Long, long before Sam Raimi was known as the man who made "Spiderman," he was known by legions of horror fans as the man who made "The Evil Dead," one of the campiest and most cult-classicy gore fests of all time. For those who haven't had the pleasure, the film (and its sequels "Evil Dead 2" and "Army of Darkness") has something to do with blood-thirsty demons and a dude who has a chainsaw where his right hand should be… I tried to type out a more thorough synopsis, but the bit about the Necronomicon sounded way too ridiculous.

Anyway, my point is that people love this movie – as evidenced by the recent Off-Broadway success of "Evil Dead: The Musical." That's right – there is an "Evil Dead" musical playing right now, somewhere in this country. I guess you really can't stop art...

With permission from both Raimi and "Evil Dead" star Bruce Campbell, four Canadian playwrights launched their musical 'homage d'Ash' at a comedy festival back in 2004. After running steadily for the next three years, "Evil Dead: The Musical" has now come full-circle, and is currently on its way back to the big screen in a 3D format. 

Producer Don Carmody told Screen International that he is in negotiations with Raimi over film rights and that the play's original director and choreographer are ready to direct the feature film… are they really? One would think that after "Evil Dead: The Musical" they'd be swatting away film offers like flies!!

The stage version liberally adapted all three of Raimi's films into one all-singing, all-dancing, evil-demon fun-fest. Original songs included "Look Who's Evil Now" and "I'm Not A Killer," but will they make it into the feature? Fingers Crossed!!

I'm not taking this story very seriously - Sam Raimi may have lost his luster, but he certainly hasn't lost his mind. After all, he must know that audiences tend not to like modern screen musicals unless they are stuffed with catchy Abba songs. As for all you "Evil Dead" fans who have been angling for a fourth feature, all I can say is: next time be more specific before you make your wish.   

Find a tree that's not quite as rape-y here