Why Fountain Hills Theater is staging the bloody chaos of ‘Evil Dead’

Fountain Hills Theater has built a reputation over the decades for showcasing award-winning dramas, Broadway favorites and family-friendly fare.

This month, it’s hosting a blood-soaked and expletive-laced showdown between good and evil.

Fountain Hills Theater is currently staging “Evil Dead: The Musical,” the gleefully gory theatrical adaptation of Sam Raimi’s iconic ’80s comedy-horror film franchise, through June 28.

A chainsaw-powered romp involving severed limbs might seem out of step for a local community theater. Elias Matthews, the production’s director, says that’s exactly the point.

“We usually do a mixture of big classic musicals and newer contemporary shows from Broadway,” Matthews says. “Every now and then, our artistic director, Peter Hill, likes doing something a little out of left field to bring in new audiences, and a campy, bloody musical seemed to really fit that mission.”

“Evil Dead: The Musical,” which was adapted in 2003 by George Reinblatt, is just as gonzo and gory as the slapstick cult films that inspired it, F-words and all.

“Oh yeah, there’s an absurd amount of those,” Matthews says.

The musical adapts the plot of the first two “Evil Dead” films, which involve a group of college students accidentally unleashing a sinister force while staying in an abandoned cabin in the woods. Limbs are severed. Quips are unleashed. And the strong-jawed protagonist, Ash, ends up battling with undead creatures called Deadites.

It also adds a rip-roaring rock soundtrack with dozens of songs and a “splatter zone” where audience members are hit with fake blood.

Matthews says Fountain Hills Theater’s staging switches things up by using red confetti instead to prevent the venue from being drenched in stains. It led to an amusing situation during technical rehearsals of the musical, he says.

“The first time we used the confetti, it ended up shooting crazy far,” Matthews says. “Peter Hill was in the last row of the theater and the confetti ‘blood’ hit him in the chest. We were like, ‘Maybe we need to back things up just a little.’”

Matthews adds that collateral damage from confetti wasn’t the only challenge involved with adapting “Evil Dead” to fit their 77-seat theater. The battles between Ash and various Deadites were also challenging to stage.

“We’ve done plenty of production with like small fights here and there, but this show has an excessive amount of gory fight sequences,” Matthews says. “Trying to direct all the chaos that happens within the show and all the blood and all the technical elements, it was a big juggling act basically.”

Fountain Hills Theater’s audience have loved the show since it debuted on June 12, Matthews says.

“It got some of the loudest reactions I’ve ever heard,” he says. “There were huge laughs from everybody in the audience, and on opening night. It’s the best reaction you could ever want.”

“Evil Dead: The Musical.” Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, 2 p.m. through June 28. Fountain Hills Theater, 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills. Tickets are $40.