Joe Kline / The Bulletin Ryan Klontz stars as Ash, a hero who must eliminate his demonically possessed hand, in "Evil Dead the Musical," running through Oct. 31 at 2nd Street Theater. This marks the fifth time in seven years the Bend venue has produced the popular show.

In case you’ve been living in a remote, demon-infested cabin in the woods the last couple of decades, the early ’80s gave birth to this awesome horror-comedy film franchise called “Evil Dead,” which took the slasher genre into the realm of over-the-top, campy comedy.

Actor Bruce Campbell starred as devoted “S-Mart” employee Ash, who is compelled by dark circumstances to do great things: namely, battle the forces of darkness unleashed when he and his friends break into a remote cabin in the woods. (So much for having a safe spring break, kids.)

The group of partiers includes Ash’s sister, Cheryl; Ash’s girlfriend, Linda; his best friend, Scott, and Shelly, a flaxen-haired floozy Scott picked up three days earlier.

Writer and director Sam Raimi went on to direct films such as “A Simple Plan” and the first three films in the Spider-Man franchise, new STARZ series (“Ash Vs. Evil Dead”) with Campbell back in the role he was born to play, and none of this would mean a whole lot to you if you’ve been living in a cabin in the woods.

In a separate turn of events, in the early 2000s, three dudes from Canada found Campbell’s email and contacted him about their evil idea — that is, creating a musical based on “The Evil Dead.” Campbell put them in touch with Raimi, they secured permission to proceed, and the musical premiered in Toronto in 2003. Suddenly, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” had some competition when it came to theater companies deciding on a Halloween-time production.

“Evil Dead the Musical” has been good to 2nd Street Theater in Bend, where it returns tonight for the fifth time since 2009. (In 2013, it was billed as “Evil Dead the Musical — Dead for the Hellidays,” and the bloody good time was transferred to Christmas.)

This year, Ryan Klontz stars as Ash, Stephanie Slade as Cheryl, Izzi O’Keefe as Linda, Krystina Jermaczonak as Shelly and Pierce Morrow as Scott.

It’s difficult to pin down exactly what makes “Evil Dead the Musical” so great.

It could be the ear-worm songs, which stand up well against any musical, and then put that musical to shame, because songs about demons, bloodshed and gore, with titles such as “Look Who’s Evil Now” and “Bit-Part Demon” are inherently better when you’re this close to Halloween.

Could be, as co-creator Christopher Bond puts it in a highly viewable promo video at evildeadthemusical.com, that it’s full of “awesomeness” and is “the biggest, baddest, bloodiest, coolest show that you’ll ever see in the theater.”

Its greatness could have something to do with the splatter zone — as in splattered blood … it’s fake blood, but still.

The front row of the theater makes up the splatter zone. Dress accordingly, says Sandy Klein of Stage Right Productions, the nonprofit that operates 2nd Street.

“It generally washes off, but you know … if you wear white, expect to get splattered,” she said. And a lot of people in the front row will be wearing white, as theater patrons seated there receive a white splatter zone shirt for their bravery.

“There’s no guarantee that you won’t get splattered in any of the other seats” beyond the front row,” Klein added.

Most likely “Evil Dead” is so great because the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

And, brother, are there parts in “Evil Dead the Musical,” including body parts after a demon bites Ash’s hand and it turns against him. Actor Klontz’s physical comedy skills are hilarious when he’s forced to deal with the hand in the manly manner of an American male action hero.

For Bend actor Tommy Kuchulis, “Evil Dead” has great “parts” as in roles. He’s played Ash twice before on the 2nd Street Theater stage, and stars as Ed this time. Ed’s the mild-mannered, put-upon boyfriend of Annie (Keely Wirtz), whose father unleashed the demons to begin with when he began researching an ancient Sumerian book, “Necronomicon Ex-Mortis.”

“It’s the funnest role I’ve ever had, especially for my debut role, ever,” Kuchulis said of playing Ash in the past. “I did it the second year just because I loved it so much, but it takes a toll on your body, and going insane, beating yourself up with your possessed hand. It’s definitely one of the harder physical roles I’ve ever done, and I’ve done things like Scarecrow,” he said, referring to “The Wizard of Oz.” “Falling over all the time was a cakewalk compared to this role.”

Said Klein, those who play Ash tend to “end up with a few broken things here and there, and battle scars.”

“In talking to Todd (Hanson, who starred as Ash in two early “Evil Dead” productions) and Tommy, doing the role of Ash twice is plenty,” she said. “So we’ll see how Ryan endures.”

And it’s not always fake blood and gore: Klein and codirector Scott Schultz rattled off for this reporter a short list of injuries, including one concussion, endured by cast members over the years.

Schultz once hurt himself when he played Ash’s obnoxious best friend, Scott.

“I lost a tooth … during the show because I slipped on something and (hit) the counter,” he said.

“Anything for the stage,” Klein said. “The show must go on.”

Break a leg, everyone — just not literally.

— Reporter: 541-383-0349, djasper@bendbulletin.com