Evil Dead, one of the greatest contemporary horror franchises of all time, gets a reboot in the guise of a remake which is set to debut in theaters in the Spring of 2013. The panel for the film at New York Comic-Con on Saturday was without a doubt one of the highlights of the day, thanks to the appearance of the original portrayer of Ash, the wacky, cartoony, yet tough and gruff protagonist in the original trilogy of Evil Dead films, the one and only square-jawed Bruce Campbell.

Director Fede Alvarez (handpicked to helm the remake by the original director Sam Raimi), Jane Levy who plays a female version of the Ash character named Mia, and Campbell made up the panel. Campbell came out to the first standing ovation of the day. Decked in a cherry red suit and exhibiting every ounce of his goofy, wonderfully distinguished personality and graying at the temples, Campbell spoke of the crowds’ fetish with the original films and how the remake will be amazingly as good as the first trilogy. Campbell owned the room, as the witty, off-kilter style he’s best known for shone through like a beacon in the hall.

Alvarez, who co-wrote the screenplay which was then pumped up with modern teenage lingo by Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody, promised that fans would not be disappointed because the remake retains the soul and style of the original and its gore, craziness, hyperkinetic film style. Double entendres and innuendos flew like mosquitoes as Levy spoke about being hired in the remake, as Campbell didn’t miss a beat in every comment he made. He said that Levy being in the movie would be like putting on a comfortable shoe, but made sure to stress that he wouldn’t tell what kind of shoe it would be, summing up, “that’s what the movie would be like.” Campbell, who’s a producer on the new film, also stressed several times that he gives a major thumbs up to the remake and that he is gladly handing over the Ash crown to Levy.

Exclusive footage was shown on the two large screens to the left and right of the stage in the huge IGN Theater. The footage yielded a small standing ovation. Every ounce of hardcore over the top gore, shock sequences, intensity, wild sprawling violence, and unsettling sequences delighted the audience, who were repelled and delighted at every frame. Also revealed was the first image from the film, which you can see First Image From The ‘Evil Dead’ Remake.

If you’re an Evil Dead fan, the panelists confirmed that there would be lots of little nods to the original film, and the footage revealed lots of familiar items, like the cabin, the chainsaw, the possessed hand, the Book of the Dead, the destroyed bridge, and much more. There’s also several disturbing scenes having to do with cutting off appendages, splitting tongues in half, and of course “tree rape.” Levy also teased that the names of the characters in the film is an important thing to note, as they made up a certain word.

In the audience Q&A portion, Campbell reminded everyone that he was the one who gave Spider-Man his name in Raimi’s big-budget superhero flick and that since in the second film, he played an usher who wouldn’t let the webcrawler in the theater to see his girlfriend’s play, that he was actually the “only person who ever defeated Spider-Man.” When Campbell was asked if he would recite a passage for a fan, he replied, “I could if I was your monkey,” to large, loud applause. Asked who would win in a fight between Sam Axe, Campbell’s character on TV’s Burn Notice, and Ash, Campbell said that Sam would win, but Ash would cheat. And the highlight of the day was when a gushy fan told the actor how much she loved him, Campbell left his seat to go over to her, hand her a $5 bill, and kiss her hand.

Without question a hilarious and joyful panel for what should be a kick ass, slam bang remake of a classic that today’s audiences will appreciate.

Panel Photos

Additional contribution by Empress Eve; Photos by Dave3.