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Evil Dead Interview: Scott Krager

Posted on: December 21, 2000 Interview by :: Dave Remic

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Thank the almighty for THQ. They are a company that finally got their act together and made quite possibly the biggest cult hit, Evil Dead, into a video game. Here is my interview with Executive Producer Scott Krager on recently released Evil Dead Game for the Sony Playstation, Sega Dreamcast and soon to be release PC version. GMX: The Evil Dead series is quite arguably the best B-movie series of all time. What was the transition like from the silver screen (most likely from the straight to home video silver screen) to the home console system? Scott Krager: Simply, it was fun. We knew there was a lot of crossover appeal between fans of the Evil Dead films and gamers, so it was only a matter of time before someone jumped on the opportunity to continue the adventures of Ash. In doing so, we knew we would have to live up to high expectations, but we also knew that there was a built-in audience who would love to see their favorite cult hero return. And of course, it was a thrill to work with the man himself -- Bruce Campbell. GMX: No doubt the inspiration behind the video game is the movie. But, who's idea was it to make Evil Dead into a video game? Scott Krager: Actually, it was mine. I've been a big fan of the films for quite some time, and I had been trying to get an Evil Dead game made for nearly four years. After an unsuccessful attempt to get the game off the ground at the publisher where I previously worked, I pitched the idea to THQ after joining the company and they went for it. The next thing I knew, we were meeting with Renaissance Pictures, which is Sam Raimi's and Rob Tapert's production company. After a couple of meetings in which we worked out the deal, we hooked up with the folks that would become Heavy Iron and the rest is history... GMX: I highly doubt the Evil Dead series would have done as well as it did had it not been for Bruce Campbell. What was his involvement, if any, in the video game? Scott Krager: Bruce reprised the role of Ash for the game, and it was great seeing that happen. When he first heard about the game, his response was "it's about damn time." So, clearly he thinks an Evil Dead game is long overdue. Overall, Bruce has been very supportive of the game and has been great to work with. I think he had fun reprising the role of Ash, especially considering he could sit in the comfort of a recording booth and not have to worry about getting slapped in the face by tree branches, buried alive in a grave, beat up by skeletons, tossed around in shackles or generally enduring all sorts of physical abuse on the set. GMX: Each of the Evil Dead movies had a storyline that was funny and sometimes a tad bit scary. What storyline have you cooked up for us for this game? Scott Krager: Eight years have passed since the events in the last Evil Dead film. Ash has returned to his normal life and even has a new girlfriend, Jenny. But lately he's been having horrible nightmares about the Necronomicon, deadites, the woods and other strange things. With a lot of convincing by Jenny and accompanied by her, Ash returns to the infamous cabin in the woods in order to confront his fears and put an end to the nightmares. Once there, he is again faced with the challenge of battling deadites and other evil forces that have crossed over to our world because of the Necronomicon.  Ash's evil half appears and is set on an evil mission, which Ash must stop in order to save Jenny and ultimately the world. About halfway through the game, Ash travels back in time through a vortex opened with the Necronomicon and ends up in ancient Damascus at the time the book is being written. There he meets the translator/author of the Necronomicon and uncovers some of the secrets behind its origins as he tries to stop his evil half from carrying out his mission. GMX: It's an Evil Dead video game, so the gameplay has to be pretty stinkin awesome. What features can you tell us about it? Scott Krager: The gameplay is similar in style to the Resident Evil games, which set a great standard that we wanted to surpass in certain areas. For example, our pre-rendered backgrounds are animating, which allows for more detailed, lively, creepy environments. We won't have to rely on sprite overlays to create animated ambience within the various locations. Another cool feature is freedom of movement in combat. Ash won't have to pivot in one location in order to use a weapon. Instead, the player can simultaneously run around and use selected weapons. Additionally, the player will have the option of simultaneously using two weapons, the chainsaw being attached to his right arm and his left hand free to use one of the other available weapons. There are even some cool finishing moves Ash can use against the deadites. Also, the enemies are more varied than previously seen in the genre. There is a wide variety of deadites that players will encounter as they progress through the game. They have more moves, move more quickly and have more personality. Like seen in the Evil Dead films, many of the deadites will even verbally taunt you. So, the game won't be just a string of encounters with slow moving zombies but instead enemies that are more varied with respect to look, moves and personality. Of course, another feature is Evil Dead as the setting. The game will include several of the cool elements seen in the films, but will also add to its existing mythos by providing new environments, enemies, characters, weapons as well as a storyline that continues the saga of Ash and the Necronomicon. In fact, there is roughly 30 minutes of cinematics, which allows the story to unfold. And last but not least, players will be able to assume the role of their favorite square-jawed, shotgun-toting, chainsaw-armed hero, Ash... as voiced by Bruce Campbell. GMX: When will Evil Dead arrive in stores? Scott Krager: The Playstation version is already on shelves, the Dreamcast version is scheduled for release at the end of December, and the PC version will be out sometime in January. GMX: Looking at your WebPages, I only see three Dreamcast titles available from your company... That is very little when compared to the support you have provided with systems like N64, and PSX. What is your company's future plans for Dreamcast? Scott Krager: There is nothing specific on which to comment at this time, but we are always looking for opportunities on the various platforms. GMX: Can you leak out any information whatsoever on future titles? Scott Krager: As you probably have seen over the last year, THQ is broadening its product line. So stay tuned...