Evil Dead Director Francis Galluppi Addresses His New Spinoff (Exclusive)

The filmmaker expresses his excitement over venturing into the iconic franchise.

By Patrick Cavanaugh

News emerged earlier this year that an all-new Evil Dead spinoff was on the way from filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček, and while this was exciting enough for fans of the franchise, last month saw the unexpected reveal that filmmaker Francis Galluppi was also developing an adventure for the series. In promotion of his new film The Last Stop in Yuma County, Galluppi addressed his love for the Evil Dead franchise and, while he avoided offering significant details about his new film, he expressed his love for all corners of the franchise and his enthusiasm for the new opportunity. The Last Stop in Yuma County hits theaters and Digital on May 10th.

"All I can really say is how much of a fan I am of Evil Dead and how much I really care about this franchise. It truly is one of the movies that made me want to make movies. I'm not just saying that," Galluppi confirmed with ComicBook. "I grew up watching Back to the Future and Indiana Jones and these huge spectacles and spent most of my life playing music because film, making movies seems so unattainable, and there's something about the original Evil Dead that you could just tell that [director] Sam [Raimi] and Bruce [Campbell] were out there having so much fun making the thing they wanted to make. And it was so innovative, and that's really the thing that inspired me to go pick up a camera and get my friends together and go out and make a horror short. My office is covered in Evil Dead stuff, so I have, it's just very exciting. I'm really excited. Everyone at Ghost House is just really, they're just great to work with."

As far as which entry might influence his own spinoff, he detailed, "I like them all. I'm dead serious. I think that it's a perfect ... they have not f-cked up any of the movies. They're all great, and I love them all for my own reasons. Obviously, Army of Darkness came out in a time, a perfect age for me, so I watched that a lot growing up, and Evil Dead had a huge impact on me when I was 18. And I love Fede [Álvarez's]. I love Lee [Cronin's]. They're all great. I really can't tell you if ... I feel like I always go back to the original Evil Dead. It's just a comfort movie for me. But with that said, I watch them all. Even the show. The show is great."

After the 2013 remake of Evil Dead failed to revive the franchise in a significant way, Raimi and Campbell, along with original producer Rob Tapert, developed the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, which continued the events of the original trilogy and ran for three seasons.

"When that show was on, it was like, that was the one show where we always had a f-cking weekly party at my house," Galluppi gushed. "And everyone came over and we got pizza, and we all were watching the new episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead, and I miss it."

The Last Stop in Yuma County is described, "While awaiting the next fuel truck at a middle-of-nowhere Arizona rest stop, a traveling young knife salesman is thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two similarly stranded bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty—or cold, hard steel—to protect their bloodstained, ill-begotten fortune."

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Stay tuned for updates on Galluppi's Evil Dead. The Last Stop in Yuma County hits theaters and Digital on May 10th.

Are you looking forward to the new Evil Dead? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror! 

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