A nugget of history from Sam Raimi's classic, The Evil Dead, can be spotted by fans after watching David Robert Mitchell's 2015 film, It Follows, as the two share a quaint little connection.
Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead is one of the most successful low-budget horror films of all time, ranking with others like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Friday the 13th. The first film, which released in 1981, spawned two sequels, inspired a remake from director Fede Alvarez in 2013, and had a three-season television series on Starz. While It Follows is only a stand-alone, there are ways it could be adapted into future films if Mitchell was interested in doing so. However, despite it being a one-shot, low-budget indie horror film, it made waves within the community for its unique premise and commentary on intimacy and sexuality.
While the two don't share a connection in universe and their premises couldn't be more different, It Follows is uniquely tethered to a special piece of Evil Dead history that most fans likely missed.
The Evil Dead And It Follows Share A Connection
In an early scene in It Follows, Jay (Maika Monroe) and Hugh (Jake Weary) are going on a date to the movies. It is during this sequence that the antagonist of the film is first introduced, when Hugh points out a girl to Jay that she isn't able to see. Later, the two have sex and Jay is infected with the "curse" Hugh is running from; an entity that is invisible to anyone who isn't affected that will follow, continually, until they reach and kill their target before reverting back to the person who was affected previously, and so on down the line. The theater that was using during shooting was the Redford Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, where It Follows was filmed in 2013.
The Redford Theatre opened on January 27, 1928 and is currently owned and operated by the Motor City Organ Society, which is a 501 organization. It plays a special role in The Evil Dead's history because it was the site of the film's US premiere on October 15, 1981. For the film's premiere, it was shown under its shooting title, The Book of the Dead. Michigan is also near and dear to Raimi and Mitchell, as both are natives of the state. Originally, Raimi wanted to film The Evil Dead in his hometown of Royal Oak, Michigan, but ended up using a cabin in Morristown, Tennessee instead. Even so, Michigan does still play a part in the film's history, as Ash and his friends are students at Michigan State. Throughout Raimi's series, there have been plenty of jokes and references made to the state, which shows his hometown pride. It Follows added to its parallels with Raimi's film by screening at the Redford Theatre following the film's release, though it premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2014.