‘Evil Dead: The Musical’ bringing gore to the Strip

There really wasn't a lot of horror in "The Rocky Horror Show," except for maybe that one moment in the movie version that goes with the "Meat Loaf again?" joke.

"At one time it was taboo, but now it's like a birthday party for kids," producer-director Sirc Michaels says.

But fear not, there's gore galore in "Evil Dead: The Musical," which "could be the next 'Rocky' in terms of the generations," Michaels says. The stage show has plenty of catchy tunes, but also spraying blood, severed heads and a chain saw for the hero to fend off his girlfriend-turned-zombie.

The spoof of Sam Raimi's horror trilogy (drawn more in tone from the Stooges-like slapstick of the second, "Evil Dead 2") has played around the country and even off-Broadway in 2006.

"It's a tongue-in-cheek love letter to that whole genre of film," Michaels says. "But it's ridiculous, and that's why I think it's accessible to people who don't love that stuff."

Michaels now hopes to make it a full-time cottage industry on the Strip. After directing two small community productions of the show in October and January, Michaels says he is hoping tourists will show up every weekend for an open-ended run that launches today at the V Theater in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort.

Time will tell if Las Vegas was looking for something this different. But for now - and at least until Gallagher stages a comeback - it's the only show in town offering a VIP ticket for the "splatter zone," where you are assured a dousing in stage blood.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.