YMMV / Evil Dead: The Musical

• Base-Breaking Character: Shelly actually, considering she changes the most from film to musical. While the others are just parodies of their movie personas, Shelly gets a complete Adaptation Personality Change to become a Dumb Blonde. Some find it rather sexist, relying on too many clichéd jokes about blondes in horror movies that the original pointedly didn't rely on. Others enjoy it, feeling Shelly was underdeveloped in the first film, and this gives her more of an identity.
• Broken Base: The ending divides fans. The initial run closed with the way Evil Dead 2 ended, with Ash going to medieval times and the triumphant "Hail to the King" song. When it went Off-Broadway, the ending was changed to resemble Army of Darkness's, with the song "Blew that Bitch Away". Some prefer the former, others the latter.
• Cant Unhear It:
  • In the same way that Bruce Campbell defined Ash in the film series, Ryan Ward was the definitive Ash for the musical. Part of the original Canadian cast, he reprised his role for the show's five month Off-Broadway run.
  • Jenna Coaker-Jones, who played Cheryl in the Off-Broadway run, is considered the definitive Cheryl too.
• Crosses the Line Twice:
  • What else can one say about a severed head coming back to life to sing a duet with the (ex?) boyfriend who chopped it off?
  • Cheryl wearing a t-shirt that reads 'Nature Lover'. Talk about Tempting Fate...
• Cult Classic: Much like the films, the musical acquired a significant cult following. It largely became a runaway success from good word of mouth.
• Ho Yay: "What the Fuck Was That?" has Scottie and Ash usually holding each other's hands and dancing together, as they sing about how it's just the two of them against the girls.
• Narm Charm: As a parody of one of the campiest and schlockiest horror franchises in history, the entire musical is running on this! The crowner has to be when the stuffed moose head in the cabin comes to life and starts singing.
• Signature Song: "What the Fuck Was That?" and "Look Who's Evil Now" tend to be the most remembered songs.
• Spiritual Successor: The New York Times called it the next Rocky Horror Show.
• Watch It for the Meme: One of the biggest attractions of the show is its 'Splatter Zone' - the front rows of the audience where fake blood will be sprayed on the crowd.