Film is Pwn

In a mega-rare occurrence for me, I attended live theater over the weekend.  (For those unaware, ”live theater” is kind of like a movie, except instead of watching a screen, you are watching actual human beings on a stage performing the action right in front of you.  Amazing, I know!)

Rest assured, even though I’ve attended my first local stage production, I did not get any more cultured, as the play I saw was Evil Dead: The Musical, presented by Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte.


For those not in the know, the Evil Dead was the no budget horror film that became a cult classic and launched the careers of B-movie king Bruce Campbell and A-list, Spider-Man director Sam Raimi (who has used pal Bruce in bit parts in just about all his movies).

Evil Dead and its successor, Evil Dead II (which is ostensibly a remake with a modicum of a budget and more skill on the part of the cast and crew) involves young folks going to a remote cabin in the woods for kicks and unleashing a plague of demons by tampering with a book of the dead that they uncover.  Usually I’m not a fan of movies with spirits and demonic possessions and what not — as a Christian it makes me uncomfortable, so I just avoid them — but with Evil Dead I make an exception.  It’s not because the Evil Dead is less offensive, it’s just that it’s so cheesy it’s hard to take it remotely seriously.

Anyhoo, the live stage production was a highly entertaining guilty pleasure.  The story holds true to the events in Evil Dead II, with the dialogue cheekily pointing out the differences between the musical and the movie (the overall wearing hillbilly Jake has a wife in the film but not the play, and he basically  says in the musical his wife is unnecessary to the plot) and also the logic flaws in the film (hero Ash is briefly possessed then the demon leaves after it sees his girlfriend’s amulet on the wall, in the musical Ash acknowledges it’s inconsistent that the amulet did no good for his girlfriend when she got possessed).  Oh, plus there’s a possessed, talking moose head on the wall that sounds suspiciously like Bullwinkle.  Classic!

The are ample in jokes, as when one of the character reads Bruce Campbell’s (highly readable autobiography) If Chins Could Kill.  The songs are profane and hysterical, with song titles like “Look Who’s Evil Now,” “Ode to an Accidental Stabbing,” and “All the Men in My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons.”  My favorite number was from the aforementioned hillbilly Jake (Ryan Stamey), who, when questioned about his reliability, unleashes a little number titled “Good Ol’ Reliable Jake,” where he purports not only to be the guy to call when you’ve lost your keys, but also that he’s the last man to walk on he moon, the inventor of Krazy Glue, and the point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies.

The show was a lot of fun, though the Charlotte version of the infamous blood splattering scene where the first three rows of the audience is doused with fake blood spewing from the stage was replaced with water for logistical reasons — considering I was in the first row and looking forward to some fake blood stains to explain after the show, this was a little disappointing.

Kudos to the entire cast, who all did a great job and made it for a highly enjoyable experience that I’d highly recommend (for those who aren’t easily offended).

–Daniel J. Roos

(This commercial is for a different production than the one in Charlotte, but gives you an idea of what the show looks like:)