Evil Dead IV: Death Camp is a 2011 found-footage horror film, directed by Jaxen Ross and serves as a stand-alone sequel to the Evil Dead series, though it does not disregard any continuity of the previous films and pays homage to them.
It stars him, Holden MacDonald, Daniel Wang and a cast of his sixth-grade friends.
This movie was once on YouTube, but has long since disappeared along with Jaxen's jaxenlabs YT account.
Plot[]
In October 2011, a group of sixth graders embark on a week trip to Camp Cuyamaca. Soon afterward, a presence lurks the campground in the wake of videographer Bruce (played by Jaxen Ross) finding a mysterious tape recorder concealed in one of the bathrooms that speaks about a Book of the Dead. Strange forces begin pursuing Bruce, while his loved ones attempt to save him.
Production[]
Filming began on Oct. 10th, 2011, lasting for four days with the footage being pieced together in-camera, with a majority of sequences largely improvised by Jaxen and his friends. Shortly after filming finished, Jaxen was told - under his school aide's wish - to downsize the footage to conceal any identities of anonymous students. Additional scenes that weren't intended to be in the final cut, but contained in a video was released as a pair, were shot years later, such as an earlier introduction involving Bruce and his colleague Noah, played by Holden (with the help of stock footage from an earlier film); more emphasis with the spirit possessing Bruce and him going after and fighting off the evil spirits outside the campsite with Noah; and Noah cutting off his possessed hand before re-growing another.
It is believed that the movie's runtime was 10 minutes and with these additional scenes (including the ones listed below), the movie would've been around 20 minutes long. Further analysis of the movie had it rely upon character study and melodrama, if not so much on horror.
Jaxen blocking a scene (who's behind the camera) w/ his friends and younger brother Hunter (bottom left corner)
Some other footage was cut due to either being unfinished or lost like these:
1. A scene where Bruce kills one of the possessed kids' and buries his body (the scene didn't finish filming since it was time for dinner at the camp and was removed)
2. A scene where Bruce dreams about the events from the first film — where Cheryl gets possessed (this was in the second part on YouTube, but then was omitted in the re-upload)
3. The talent show scenes (footage lost)
4. Some of the camp activities (omitted)
5. The driving back scene (not shown / lost)
6. The original ending credits with music recycled from "Mil gritos tiene la noche" (much the same as the dream sequence, it was featured in the original second, but then was removed and re-edited by Ross for copyright reasons).
Quotes[]
- (the scene where the kids are heading up for lunch for the first time)
BRUCE: So what table are we heading to?
VANNIE: Table Number Nineteen... and don't you forget it!
——
- (The scene where all of the groups are congregated around the stage and a campfire. A man upfront is teaching how to make one, rubbing some sticks, while Bruce films his antics.)
BRUCE: Oh my God, it’s actually making fire! (Aiming the camera at one of his colleagues, before turning back to the campfire guy) I can’t believe they’re actually starting a fire… (His voice dips down to a low register, while the counselor speaks) But this is more than just a regular campfire. This’ll actually be a “campy” fire. (Zooming on him while he has the rubbed sticks in hand and determines if they’re hot.)
COUNSELOR: I wonder if it’s hot. (Touches the sticks and screams comically for a moment, all the kids start laughing.)
BRUCE: (impersonating Ash Williams) OH THAT’S GOTTA HURT!
Cancelled sequel[]
Jaxen began work on a fifth film around 2012, which was supposed to take place right after the events of Death Camp involving a PTSD-stricken Bruce and Noah recruiting back to the old camping grounds to stop all the demonic entities wreaking havoc, but it was never completed due to scheduling conflicts and writer's block. When Jaxen's YouTube account was suspended in 2015 due to copyright violations, the majority of his projects (including the Death Camp sequel) were abandoned. A small portion of the footage was used in his subsequent works.