Hail to the Deadites

Last updated
Hail to the Deadites
Hail to the deadites.jpg
Film poster
Directed bySteve Villeneuve
Written bySteve Villeneuve
Produced byGlen Alexander
Rob DiLauro
Steve Villeneuve
CinematographyJonathan Bonenfant
Edited bySteve Villeneuve
Production
company
DiggerFilms
Release date
  • 20 August 2020 (2020-08-20)(FantasiaFest)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

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.

Contents

Synopsis

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]

Production

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]

Release

Hail to the Deadites had its world premiere on 20 August 2020, at the Fantasia Film Festival. [3]

Reception

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]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>The Evil Dead</i> 1981 film by Sam Raimi

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.

<i>Evil Dead II</i> 1987 film by Sam Raimi

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.

<i>Evil Dead: Hail to the King</i> 2000 video game

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.

<i>Evil Dead</i> American comedy horror franchise

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.

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<i>The Elvis Dead</i> 2017 musical comedy stage show

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.

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References

  1. "Horror Feature: Interview with Steve Villeneuve, director of Hail to the Deadites". The Horror Channel. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  2. Squires, John (2020-07-20). "'Evil Dead' Documentary 'Hail to the Deadites' Will Virtually Premiere at Fantasia Next Month". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  3. "Hail to the Deadites". Fantasia Festival. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  4. "Hail to the Deadites". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. Newman, Kim (2020-08-15). "Fantasia Festival review – Hail to the Deadites". The Kim Newman Web Site. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  6. "Hail to the Deadites". Film Threat. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  7. "'Hail To The Deadites' review: a love letter to the madness of mega-fandom". NME. 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  8. "Fantasia 2020 Review: HAIL TO THE DEADITES Celebrates the EVIL DEAD Franchise and its Fans". Daily Dead. 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  9. "ANNOUNCING THE AUDIENCE AWARDS OF FANTASIA'S 24th EDITION!". Fantasia Festival. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-01-30.