Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s The Evil Dead turns 40 years old this year, and to celebrate, Fathom Events and Grindhouse Releasing will be bringing the film back to theaters for one night only. The screening will also be accompanied by an exclusive introduction by Campbell.
The Evil Dead 40th Anniversary comes to movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, October 7, at 7:30 p.m. (local time). Campbell talked about the anniversary celebration with Entertainment Weekly, saying:
“I would not call it the 40th anniversary, I would call it the 42nd anniversary. There’s always a difference between when the movie actually got shot and when it came out. And with Evil Dead, it was about two or three years difference, because we filmed it in 1979, so we’re coming up on 42-odd years later. But it’s fun to celebrate it!”
He went on to share that his introduction is being shot at a drive-in theater, and says that he’s grateful for the longevity of the film’s success:
“I think it’s a good opportunity to look back and be grateful that it hung around this long. People still seem to want to watch it, they still seem to enjoy it. It’s on to the next generation now. It’s not even the original fans. Their children have been introduced to it now. So it’s my job just to keep perpetuating it.”
Campbell also used the opportunity to talk about how the first Evil Dead film is very different than the sequels and the TV series saying:
“If you have not seen it, not much will prepare you for it! It is an unrated movie, so you have to be prepared for that. There are elements that some people would find very disturbing. So I would say it’s not for the faint of heart, but those people who like it, really like it. Each movie of the three is weirdly different. The first Evil Dead is kind of a melodrama, a lot of laughs come out of the excessive effects and hokey dialogue, and bad acting.”
I’ve actually had the opportunity to watch Evil Dead on the big screen before at a Halloween event a few years ago, but hell yeah! I’ll go see it on the big screen again!
Tickets for the 40th-anniversary event go on sale Friday, August 13 at Fathom Events.
Ashley “Ash” Williams (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it’s read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi’s trilogy.
In addition to the theatrical rerelease, Lionsgate Home Entertainment will also be releasing a collectible box set of The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and all three seasons of Ash vs. Evil Dead this fall. More details to come.
