The article examines the media franchise “Evil Dead.” The author addresses why it grew from a low-budget independent film to a popular culture phenomenon. This popularity cannot be explained simply by the fact that it has become a transmedia phenomenon (musical, theater, video games, comics, remake, TV series, etc. . .). The author believes that the demand for the franchise is explained, among other things, by the influence of Howard Lovecraft, whose work is of particular importance in the context of hyper-real religion and, in particular, for the original “Evil Dead” trilogy. First, the article clarifies the concepts of “popular culture” and “fantasy” and applies both to the “Evil Dead” franchise. It then discusses whether the franchise can be associated with a type of new religiosity, using Adam Possamai’s concept of “hyper-real religion.” Such “religion” is based upon the products of popular culture and only has representations with no real referents (“simulacra”). Although “Evil Dead” cannot be recognized as a proper hyper-real religion, it can be classified as a hyper-real cult. This concept is associated with the phenomenon of the cult cinema and includes ritualized viewing practices among the fans.
