Imagine my excitement when I learned of the existence of an off-Broadway musical based on the Evil Dead 1 and Evil Dead 2 movies.

Now imagine my gut-wrenching horror and regret when I realized that there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to see the show before it closes.

If you have not seen the Evil Dead films, I can only assume that you have stumbled upon this page by accident. I certainly consider the movies to be essential watching material even if you are just slightly interested in horror.

In the films five college students travel to an isolated cabin to spend their spring break holiday. While at the cabin the students find the Necromonicon E-Mortis (Book of the Dead) and unwittingly unleash previously slumbering demons into the nearby forests. Ash, played by Bruce Campbell then needs to take care of the situation by systematically slaughtering all of his friends who becomes possessed zombiefied creatures.

Although its a little jarring to see the role of musical Ash being played by somebody other than the great Bruce Campbell - I really can’t expect Bruce to be good at everything, and - from what I have seen floating around youtube, Ryan Ward (current actor playing Ash in Toronto) is doing a great job.

The fact that these fantastic movies have been turned into a musical - and popular musical at that - gives me great plesure and increased hope for the possibility of seeing Reanimator the musical in the not-to-distant future.

I seriously suggest you get your butt to Toronto before the show closes on September the 6th - and be sure you get tickets to the “Splatter Zone” - where the first three rows of the theater get covered with flying zombie blood.

Click below to watch the advertisement.

Apparently, there is production of the musical planned in Norfolk Virginia for 2009 - so all hope is not yet lost for me yet.

For those unable to visit the production there is a less than legal way of experiencing the same show, that is if that show was mono, vhs quality, in your living room and you were stealing it.