Hail to the Deadites is a 2020 Canadian documentary that was written and directed by Steve Villeneuve, who also served as one of the producers. The documentary premiered at the 2020 Fantasia Film Festival and centers upon the legacy of the Evil Dead franchise.
The documentary examines the fandom and legacy of the Evil Dead franchise. At the time the film was completed the franchise spanned three original films, one reboot film, a short film, a television series, a musical, and multiple video games and comic book series. For the documentary Villeneuve interviewed both people involved with the film such as Bruce Campbell, as well as fans of the movie from throughout the world. [1]
Hail to the Deadites took multiple years to complete. When making the documentary Villenevue chose not to include footage from the franchise, stating that he was "proud to say that everything you will see or hear in this documentary was created by the fans.” [2]
Hail to the Deadites had its world premiere on 20 August 2020, at the Fantasia Film Festival. [3]
Hail to the Deadites holds a rating of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 27 reviews. [4] A common aspect praised in reviews was the fan interviews, [5] [6] with NME highlighting an interview with the father of a child he named Ash, calling it "a heartrending reminder of the strange and unexpected ways in which stories become woven into our lives, helping us to make sense of ourselves and those we love." [7]
The Daily Dead was more critical as they felt that the documentary was too generic, writing that "Truth be told, this is a documentary that could have been made about any other horror franchise out there, and the results would be exactly the same." [8]
The Evil Dead is a 1981 American independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi. The film stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly as five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in the woods, where they find an audio tape that, when played, releases a legion of demons and spirits. Four members of the group suffer from demonic possession, forcing the fifth member, Ash Williams (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of increasingly gory mayhem.
Evil Dead II is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi, who co-wrote it with Scott Spiegel. The second installment in the Evil Dead film series, it is considered both a remake and sequel to The Evil Dead (1981). It stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, who vacations with his girlfriend to a remote cabin in the woods. He discovers an audio tape of recitations from a book of ancient texts, and when the recording is played, it unleashes a number of demons which possess and torment him.
Evil Dead: Hail to the King is a survival horror video game developed by Heavy Iron Studios and published by THQ. Released for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Microsoft Windows, the game acts as a sequel to the 1992 film Army of Darkness. This was the second video game released to be based on the Evil Dead film franchise, following the 1984 title The Evil Dead, and was also the first video game to be developed by Heavy Iron Studios.
Evil Dead is an American comedy horror franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of five feature films and a television series. The series originally revolves around the grimoire the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a group of cabin inhabitants in a wooded area in Tennessee.
Curse of Chucky is a 2013 American slasher film and the sixth installment of the Child's Play franchise. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and wrote the first six films. It stars Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Brennan Elliott, Maitland McConnell, Chantal Quesnelle, Summer Howell, A Martinez, and Brad Dourif. The film grossed $3.8 million in DVD sales.
Hell House LLC is a 2015 American found-footage supernatural horror film written and directed by Stephen Cognetti and produced by Joe Bandelli. It is the first installment in the Hell House LLC franchise. The film, shot as a documentary, follows a group of Halloween haunted house creators as they prepare for the 2009 opening of their popular haunted attraction, Hell House. Tragedy strikes on opening night when an unknown "malfunction" causes the death of 15 tour-goers and staff. The film reveals the lead-up to the tragedy and what really went wrong that night, the details of which have remained a mystery to the public. The film was released on a number of video on-demand platforms, including Amazon Video, Shudder, YouTube, Vudu, and iTunes, on November 1, 2016.
The Elvis Dead is a musical comedy stage show created by the English comedian Rob Kemp. The show is a retelling of the cult horror film Evil Dead II in the style of the musician Elvis Presley. The Elvis Dead has been critically acclaimed and has won numerous awards, most of them during the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including a nomination for "Best Newcomer" in that year's Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
Nightmare Cinema is a 2018 American horror anthology film featuring work by directors Alejandro Brugués, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Ryūhei Kitamura, and David Slade.
Evil Dead Rise is a 2023 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Lee Cronin. It is a standalone entry and the fifth installment in the Evil Dead film series. The film stars Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland as two estranged sisters trying to survive and save their family from deadites. Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, and Nell Fisher appear in supporting roles.
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen. It examines the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, the second installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, and the life of the film's lead actor, Mark Patton. In particular, Freddy's Revenge has garnered a reputation for its homoerotic themes and subject material, which affected Patton, who was closeted at the time of the film's production.
Evil Dead: The Game is a 2022 asymmetric survival horror game developed by Saber Interactive and published by Boss Team Games. It is part of the Evil Dead franchise. It features Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, along with most of the original cast reprising their roles.
The Go-Go's is a 2020 American-Irish-Canadian documentary film directed and produced by Alison Ellwood. The film follows the rise of the girl band the Go-Go's.
The Horror Crowd is a 2020 documentary film by Ruben Pla that examines the horror community in Hollywood.
Lucky is a 2020 American horror film directed by Natasha Kermani, from a screenplay by Brea Grant, who also stars in the film. The film premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival on August 23, 2020, and on Shudder on March 4, 2021.
Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business is a 2020 documentary film about working in the film business directed by Justin McConnell.
Butcher Boys is a 2012 American horror cannibal film written and produced by Kim Henkel, who co-created 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with Tobe Hooper. The film was directed by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks. It was originally titled Boneboys.