Setting and context play a major role in how we engage and connect with movies. It’s always fun to revisit a familiar favorite from the comfort of your own home, but it’s almost impossible to replicate the theatrical experience. Seeing a film on the big screen with an audience hits differently for a number of reasons. This is especially true with genre cinema. Watching a horror movie with a crowd allows for a communal experience that resonates. Hearing fellow patrons gasp or scream, or watching them jump out of their seats in terror, makes things far more immersive than a solo viewing. When you add in a live orchestra performing the score, that takes the immersion to the next level. I recently had the good fortune to attend Evil Dead in Concert at the Roseland Theater in Portland, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to turn out for a film screening with live orchestral accompaniment.
I’ve loved Sam Raimi’s seminal classic Evil Dead for years. I’ve been a fan of the franchise ever since a classmate introduced me to Army of Darkness at a sleepover. With that said, I’ve never enjoyed the first installment as much as I did upon seeing it with a stable of musicians recreating Joseph LoDuca’s score. This live event made it abundantly clear that there’s a world of difference between a recorded score and a live one. With a recorded score, you hear the music. But with a live score, you literally feel the music coursing through your body. I felt the reverberation of the auditory accompaniment inside my chest and stomach. Those musical stings that effectively inspire fear and dread with a recorded score went beyond that conceit and permeated my body rather than just filling my ears. I found myself growing more and more engaged as the cacophonous sounds of screeching string instruments and pulsating percussion pulled me deeper and deeper into the film.
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The musicians providing the accompaniment took their role very seriously and really got into the spirit of things. The stand-up bass player even wore a blue sweatshirt with a white turtleneck to pay homage to poor Linda (Betsy Baker), who fans surely recall meets an unenviable fate in the film. Though the bass player successfully managed to avoid succumbing to possession (or dismemberment) during the screening, she still did plenty to help make the experience immersive for the crowd. Before the start of the show, she provided a brief primer on the event and encouraged the audience to participate as much as possible, explaining that, just like with a conventional musical performance, an engaged audience ensures that she and her fellow musicians are giving their all.
Every member of the orchestra showed up as promised, helping bring the film to life through their musical accompaniment. The audience also showed up exactly as requested. We gasped, we screamed, we laughed, and we recoiled in horror as we witnessed the core characters systematically possessed by an evil presence during a visit to a ramshackle cabin in the remote wilderness.
Aside from the top-notch auditory presentation that the actively engaged audience eagerly embraced, the live production also benefited from strategic lighting design that accented and complemented what was transpiring onscreen. Cool blue hues underscored the isolation the core cast members began to feel as they realized they were confined to the derelict cabin without an obvious means of escape. As the possession sequences ramped up and the viscera began to unfold with increasing regularity, the lights began to flicker and flash a devilish red. The lighting design was subtle enough not to distract from the presentation but noticeable enough to augment the viewing experience via subconscious cues that underscored various thematic elements of the picture.
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Every aspect of this presentation was strategic, with a constant focus on enhancing the immersive nature of the overall experience. Even the timing of the intermission did its part to build anticipation. Though I’m normally not a fan of taking breaks during a film, the mid-picture interlude transpired at a particularly pivotal point, which left me eager to get back to the action. Although I’ve seen Evil Dead plenty of times and knew exactly what was coming after the break, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of growing excitement as I waited for the picture to resume. When the proceedings eventually picked back up, I was rearing and ready to go.
The second half of the presentation proved just as engaging as the first—perhaps even more so—because the crowd grew rowdier as more cast members met misfortune at the hands of the evil plaguing the cabin. Viewers enthusiastically shouted ironic warnings to lead character Ash (Bruce Campbell) as he attempted to survive the night with his soul intact. The orchestra felt the crowd’s energy and responded by leaving it all on the stage. Since the musicians travel with the show, each member of the group knows every musical cue intimately, ensuring there’s never a misstep. If there was one, I surely didn’t catch it. When the credits eventually rolled, we loudly cheered and gave the musicians a well-deserved round of enthusiastic applause.
The production is presently midway through a 50-city tour that will continue for several more weeks, with the final stop slated for November 20 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. If you count yourself a fan of the Evil Dead franchise, I highly recommend securing tickets for a showing near you. It’s unlike any theatrical experience I’ve had before. Instead of just watching the film, it felt like I was actively experiencing it. The scares land differently when you can feel the music in your body. That, combined with the communal experience of watching a beloved horror film with a crowd, makes this a presentation you won’t want to miss. If you’re keen on attending a showing, you can pick up tickets right here.
Categorized: Editorials
