It’s been seven years in the making, now Hail to the Deadites is finally set to make its world premiere at next month’s Fantasia International Film Festival.
When it comes to a classic horror movie, you’ll be hard-pressed to find more loyal fans than that of the iconic Evil Dead franchise starring the oh so groovy Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, the chainsaw-handed lady’s man who makes slaying deadites his business.
“Inspired by the 1981 classic’s cult following, Hail to the Deadites is a documentary about the fans of the Evil Dead franchise. Through interviews with the cast, crew, collectors, fans, freaks, and geeks, Hail to the Deadites seeks to illuminate the darkest reaches of the Evil Dead franchise’s undying and still-growing popularity, a popularity that has spawned four films, a TV series, comic books, figurines and surpassed even its creator’s wildest dreams.
Hail to the Deadites puts the spotlight on the fans that cultivated and spread this groovy pop-culture infection! It celebrates those who’ve celebrated the films! ”Some people might find it weird to not see any footage of the franchise in the documentary but this is what I’ve been aiming for since day one. I’m really proud to say that everything you will see or hear in this documentary was created by the fans. So, rev your chainsaws and load your boomsticks, it’s time to give the DEADITES some sugar, baby!” Writer-director Steve Villeneuve states.
Besides meeting with fans around the world, the 80 minutes documentary feature interviews with Evil Dead franchise cast members such as Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Tom Sullivan, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, Sarah Berry, Rick Domeier, and Bill Moseley.
Given the continuing uncertainty related to physical cinema spaces and large gatherings which will likely continue through the remainder of the calendar year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Fantasia International Film Festival decided to mount their 2020 edition as a cutting-edge virtual festival in August. The movie will be available on the Fantasia online platform from August 20th to September 2nd. All film screenings will be geo-blocked to Canadian audiences and only accessible from within the country, vastly expanding the number of viewers we can engage with outside of Quebec.
