Evil Dead coming to Magic The Gathering

[MCT28]

It seems there's also a 30th anniversary card set Dynamite put out last year that's apparently a bit nicer, but I can't find a lot of images of the actual cards in it.

The cards (as well as Dynamite's AOD board game) got pushed back from November of last year to February this year. I certainly hope they get released on time, as I've ordered a whole box of the trading cards, as well as the game and it's add-ons.

 

[Swofty]

Yeah, those I don't love so much... The autographs are cool, but the cards look kinda cheap and half-assed. I'm guessing that Dynamite is the same Dynamite that publishes the comics and published the Nick Bradshaw comics back in the day, so that's why they put his art on them. It's all art he did for the comics. It seems there's also a 30th anniversary card set Dynamite put out last year that's apparently a bit nicer, but I can't find a lot of images of the actual cards in it.

So there weren't any official AoD trading cards released at the same time the movie was released, only those sets that were licensed later.

I think you're right DyD.

From memory, there wasn't a lot of any kind of merchandise that was released at the same time as the first three Evil Dead films. The soundtracks were released on vinyl at the same time each film was released of course. I know because I was trying to find anything back then. Off the top of my head (and I'm happy for anyone here to correct me and remind me of anything time specific to DyD's point), when The Evil Dead was released, you could buy the Palace Software game at the same time with the same artwork. If you could afford £80, you could also buy the vide store rental Palace Pictures release but you ran the risk of the police confiscating it (in the UK). Just before Evil Dead 2 was released, you could buy a puff print T Shirt through Fangoria magazine and some comic book shops. Pretty much all we could find back then was magazines and video store posters.

Army Of Darkness merchandise didn't come along until after that film was released, from sequence of events memory it was the comic books and the Movie Maniacs McFarlane AOD Ash figure first then the floodgates were opened .. the Eden Studios Army Of Darkness card game (although they aren't trading cards) in 2004. It's been mainly in the last 20 years that merchandise for all three films has exploded although I expect I've missed mentioning some things.

 

[MCT28]

I think you're right DyD.

From memory, there wasn't a lot of any kind of merchandise that was released at the same time as the first three Evil Dead films. The soundtracks were released on vinyl at the same time each film was released of course. I know because I was trying to find anything back then. Off the top of my head (and I'm happy for anyone here to correct me and remind me of anything time specific to DyD's point), when The Evil Dead was released, you could buy the Palace Software game at the same time with the same artwork. If you could afford £80, you could also buy the vide store rental Palace Pictures release but you ran the risk of the police confiscating it (in the UK). Just before Evil Dead 2 was released, you could buy a puff print T Shirt through Fangoria magazine and some comic book shops. Pretty much all we could find back then was magazines and video store posters.

Army Of Darkness merchandise didn't come along until after that film was released, from sequence of events memory it was the comic books and the Movie Maniacs McFarlane AOD Ash figure first then the floodgates were opened .. the Eden Studios Army Of Darkness card game (although they aren't trading cards) in 2004. It's been mainly in the last 20 years that merchandise for all three films has exploded although I expect I've missed mentioning some things.

A lot of the early merch was just t-shirts, like these guys:

https://www.reddit.com/r/EvilDead/comments/16maa4i

but AOD had an official fanny pack and flashlight with the MCA/Universal logo, too!

 

[DyD]

I believe Bolton's AoD comic book adaptation from Dark Horse was released simultaneously with the movie, wasn't it? That's why I thought there could've been an official trading card set or something like that as well. But yeah, it seems there's not a lot of merchandise from the time the movies were released. From my personal – and foreign – experience, I always had the impression they only started milking the franchise in the early aughts, with the Hail to the King PS1 game kicking things off.

 

[MCT28]

I believe Bolton's AoD comic book adaptation from Dark Horse was released simultaneously with the movie, wasn't it?

Yes and no? The first two issues came out before the movie's wide-release, but the final issue didn't come out until almost a year after the previous issue had been published!

 

[Swofty]

A lot of the early merch was just t-shirts, like these guys:

https://www.reddit.com/r/EvilDead/comments/16maa4i

but AOD had an official fanny pack and flashlight with the MCA/Universal logo, too!

Thanks and I remember seeing the fanny pack and flashlight in later years online on (probably) ebay. I could be wrong but from memory they were promo items only so were not available for the general public to buy from stores?. I've got those details printed in one of my folders somewhere.

edit: found them and they were promo items although still awesome if not more so. The Evil Dead 2 T Shirt with the yellow skull I can confirm was being made available through mail order and stores slightly before and at the same time the Evil Dead 2 was released in cinemas. Fangoria magazine were selling alongside it a same styled Chainsaw Massacre 2 T Shirt and another horror T and all 3 were foam rubber raised called 'Puff Print) at the time. I saw the Evil Dead 2 one 'in the flesh' in a store called Nostalgia & Comics in Birmingham, England when Evil Dead 2 was released and remember regretting not being able to afford it.

On a side note, another cool T Shirt they were selling was an ALIEN T Shirt, flat white with blood splatters around a large rubber chest burster alien coming out of the chest. Ironically, John Hurt who played that character in that infamous scene ended up moving to my remote home seaside town in Norfolk so I met him a few times