Watching Evil Dead: Unearthing the Radiant Artist Within
Like Josh Malerman himself, Watching Evil Dead: Unearthing the Radiant Artist Within cannot be easily defined or categorized (Good luck to the bookstores trying to decide where to shelve this.)
You could say this is just a story about the time he learned his then-girlfriend (now wife - congratulations!) Allison had not seen The Evil Dead, and, rightfully, they found a way to remedy that when Allison’s cousin, Kenickie, who had it on DVD, invited them over to watch with him and his girlfriend Rose. It’s just like his reference within to just reading the script of The Evil Dead. It’s barely a story until it’s made into a movie. Watching Evil Dead is barely a story until it’s made into this book.
As the story about the night they watched The Evil Dead unfolds, Malerman shares insights about his creative life, including his writing process and traveling with his band, The High Strung. He shares writing advice and muses about relationships. He wonders about Raimi’s and Campbell’s thoughts as they created Evil Dead. He ponders big questions like, what does it mean to be an artist and what do artists deserve?
So, is Watching Evil Dead part memoir, part writing advice, part random thoughts from a guy from Michigan who may or may not have missed his calling as a motivational speaker?
Well…yes, but it’s not just that.
I see it as a love letter. To The Evil Dead, to his now-wife Allison, to his fellow creatives, to books and art and horror and to writing itself - and it’s that love of all these things that made it impossible for this book not to exist, and the world is better for it - at least I am; I learned two new words, and now they’re mine. (“Eudaemonia” and “zoetic” if you’re keeping score.)
I will be thinking about this book for a while, and I have and will have more thoughts to share, but first, I have some Evil Deads to rewatch.
Quick question though: Can we all be called as accomplices after the fact about that incident in that office building?
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey/ Random house Worlds for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Pub. date 9/16
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