Book Of The Dead - The Definitive Evil Dead Website

Evil Dead II was shot in and around the town of Wadesboro, North Carolina. The main body of shooting took roughly fourteen weeks in and around the town of Wadesboro, North Carolina, from May 1986 to September 1986. Following this there also were reshoots around the Detroit area. This page details some of those locations, with recent photos where available.

The Cabin

The cabin, now heavily overgrown (taken by unknown)

While stories of pilgrimages to the site of The Evil Dead cabin are quite common, The exact location of the Evil Dead II cabin, or more accurately the cabin exterior set built especially for the production (with the interior cabin set in a different location), isn't generally known, although it was built on the same property as their production base which was The Huntley Farmhouse. The Huntley Farmhouse is a few miles west of Wadesboro in the town of Lilesville, North Carolina, on highway 74. This was the living quarters for many of the crew. This house was also used in the movie The Color Purple. The house with the land was sold and the house refurbished at some point, and is currently occupied. Bruce Campbell mentioned on the 2000 US Anchor Bay Evil Dead II DVD commentary track, that he was emailed a photo around 1997 from someone who tracked the cabin down, and although heavily overgrown, is was still there (see the image left).

The front & side of the cabin in 2011 (Blu-Ray screenshot)

The back of the workshed (Blu-Ray screenshot)

In 2011, US distributor Lionsgate released Evil Dead II in Blu-Ray format. Among the many new extras was a 8m 08s featurette called 'Road To Wadesboro', in which Tony Elwood (credited in the movie for 'special props') revisits various Evil Dead II shooting locations, including The J. R. Faison Junior High School, and the exterior cabin set in the same local area. Although in a badly neglected and dilapidated state, the cabin structure is still shown to be standing, along with the workshed and a number of the fake trees.

Inside the cabin, looking out (Blu-Ray screenshot)

Inside the cabin (Blu-Ray screenshot)

One of the fake trees

Bonsal ballast pits

The area in and around Bonsal ballast pits in Lilesville, North Carolina on highway 74, was the location for the climactic medieval section of the movie. The castle was a full size facade, made from plywood mounted on power poles on a hill overlooking the area, and filmed from down in the pits.

Building the castle (taken from Vern Hyde's camcorder footage)

Alternate view (taken from Vern Hyde's camcorder footage)

Here is Lilesville, North Carolina on MSN maps, just click this link;

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=34.962444~-79.984932&style=h&lvl=15&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

The J. R. Faison Junior High School

The J. R. Faison Junior High School in the town of Wadesboro, North Carolina on highway 74, was used to house the cabin & cellar interior sets and the crew & admin offices/workshops. The school gym was partially renovated after a fire around 1989. The school has recently been remodeled into a church, and there are plans to remodel the gym into a youth community centre, although it is currently derelict as you can see below.

The currently derelict gym (taken by Wanda Maness - 19/02/2009)

In 2011, US distributor Lionsgate released Evil Dead II in Blu-Ray format. Among the many new extras was a 8m 08s featurette called 'Road To Wadesboro', in which Tony Elwood (credited in the movie for 'special props') revisits various Evil Dead II shooting locations, including The J. R. Faison Junior High School, and the exterior cabin set in the same local area. As of 2012, Parts of the school are undergoing renovation, while others remain derelict.

Inside the derelict gym of the J. R. Faison Junior High School, as of 2011 (Blu-Ray screenshot)

Here is Wadesboro, North Carolina on MSN maps, just click this link;

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=34.966594~-80.075741&style=h&lvl=15&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Reshoot Locations

Most of the film's re-shoots & animation was filmed during the three and a half months of post production in a warehouse studio in Dearborn, Michigan just outside of Detroit between September 1986 and January 1987. The studio was big enough to house three sets along with a special effects area and offices & workshops. Many of the more complicated shots & special effects animation was created here such as headless Linda attacking Bruce with a chainsaw, the climactic vortex sequence created using a the 'Sam-o-Cam' X rig & with blue-screen, and the 'blood-flood' scene.