in The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 and the castle in Army of Darkness.

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The Kandarian Demon itself is invisible to the viewer for the most part, though it does reveal itself at the end of Evil Dead 2. It has the ability to possess both inanimate objects such as furniture along with living beings. Once it possesses someone, they physically transform into a grotesque monster with super strength and other powers, such as the ability to float. Other than Ash, The Chosen One, no other characters in the movies are able to return to normal from being possessed.

Throughout the course of three main movies, a remake, and a TV series, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis remains a thorn in the side of Ash and other heroes, who seem destined to perpetually reawaken and defeat the evil contained in its bloody pages.