Evil Dead Documentary Hail to the Deadites Gets New Trailer and Poster

In the almost 40 years since its debut, the Evil Dead franchise has amassed one of the most [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

In the almost 40 years since its debut, the Evil Dead franchise has amassed one of the most passionate followings of any other horror franchise, with the new documentary Hail to the Deadites paying tribute to its following, which has just earned the above trailer and below poster. In the coming months, the documentary will be screening at a variety of virtual film festivals before it ultimately is made available for fans, though details of its public release date have yet to be revealed. Check out the trailer above and poster below for Hail to the Deadites before it officially debuts.

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. Besides meeting with fans around the world, the 80-minute 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.

An important distinction about this film is that, rather than chronicling the making of the various installments, Hail to the Deadites specifically focuses on the franchise's following and passionate fans.

hail to the deadites movie poster
(Photo: Digger 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," filmmaker Steve Villeneuve previously shared. "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!"

Franchise star Campbell previously explored the passionate following of the series with the short documentary Fanalysis, which he crafted while attending screenings of the films and appearing at horror conventions. That project, however, was limited to DVD releases of the original films, with Hail to the Deadites being a standalone, feature-length production.

Stay tuned for details on the official release of Hail to the Deadites.

Are you looking forward to the film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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