[R.I.P.] ‘Evil Dead II’ and ‘Intruder’ Star Danny Hicks Has Passed Away

Earlier this month we reported that Danny Hicks had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and today we’ve learned the sad news that Hicks lost his battle this week at age 68.

Full Empire Productions, Danny’s convention management team, posted on Facebook today: “Danny passed away at his home in CA. We love you Danny, rest easy my friend.”

Horror fans were first introduced to actor Danny Hicks in the late 1980s, making his debut appearance on screen as Jake in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II. Hicks finished out the ’80s with a memorable starring role in the supermarket-set slasher Intruder, also appearing in Maniac Cop just one year prior. Hicks later appeared in Darkman, Wishmaster and My Name is Bruce.

Hicks had posted on Facebook in his final public statement on June 5th, “To all of the people that I never got to meet, and the 6,018 die hard fans that enjoyed my work. I have some bad news. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I have approximately 1 to 3 years to live. But I gotta tell ya, I sure as hell packed a whole bunch of living into my 68 years. I got no change coming back that’s for sure. And not too many regrets. Ok, gotta go. I’m gunna find out just what in the hell is going on down in that fruit cellar.”

All of us here on BD offer our deepest condolences to Danny’s family and friends.

Source: bloody-disgusting.com

Evil Dead 2™ Official Remote Escape Room

Source: HOURGLASS ESCAPES

Bruce Campbell: More details on Midway Drive-In appearance

Since the initial announcement, more details regarding the Bruce Campbell event at The Midway Drive-In (as part of Chicago’s Flashback Weekend) have surfaced.

In addition to a lineup consisting of photo ops (there are a limited number of photo-ops available for purchase for Saturday, July 11 only), a Q&A session, and a Campbell-hosted double-feature screening of Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, he will also introduce Grindhouse Releasing‘s new 4K restoration of the original Evil Dead (with a modified score by Joseph LoDuca) on Saturday, July 11.

While COVID-19 has shuttered brick-and-mortar theaters across the country, drive-ins are experiencing a renaissance, with people anxious to get their big-screen fix (at a safe distance, of course.)

In an effort to encourage the protocols that help curb the spread of COVID-19, the already-stacked lineup at The Midway (the weekend also includes screenings of The Beyond and I Drink Your Blood) has an additional item that will be distributed to those who snatched up VIP passes:

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Remember That New ‘Evil Dead’ Video Game? Bruce Campbell Updates

From bloody-disgusting.com:

Back in August of 2018, you may recall, Bruce Campbell had told us that he’s voicing Ash for an upcoming Evil Dead video game, and he subsequently provided other tidbits of information that we’ve been covering here on Bloody Disgusting. What we’ve learned, so far, is that the game is being developed for consoles, and it is *not* a virtual reality experience.

Speaking with Diabolique Magazine this week, Campbell provides another little update on the mysterious upcoming game, teasing that a 2021 release is planned at this time.

“I have been looking at and approving a bunch of new stuff. They are full-fledged, full bore into it,” Campbell told interviewer Susan Leighton. “I think they are talking 2021 for an actual release. It’s rolling along, looking great. It got delayed because of the nightmare of video games. Platforms change and evolve. You look at somebody else’s games and go, ‘Shit! We have to change everything now.’ We have to stay current.”

He adds, “I have to finish doing the voice work.”

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“No More Cabin in the Woods”: Bruce Campbell Says the New ‘Evil Dead’ Movie is Titled ‘Evil Dead Rise’

We learned earlier this month that Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground) is the filmmaker Sam Raimi has hand picked to direct a new installment in the Evil Dead film franchise, with Bruce Campbell revealing at the time that the film will be titled Evil Dead Now. But it looks like that title has changed, as Campbell provides a fresh update to Diabolique.

According to Campbell, Evil Dead Now is now titled Evil Dead Rise! Furthermore, Campbell’s latest comments on the film suggest a much different Evil Dead experience.
“The official name is Evil Dead Rise. We’re getting a new draft in,” Campbell told the outlet. “I don’t think anything will happen until 2021. Full bore ahead, we’re very excited about it.”

Most interestingly, Campbell teases:

“A whole new ballgame. No more cabin in the woods.”

Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise won’t feature the character of Ash and presumably won’t have any ties to Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead, instead telling a brand new story within the universe.

Source: bloody-disgusting.com

The Cool Side of My Pillow Interview: A Trip Inside the Mind of Bruce Campbell

A headliner on the convention circuit for years, the minute he is announced as a guest, tickets go flying out the door and venues sell out. Campbell understands what the people want and he is more than willing to give it to them which is why most promoters clamor to book him. His Q & A sessions are legendary and audiences love the way he sarcastically banters with them. In addition to being an accomplished actor, director and producer, Bruce is also a New York Times bestselling author with four books under his belt. If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor, Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B-Movie Actor, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way and his soon to be released, The Cool Side of My Pillow.

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Bruce Campbell gives an update on Bruce vs. Frankenstein

BRUCE VS. FRANKENSTEIN still hasn't made it into production, but while speaking to Diabolique Magazine recently Campbell revealed that he's keeping hope alive for it. The story is being turned into a graphic novel, which might then lead to a feature adaptation.

I talked with Mike Richardson, who is my partner on this and we’re going to start with a graphic novel. So, I am going to adapt the screenplay. We’re going to put that out first so people in the industry can get a better sense of it. Mike has been selling a lot of projects to Netflix and he said that’s kind of the way to go with his material and fantasy stuff so he suggested we do that first. We’ll get a great artist, sell it in comic book form, people can totally see it and as a director, its kind of like doing storyboards. It’s a tremendous amount of extra prep that I can do just by going through it because I actually have to think about pages, panels and descriptions. It’s a format that’s not my normal format. Screenplay format, I can fart, I got that down. This is different with the way it looks on the page so it will be a very interesting translation process."

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Jane Levy Is Done With ‘Evil Dead’ for Now, But That Doesn’t Mean She’s Done With Horror

Perri Nemiroff writes:

Jane Levy has really had her work cut out for her in the horror genre. She headlined a double dose of Fede Alvarez films – two of my absolute favorite horror films of the decade – and boy did those characters go through a lot of extreme scenarios during their fights for survival. There was the blood rain, arm-ripping and then some in 2013’s Evil Dead and then Levy powered through a home invasion nightmare in the 2016 release, Don’t Breathe. As much as I lose myself in both movies, after watching them, I’ve always got to stop and think about how much a performance like that has got to take out of you.

But of course, Evil Dead is one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time and Levy is part of that legacy. Even though she’s already made a big contribution to the series, I just had to ask her if she’d be willing to give even more, especially now that we know that Evil Dead Now is in the works from writer-director Lee Cronin. During Levy’s upcoming episode of Collider Connected in honor of her NBC series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, I asked her if she’d return to the Evil Dead franchise and the role of Mia if Cronin offered her a part in the new film. Levy simply replied, “No.”

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Horror movie drive-in tour to stop in CT

Get ready to jump out of your seat as a horror movie classic is making its way to a CT drive-in screen near you.

Grindhouse Releasing, a horror movie distribution company, will bringing the 1981 horror classic "The Evil Dead" on tour to drive-in screens across America. It will make its Connecticut tour stop at the Mansfield Drive-in Theatre & Marketplace this week.

The movie, which is directed by 'Spider-Man' auteur Sam Raimi and features Bruce Campbell, follows a group of five college friends who travel into a haunted cabin in the woods that houses its fair share of demons.

The popularity of the film has brought it two sequels and a spin-off TV series, as well as cult status among horror fans.

Showings of the film will start on Friday, June 26, and run until Thursday, July 2. Due to its NC-17 rating, no one under the age of 17 is permitted inside the drive-in for the showings.

Source: www.ctpost.com

'The Evil Dead' in Memphis: Star Bruce Campbell talks horror, Elvis, more

Friday, "The Evil Dead" returns to Malco's Summer Quartet Drive-In, as part of a nationwide revival organized by distributor Grindhouse Releasing, a cult-movie company co-founded by Sage (son of Sylvester) Stallone and Bob Murawski, the Oscar-winning film editor of "The Hurt Locker" and a longtime associate of "Evil Dead" director Sam Raimi. In a process supervised by Raimi, the film for this revival has been scanned from the original 16mm camera negatives, and its original sound mix has been restored.

The Summer booking (with a new horror film, "Followed," as the second feature) represents something of a homecoming for "The Evil Dead," if we can loosely define "home" as "same state." Although Raimi and his young key collaborators — producer Rob Tapert and actor Bruce Campbell — were natives of tiny Royal Oak, Michigan, they shot "The Evil Dead" around an isolated cabin in the backwoods of Morristown, Tennessee, east of Knoxville.

"I'm glad 'Evil Dead' can return to Tennessee where it all began," said Campbell, 62, in an interview from his home in rural Oregon. "I hope Memphis enjoys it while screaming their brains out."

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Bruce Campbell Just Turned 62 And Still Remains Our Favorite Horror Star

We have all grown up watching Evil Dead movies. In fact, our introduction to horror started with Bruce Campbell, a man we all knew as Ash Williams from the iconic movies. When we look back, it all seems a bit surreal, and to think that time flew by so quickly, horror fans are now celebrating the 62nd birthday of the beloved Hollywood star. And the best part? Even now, we all find Campbell as charming as ever.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUCE CAMPBELL!!

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This Day in Horror History: Happy Birthday, Bruce Campbell! - Source: www.dreadcentral.com

Bruce Campbell Birthday: Taking A Look At The Actor’s Best Performances So Far - Source: filmyone.com

Horror cult classic 'Evil Dead' comes home to Detroit for drive-in theater run

(Photo: Grindhouse Releasing)

"The Evil Dead" is returning to the place where its key creative trio — director Sam Raimi, producer Rob Tapert and actor Bruce Campbell — grew up.

But this isn't just a geographical homecoming for the 1981 cult classic, which was called "the most ferociously original horror film of the year" by author Stephen King nearly 40 years ago.

When it opens Friday at the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In in Dearborn, it's also coming home to the outdoor venues that gave it a chance when it was originally released.
Poster for the 2020 release of "The Evil Dead." It's playing drive-ins along with 1970 horror movie "I Drink Your Blood."

Poster for the 2020 release of "The Evil Dead." It's playing drive-ins along with 1970 horror movie "I Drink Your Blood." (Photo: Grindhouse Releasing)

”It played at drive-ins across America and these sort of downtown, rundown grindhouse theaters, as they called them back then," says Bob Murawski, who has edited a number of films for Raimi, including 2002's "Spider-Man" and its two sequels.

"In the old days, (drive-ins) were sort of like the Wild West with offbeat movies that nobody else would show.”

Nowadays, drive-in theaters are experiencing a resurgence as one of the few places to see movies in a group setting. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Hollywood halted its summer release schedule and multiplexes across the country shut down temporarily.

In Michigan, indoor theaters are still closed by state order, but outdoor theaters have gotten the OK to reopen.

Murawski, a Detroit native, is the president of Grindhouse Releasing, an independent distribution company that's doing the national "Evil Dead" drive-in tour. Last week's kickoff in Maine sold out. This weekend, it also has dates at the Capri Drive-In in Coldwater, Michigan, as well as South Carolina and New York.

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The Evil Dead (1981) - 4K/Blu-ray Comparison

All screen captures used here are from https://caps-a-holic.com/. 

List of featured discs: 
2010 Starz/Anchor Bay US Blu-ray 
2018 Lionsgate Films US 4k Ultra-HD Blu-ray

Source: Blu-ray Comparisons

Bruce Campbell Hosting Two-Night ‘Evil Dead’ Event at the Midway Drive-In Theater in Dixon, Illinois!

The event of the summer is coming to a drive-in right here in Illinois as Bruce Campbell will be bringing safe fun to his fans at Flashback Weekend’s Midway Drive-In Theater in Dixon, IL as part of his Drive-In Social Distancing Tour from Friday, July 10th to Saturday, July 11.

Bruce will take the Midway Drive-In stage each night and perform extended Q & A’s, in addition to introducing all three feature films of his original Evil Dead trilogy during this epic two-night event, including Grindhouse Releasing’s 4K Drive-In release of Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead.

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New Evil Dead Director Has Been to the Woods Before

When Bruce Campbell announced earlier this week that he and longtime Evil Dead producing partners Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi were preparing a fifth film entry in the series, he also unveiled the new movie’s director. Meet Lee Cronin, an Irish filmmaker with just one feature film to his credit. But Cronin’s sole movie to date provides several clues as to why he might be a solid, even inspired, choice to make the movie now being called Evil Dead Now.

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Shot in 1995, Gory Knockoff ‘The Japanese Evil Dead’ is Finally Getting a U.S. Home Video Release [Trailer]

Click to enlarge image:

Shooting began way back in 1995 on director Shinichi Fukazawa‘s Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (aka The Japanese Evil Dead), but it wasn’t until over 10 years later that the low-budget 8mm splatter film was actually finished. Courtesy of Wild Eye Releasing, we’ve learned this week that the film is now finally being released in North America.

In the film, which has never before been released in the U.S., a body builder trapped inside a haunted house must save himself from a ghost hell-bent on revenge.

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Director Lee Cronin Breaks Silence on EVIL DEAD NOW

From dreadcentral.com:

Yesterday, we passed along word that The Hole in the Ground director Lee Cronin will helm an all-new Evil Dead movie called Evil Dead Now. And today Cronin commented on the project.

He writes: “I guess the cat is outta the bag. Or, is Henrietta out of the fruit cellar? Touched by all the kind words and warm wishes. Thank you! Humbled to collaborate with the legends that are Sam Raimi, @robtapert and @GroovyBruce on a new chapter in the Evil Dead universe.”

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The Evil Dead Headed to Drive-In Theaters Beginning June 13th

While traditional movie theaters around the world largely remain closed, the drive-in movie theater industry has been thriving, as they allow audiences to remain socially distanced from the comfort of their own cars, with this weekend seeing the release of 1981's The Evil Dead in select drive-ins to celebrate a new restoration. The Pride's Corner Drive-In in Westbrook, Maine will be the first location for the event, with Grindhouse Releasing teasing that more theaters are on the way. The outlet also confirmed to Bloody Disgusting that, while most theaters will be getting the 2K restoration, they have the option to screen the 4K restoration if they have the necessary equipment, which also features a new score from original composer Joseph LoDuca.

The distributor shared the news on Twitter, which original star Bruce Campbell passed along to his fans, noting, "Stay scared AND safe!"

Last summer saw a similar rerelease of the film, which was the debut of the new score.

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Bruce Campbell Reveals New Evil Dead Plans With Director Lee Cronin – Exclusive

Few horror movies have the legacy of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s Evil Dead trilogy – the first an ultra lo-fi ambitious horror caught up in the video nasty scandal, the second an uproarious and riotously entertaining horror-comedy semi-rake, the third a deranged medieval fantasy-horror that delved even deeper into absurdity. And after a hard-edged Evil Dead remake, and the small-screen adventures of Ash Vs. Evil Dead, it seems the Necronomicon is once again being opened for an all-new Evil Dead movie.

Speaking to Empire in the Heroes Issue, Ash himself – aka the ever-groovy Bruce Campbell – opened up about the latest developments around a new film. “We’re just getting off the phone with Lee Cronin, who is writing and directing the next Evil Dead,” he confirmed when asked whether there was life in the old cabin in the woods. “It’s called Evil Dead Now. Sam handpicked Lee – he did a cool movie called The Hole In The Ground. We’re going to get that sucker out as soon as practical.”

As in Fede Alvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead, this one won’t feature Ash, who has hung up the chainsaw and shotgun for perhaps the last time – and will, by the sounds of things, centre on a female protagonist. “From this point forward, they kind of have to stand on their own. Which is fine. And liberating,” says Campbell. “You could have different heroes, different heroines in this case. This one’s gonna be a little more dynamic.” He added: “We just want to keep the series current. And the mantra, really, is that our heroes and heroines are just regular people. That’s what we’re going to continue.”

Click to enlarge image:

Read Empire’s full Bruce Campbell interview – talking the legacy of Ash in our celebration of the greatest movie heroes – in the July 2020 issue. On sale from Thursday 11 June, and available to pre-order online with free UK delivery here.

Source: www.empireonline.com

‘Evil Dead II’ and ‘Intruder’ Star Danny Hicks Has Been Diagnosed With Cancer and He Needs Our Help

From bloody-disgusting.com:

Horror fans were first introduced to actor Danny Hicks in the late 1980s, making his debut appearance on screen as Jake in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II. Hicks finished out the ’80s with a memorable starring role in the supermarket-set slasher Intruder, also appearing in Maniac Cop just one year prior. Hicks later appeared in Darkman, Wishmaster and My Name is Bruce.

We’ve learned the sad news today that Hicks, just 68 years old, has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and his convention manager is asking horror fans to pitch in and help.

Hicks posted on Facebook, “To all of the people that I never got to meet, and the 6,018 die hard fans that enjoyed my work. I have some bad news. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I have approximately 1 to 3 years to live. But I gotta tell ya, I sure as hell packed a whole bunch of living into my 68 years. I got no change coming back that’s for sure. And not too many regrets. Ok, gotta go. I’m gunna find out just what in the hell is going on down in that fruit cellar.”

To help pay for Danny’s medical bills, Dominic Mancini has launched a fundraiser over on Go Fund Me, along with the opportunity to donate and receive an autograph from the actor.

Mancini explains, “Danny is not one to ask for charity, but with that, he brings yet another opportunity to his fans. His days of traveling to conventions are in the past, but he has agreed to partake in one last autograph signing for those fans who never got the chance to get one in person. Whether you need him on a cast piece that you have, or want a signed 8×10 photo, we have your back! Full Empire Promotions will be putting up an online store, where 100% of the proceeds will go to help Danny with his medical expenses.”

“The store will have the option to buy a signed photo or send in your own item to be signed. The store will be live at www.FullEmpirePromotions.com starting June 4th. The signing will take place early/mid July and all orders will be due by July 6th. This is the last time you will be able to obtain Danny’s autograph personally from him,” Mancini adds.

If you’ve enjoyed Hicks’ work over the years – and who among us hasn’t? – and you’ve got anything to give, please do consider it. And be sure to share the info with your fellow fans.

We’re a family here in the horror community and we need to take care of our own.

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Ash vs Evil Dead Panel | Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo | Mainframe Comic Con 2.0

Ash vs Evil Dead Panel | Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo | Mainframe Comic Con 2.0 

Hosted by: Perri Nemiroff https://www.youtube.com/user/PoCoLoCo313

Source: Chuck Load of Comics

Ash vs. Evil Dead Stars Think They Can Get Bruce Campbell Out of Retirement for New Season

After more than two decades away from the role, Bruce Campbell embraced his iconic Ash Williams for Ash vs. Evil Dead beginning in 2015, with the end of Season Three seeing the series come to a conclusion and Campbell publicly retire from the role, but his co-stars in the series Dana DeLorenzo and Ray Santiago think they could convince the actor to return to the role if a different network resurrected it. There are currently no talks about the series possibly being revived, as Campbell along with original director Sam Raimi and producer Rob Tapert are working on developing a new film in the series, though excitement around the franchise could result in a revival of the TV series earning more attention.

"Well, I say, 'Never say never,'" DeLorenzo shared about the series somehow continuing to Mainframe Comic Con 2.0. "The way things are going, I've been reading all these very terrifying things about our industry and just productions and things are being shelved, so I honestly feel like never say never. There have been shows where they get cancelled but then they're picked up by another network. I know Bruce has said he is in retirement but I feel like Ray and I could convince him."

Santiago added, "I think enough time has passed by. He just needs a good one or two years of just like chilling in the woods and not having the Boomstick in his hands and then he starts to crave it and it'll come back."

Ash vs. Evil Dead pulled off a seemingly impossible task by delivering audiences the continued adventures of Ash for 30 episodes from the minds of the franchise's creators. Despite the series being well received by fans, Santiago thinks that the series only being available on Starz prevented it from earning a bigger following.

"I loved the home that we had on Starz, but it was so limited in its viewership," the actor expressed. "We could have had a bigger audience were we on a platform like Hulu or Amazon or Netflix, but because we were on this cable subscription, it really limited the audience. Because as the show got on to Netflix, we started to see that people were still watching seasons one through three and were really into it. It was sad because we had this greatness and it didn't get the praise that it should have gotten. And, personally, I was really looking forward to seeing where things were gonna go with the show. Just because we had set up so many relationships, it was just all there to play with."

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