Hail to the Deadites

It may sound strange to call a documentary about fans of a gory horror franchise “sweet,” but that’s exactly what Hail to the Deadites is — it’s no surprise that it comes from a Canadian filmmaker.

The film's one-hour, 19-minute running time frequently seems ponderous because the fan conventions all look the same, regardless of where they are held. You've seen one hotel ballroom; you've seen them all.

Villeneuve captures the cheery cult vibe of the whole thing, also reinforcing just how special these delightfully goofy and grisly movies truly are.

... Hail to the Deadites is, without question, a loving tribute to the people who have enjoyed this particular bit of punk rock horror since its inception.

At an hour and 19 minutes long, Hail To The Deadites suffers from the typical blight of the mega-fan: loving your subject so much that you can't pick apart the good from the bad.

Steve Villeneuve's affectionate exploration of Evil Dead fandom: memorabilia, cosplay, and passion. Primarily made up of interviews with cast, crew, and fans, broken up with songs and fan-made film clips.

Hail to the Deadites is an example of what happens when someone depicts fans without questioning their fandom.

Hail to the cast, hail to the crew, hail to all of the fans and supporters and film-lovers everywhere, hail to Villeneuve for making this wonderfully weird celebration of fandom and friendship.

A breezy, fun, and energetic ode to the classic horror franchise...

The most telling moment comes right at the end; the interview snippets with cast and crew that play over the credits are more interesting than everything that's come before combined, emphasizing the confused intentions at play here.