Hail to the Deadites

Hail to the Deadites is a 2020 Canadian documentary that was written and directed by Steve Villenevue, who also served as one of the producers. The documentary premiered at the 2020 Fantasia Film Festival and centers upon the legacy of the Evil Dead franchise.

Hail to the Deadites
Film poster
Directed bySteve Villeneuve
Produced byGlen Alexander
Rob DiLauro
Steve Villeneuve
Written bySteve Villeneuve
CinematographyJonathan Bonenfant
Edited bySteve Villeneuve
Production
company
DiggerFilms
Release date
  • 20 August 2020 (2020-08-20) (FantasiaFest)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

The documentary examines the fandom and legacy of the Evil Dead franchise. At the time the film was completed the franchise spanned three original films, one reboot film, a short film, a television series, a musical, and multiple video games and comic book series. For the documentary Villenevue interviewed both people involved with the film such as Bruce Campbell, as well as fans of the movie from throughout the world.[1]

Production

Hail to the Deadites took multiple years to complete. When making the documentary Villenevue chose not to include footage from the franchise, stating that the he was "proud to say that everything you will see or hear in this documentary was created by the fans.”[2]

Release

Hail to the Deadites had its world premiere on 20 August 2020, at the Fantasia Film Festival.[3]

Reception

Hail to the Deadites holds a rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 22 reviews.[4] A common aspect praised in reviews was the fan interviews,[5][6] with NME highlighting an interview with the father of a child he named Ash, calling it "a heartrending reminder of the strange and unexpected ways in which stories become woven into our lives, helping us to make sense of ourselves and those we love."[7]

The Daily Dead was more critical as they felt that the documentary was too generic, writing that "Truth be told, this is a documentary that could have been made about any other horror franchise out there, and the results would be exactly the same."[8]

Awards
  • Bronze Award for Best Documentary at the Fantasia Film Festival (2020, won)[9]

References
  1. "Horror Feature: Interview with Steve Villeneuve, director of Hail to the Deadites". The Horror Channel. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  2. Squires, John (2020-07-20). "'Evil Dead' Documentary 'Hail to the Deadites' Will Virtually Premiere at Fantasia Next Month". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  3. "Hail to the Deadites". Fantasia Festival. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  4. "Hail to the Deadites". Rotten Tomatoes.
  5. Newman, Kim (2020-08-15). "Fantasia Festival review – Hail to the Deadites". The Kim Newman Web Site. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  6. "Hail to the Deadites". Film Threat. 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  7. "'Hail To The Deadites' review: a love letter to the madness of mega-fandom". NME. 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  8. "Fantasia 2020 Review: HAIL TO THE DEADITES Celebrates the EVIL DEAD Franchise and its Fans". Daily Dead. 2020-08-17. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  9. "ANNOUNCING THE AUDIENCE AWARDS OF FANTASIA'S 24th EDITION!". Fantasia Festival. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
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