Like many of its "Deadite" (read zombie) antagonists, it's the movie series that never seems quite ready to rest in peace. According to a US report, Sam Raimi is planning a remake of his notorious 1981 horror, The Evil Dead.

The new film would presumably mark the launch of a new series of films – The Evil Dead was followed by Evil Dead II in 1987 and Army of Darkness in 1992. Bruce Campbell starred in all three films.

Rob Tapert, Raimi's longtime producing partner, told the Detroit Free Press the film-maker wanted to see The Evil Dead "remade for a proper theatrical experience".

"It's possible; we're looking at a script this month," he said. "What's interesting about Evil Dead is very few people saw it in the format we made it for, which is for the theatre. I think Sam wants to embrace the ultimate experience in gruelling terror."

The low-budget, distinctly lo-fi first Evil Dead film was branded a "video nasty" upon its initial UK debut. Best known for an excruciating "tree rape" scene, it failed to secure an uncut release here until 2001. The 1987 followup, Evil Dead II, was effectively itself a remake and added a healthy dose of Three Stooges-style slapstick to the mix, resulting in one of the first horror-comedy films. The second film remains the most-celebrated and most-watched film in the series, while Army of Darkness moved matters firmly into the swords and sorcery domain, which Raimi was to exploit in his later TV series Xena: Warrior Princess.

Talk in recent years has edged towards a continuation of the series in the form of an Evil Dead 4, but with Campbell now in his 50s it looks an increasingly unlikely prospect. Raimi will probably produce the new film rather than direct.