***UPDATED!*** TOMASELLI WANTS TO DO 'EVIL DEAD' REMAKE
THE EVIL DEAD is an unlikely film to be remade, and horror fans everywhere are praying that when it does finally happen, the filmmakers won't completely blow it. Director Dante Tomaselli has a solution for this problem - hire him to do it!Tomaselli (pictured here with the Amazing Kreskin) was one of the first real friends Horror Express had. He supported us when pretty much no one else in the industry was and has followed our success. We haven't heard much from him in a while (Honestly Dante, you don't call, I don't get any scented valentines...) but then again he has been insanely busy the last couple of years.
The New Jersey-based director filmed the creepy relgious-themed DESECRATION and followed it up with the astounding and intense HORROR. He has recently wrapped production on his long-awaited SATAN'S PLAYGROUND, starring Felissa Rose of SLEEPAWAY CAMP fame. Hot off the heals of that film, Tomaselli is already in pre-production on THE OCEAN, a bigger film again starring Rose and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD's Judith O'Dea.
Not everyone was happy to hear of the Sam Raimi crew's decision to remake THE EVIL DEAD, and that includes Tomaselli in a recent interview with Fangoria, Tomaselli confided "When I first heard they were doing a remake, I was totally against it." However, Tomselli seems to be figuring that it should go into the hands of someone who can do something special. Why not treat it as an opportunity? Tomaselli continued, "...now the picture is coming into focus and I see that Rob Tapert is looking for a director and Raimi doesn't want to direct it. Well, how about me? I'd love a chance!"
As far as pure reverence goes, you can't get much bigger than Tomaselli. The original EVIL DEAD, which had very little of the humor that would define the second and third entires in the series, has long since been an inspiration of Tomaselli's. "I saw the original EVIL DEAD in 1981 when I was 11, and it seriously changed my life," Tomaselli said. "It opened me up to how limitless, creatively, a low-budget horror movie could be. The film is like a magic trick or an out-of-body-experience, and every time I watch it, I am treated to the most spectacular horror movie in existence! It's also surreal, extremely primal and nasty, with plenty of beautiful, H.P. Lovecraft-like imagery. It is fun, crazy, bloody and genuinely scary."
Tomaselli also has experience to back him up and a rousing endorsement from EVIL DEAD actress Ellen Sandweiss, who stars in Tomaselli's SATAN'S PLAYGROUND. "I've made three indie horror features with budgets similar to the original EVIL DEAD's $350,000, and you can be sure I'd feature Ellen Sandweiss in it! Since working together on SATAN'S PLAYGROUND, we've become close friends. She's a powerful actress and knows how much I love THE EVIL DEAD."
"I'd love to see Dante Tomaselli direct an EVIL DEAD remake," Sandweiss said, "Working with him on SATAN'S PLAYGROUND was a wonderful experience, plus his vision as a director and his lifelong devotion to horror make him an ideal candidate. Are you listening, Rob and Sam? My vote is for Dante... and now you owe me a cameo appearance!"
For my two cents, I dare say... it could work! True, I never wanted the remake to happen in the first place. But it looks like it is happening, no matter how much we bitch about it. So, the goal of horror fans everywhere is not to simply boycott the film when it comes out, but to strike early. If they insist on remaking one of the classics that got us obsessed in the first place, we should at least make sure they do right by it.
If you want someone who is going to do a great homage to the original while shooting off in a wild new direction, Tomaselli is a great choice. My advice to Ghost House Productions is to call Dante in for talks and then look at his film HORROR as a 77 minute portfolio piece.
Sandweiss is currently contributing to some special features on a new EVIL DEAD DVD release (Wait, another one?!? Oh, for crying out loud...). SATAN'S PLAYGROUND marks her first film since starring in EVIL DEAD back in 1981 (it was not released until 1983). Meanwhile, Tomaselli is in pre-production on THE OCEAN. If Sam and Rob are reading this, Mr. Tomaselli is waiting for your call.
***** UPDATE!!! *****
Dante Tomaselli got in touch with Horror Express and pointed us to a Creature Corner article in which he outlines his basic approach to a potential EVIL DEAD remake. On the site, he says:
""I have some ideas, but I wouldn't want to be too specific. I don't want to restrict myself by saying something too concrete right now. Coming up with the perfect premise will take a lot of brainstorming. For sure, though, I would want to try to capture the flavor of the original while injecting my own visual ideas. Sam Raimi's a genius and if I ever directed THE EVIL DEAD, I could only hope to come close to his masterpiece. Actually, let's face it... the original EVIL DEAD is untouchable, in a league of its own.
"I’ve read on the message boards that some people think DESECRATION and HORROR were too abstract for me to direct THE EVIL DEAD remake. But I wasn’t telling those tales for a wide audience... or any audience. I wasn't thinking of pleasing anyone but myself. DESECRATION and HORROR were experimental horror films, stream-of-consciousness horror films, told through a series of dreams, flashbacks and hallucinations. With my new movie, the one I just finished, SATAN'S PLAYGROUND, there’s a difference. I want the audience to be entertained... engaged. It's still dreamlike - but I've picked up the pace. SATAN'S PLAYGROUND is definitely faster. All my films get faster each time. And while I always want to please myself, I now want to also try to satisfy the audience, the horror fans out there. That's a challenging thing to do - to strike that balance. That's where I'm going in my work, so something like THE EVIL DEAD, a movie I worship and feel spiritually connected to, especially after working with Ellen Sandweiss, would be a spectacular opportunity. I'd go absolutely wild with blood-soaked, demonic images. No holds-barred. Anyone who knows my films at all knows I put a giant emphasis on cinematography. I've always wanted to make a splatter-punk zombie movie. I very much like the idea of creating a punishing film. Something so visceral, frightening and violent that it just beats the audience into submission - like how the original EVIL DEAD worked. People left the theater stunned. But it wasn't just punishing. It was a creative journey. It was art."
Isn't it refreshing to hear someone talk about horror as a legitimate artform and not some hack and slash, masturbate-and-make-a-quick-buck b.s.? Isn't it a relief to hear someone who actually gets these films and the audience as well? Still say that if and when the EVIL DEAD remake comes about, Tomaselli should be their man.
Some folks on the message boards have said some pretty strong words, but the fact is, most of them would probably talk trash about anyone touching THE EVIL DEAD. "As you probably know message boards are filled with some extreme comments," Tomaselli said in his latest e-mail to the Express. "It's a little upsetting since most of these people haven't even seen my work. But then again, no matter what, I always seem to polarize audiences."
Oh, and for those people who have reportedly seen Tomaselli's new film, SATAN'S PLAYGROUND? BULLSHIT! That film was just completed and no advance copies have been sent out to anyone. So let's kill that rumor right now.
Regardless, Tomaselli is starting on his new project, THE OCEAN this fall and we here at the Express look forward to it.
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