Editorials
The Long History of Wes Craven and Sam Raimi’s Communication Through Film
All these years later, the fun continues in “Ash vs. Evil Dead.”
It all started back in 1977. In The Hills Have Eyes, a torn Jaws poster was seen in the Carter family’s camper, and many took it as Wes Craven essentially saying that his movie was much scarier than anything on display in Spielberg’s hit money-maker. Whether or not that was actually Craven’s intention is up for debate – and looking back, I’m not even sure that actually was a Jaws poster – but all that really matters here is the way Sam Raimi interpreted the homage. And when it came time to make his own movie a few years later, he took a page out of Craven’s playbook.
As has been well documented here on the web, 1981’s The Evil Dead prominently featured a Hills Have Eyes poster on a wall of the cabin’s fruit cellar, and like the Jaws poster in Craven’s film, it was torn into a barely recognizable piece by Sam Raimi. As Raimi explained to Esquire back in 2007, the tribute was very much an intentional jab at Craven:
There’s a torn-up poster of Jaws in [Craven’s] The Hills Have Eyes, so I thought it would be funny to tear a Hills Have Eyes poster into pieces in The Evil Dead, to tell Wes, ‘No, this is the real horror, pal.’
The friendly war, which was really nothing more than a fun method of communication between two filmmakers who didn’t even meet until years later, continued in Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984. In a desperate bid to stay awake and avoid the wrath of Freddy Krueger, Nancy Thompson watches a movie in her bedroom. Her movie of choice? The Evil Dead!
Not to read too far into things, but it’s worth noting that Nancy repeatedly nods off while watching The Evil Dead, and eventually turns the TV off. A tribute and a fun jab at Raimi, all in one.
How did Raimi respond? In Evil Dead 2, released in 1987, Freddy Krueger’s iconic glove was prominently on display on a wall in the fruit cellar AND above the door in the workshed…
Legend has it that the glove used in Evil Dead 2 was a prop borrowed from the production of an actual Nightmare on Elm Street film, and it certainly does appear to be a higher quality than any replica glove that was on the market at the time. Either way, this was clearly more of a tribute than any sort of jab at Craven – stories of a Craven/Raimi rivalry are pure sensationalism.
In the same 2007 interview with Esquire, Raimi confirmed that it was all in fun:
Years ago, I was at the Cannes Film Festival giving a radio interview — I had never met Wes — and he came up to the booth. I thought, ‘This is where I’m going to get old Wes.’ I hid and leaped out with a terrific shout, and he just jumped out of his skin. [Laughs] Then I introduced myself. He gave me a look like, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ He’s been very kind to me ever since.
The cinema communication between Sam Raimi and Wes Craven continued into the ’90s with Scream. Randy, the character played by Jamie Kennedy, was of course a hardcore fan of horror movies, and at the start of the film’s party scene he holds up a series of VHS tapes and asks the characters which one they want to watch. Not surprisingly, The Evil Dead is one of the choices.
They choose Halloween – Craven’s final jab at Raimi.
Sadly, Wes Craven passed away last year, but through the Starz series “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” Sam Raimi has kept the tradition alive. In the Season One finale, Ash returned to the iconic cabin in the woods, and wouldn’t ya know it, that Freddy glove was still hanging up in the fruit cellar. Later, in the penultimate episode of Season 2, Ash and the gang traveled back in time to 1982. A retro movie theater was briefly glimpsed, and hanging outside was a vintage movie poster.
Yup. The Hills Have Eyes. A friendly game come full circle.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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