The Kidd here...
A couple of months ago, I reached out to Sony Pictures Entertainment, hoping to put together an exclusive screening of EVIL DEAD for our Ain't It Cool readers down here in South Florida. Following the release of the red-band trailer, anticipation and excitement for the film were at an all-time high, and what better way to view it than with a bunch of rabid fans of THE EVIL DEAD series who desperately wanted to see it as soon as they possibly could?
We opened up dialogue to see what we could put together when a few weeks later I got an email, telling me in no uncertain terms, that the studio had an idea.
What if we announced that we'd be showing a print of Sam Raimi's 1981 original THE EVIL DEAD and, to sweeten the pot, with Bruce Campbell (who shoots BURN NOTICE nearby) being in attendance to do a Q&A after the film? And taking place on April 1 - April Fool's Day - what if after a few minutes of showing the original, the film would break... and we'd offer in its place the chance to watch Fede Alvarez's 2013 version, EVIL DEAD?
Count me in.
And so began a process of concocting a credible story of legal hang-ups and wrangling, 35mm prints and broken promises that would lead our readers and THE EVIL DEAD fans out to the AMC Sunset Place 24 in South Miami with no idea as to what was waiting for them (We would also have THE EVIL DEAD for them afterwards, for those who really had their heart set on seeing it that night on the big screen).
But I didn't want this awesome opportunity to be just for those in, near, around or willing to travel to the Miami for this event, so the steps necessary were taken in order to capture the magic of Bruce Campbell for your own viewing enjoyment.
If you've never had the chance to see Bruce Campbell in action doing his thing, it's quite something. Even hosting the Q&A, I had no choice but to stand back and get out of the way, because once he gets on a roll, your best course of action is simply to direct traffic... and in two different Q&As, that is exactly what happened. Enjoy the hell out of this, as we're bringing you the full Q&As, which took place both before and after we pulled the old switcheroo. You just might want to be careful where you're watching it, as there is no shortage of expletives flying around throughout the course of the evening's events.
-Billy Donnelly
"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"
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