Army of awesome: Sam Raimi headed to Chicago Flashback Weekend

Chicago Flashback Weekend has added the creator of Evil Dead himself, Sam Raimi, to their guest list. The con takes over the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL August 2 – 4, 2019.

This is exciting news. There had been multiple requests and scuttlebutt on the Chicago Flashback Weekend Facebook group. But today, it became reality. Sam Raimi is coming to Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con. Mr. Raimi will be appearing on Saturday and Sunday, August 3 and August 4.

Raimi will be available for photo ops and autographs. There will also be a question and answer panel that is sure to be jam packed. He joins his brother Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell in an already stacked lineup.

There are sure to be Evil Dead related panels and movie screenings galore in the halls, and hopefully the beautiful outdoor courtyard, of the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.

Written and directed by Sam Raimi, the Evil Dead franchise was considered an instant classic that set the bar for gore upon its initial release in 1981. Evil Dead II retold the story of the original, while expanding on it and adding humor and mythology.

Army of Darkness saw Ash Williams accept his fate and become large and in charge. Plus, there was time travel. All of these traits are considered staples of horror movies now. They were all created by Sam Raimi.

The story of Evil Dead continued in one of the greatest sitcoms of all time: Ash Vs Evil Dead. I’m serious. I was skeptical at first. When I picked up the show, Ash was in a diner.

Some kid walks in at the wrong time, and I was like, yeah, he’ll get saved. I’ve seen this before. But then an unseen force pushed the kid into a ceiling fan.

He got chopped to pieces. Was there some witty quip from Ash? Nope. He looked up as shocked as I was and said gross. I was sold.

Raimi even added two characters that fans were not ready to accept, but ended up loving: Pablo Simon Bolivar (Ray Santiago) and Kelly Maxwell (Dana DeLorenzo). And, yes. I brought them up to say you should watch Ray in Into the Dark: The Body.

And, I also wanted to shame Hollywood for not casting Dana in, like, all the things. Such as Amy Winehouse in a biopic. Just saying.

Sam Raimi-Chicago Flashback Weekend-Courtesy of Chicago Flashback Weekend

When Spider-Man came out in 2002, the Raimi directed film jumped off of the screen like a comic book. The movie and its two sequels were the real spark that comic book movies needed. Without them, there would be no Marvel Cinematic Universe.

These were not self-hating or idiotic farces. There was real heart to the story with top notch acting and action galore.

Before Taken, Liam Neeson played the lead role in Raimi’s Darkman, which was actually his first big budget Hollywood movie. The late great Bill Paxton stared in Raimi’s A Simple Plan. And one of the creepiest box office hits of the last ten years was Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell.

This con is going to be a blast. In addition to the Evil Dead crew reuniting, Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen from Candyman will be at Chicago Flashback Weekend. Todd will be in costume for some photo ops.

Plus, Robert Englund, Melinda Clarke, and Alicia Witt have already been announced. Chicago is looking like the place to be for horror fans early next August.

Discount hotel accommodations are already available at the Crown Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. There is a free shuttle service to and from O’Hare Airport.

One of the newest additions to Flashback Weekend is the Murray Brothers Caddyshack restaurant located within the hotel. It’s owned and run by Bill Murray and his brothers. It’s named and themed after the iconic 1980 comedy Caddyshack. They offer a special horror themed menu during the con.

Tickets and VIP packages aren’t on sale, yet. Check back with Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con over the coming months. This is going to be a good one.

Have you ever attended Flashback Weekend before? Is Sam Raimi’s appearance making you consider the trip? Let’s discuss in the comments!