Mommies and maggots. Gore galore. And…cheese graters?!

An early screening of Evil Dead Rise hosted by Warner Bros. Canada was ripe with the opportunity for MDRN Activations to create a creepy and interactive photo booth activation to thrill movie-goers.

The screening took place in mid-April at Toronto’s Cineplex Cinemas Varsity and VIP.

The client, one of our favourite PR agencies to work with, wanted an immersive activation that would get people talking about the upcoming movie and screening alike.

They sent us some inspiration from Evil Dead Rise marketing materials as well as props they planned to have at the event (check out their gnarly skin wall below!). But they weren’t too specific about what the photo booth installation should feature.

No problem—we love coming up with cool and creative concepts for activations.

All we need to figure out are the client’s goals and what graphics to use, then find a way to strategically combine the two.

The client aimed to have something shareable and unique that would generate buzz about the Evil Dead Rise premiere and the amazing experience guests had at the screening event.

With a general theme of gory, gross, and totally interactive, we suggested a lenticular print photo booth activation.

Lenticular prints essentially work as printable gifs. Think of your favourite collectible cards growing up (baseball, Pokémon, you name it). Remember those special edition ones that changed the image as you moved angles?

Now imagine that as a printed photo. That’s where the magic happens!

On one side, the prints looked like a regular photo of event-goers looking through a door peephole, like in the movie’s infamous peephole scene.

But as soon as you move the print to a different angle, a demon-possessed Ellie (played by Alyssa Sutherland) appears behind them.

The activation required guidance from our professionally trained Directors in order to get the perfect shot. Guests were instructed to make specific movements in front of the camera and were in awe when they saw the final prints.

Using special effects and filters like a fish-eye lens, we made sure the shots were perfectly saturated and downright chilling.

We pulled the graphics from Evil Dead Rise—it’s the exact same door frame shot from the movie!

Then, we added the branding that the client wanted, and boom—the perfect interactive marketing experience.

The results were an instant hit. There was a non-stop line of movie-goers wanting to get their photos taken all night.

Check out some of the photos below!

The lenticular prints satisfied the client’s need for a physical and digital aspect to their activation.

Guests received a tangible experience in the form of a printed photo, plus the option to have a digital gif emailed to them.

The gifs came from an email with the client’s chosen graphics and branding. It included event information, instructions on sharing the prints and gifs, and who to tag to have their shots featured on Warner Bros. Canada’s social channels.

On top of providing guests with an immersive experience, the digital component provided plentiful photo ops for event-goers to share online, which is ideal for boosting digital marketing campaigns.

Among the audience were influencers posting about their experience at the event. The lenticular prints and gif creation provided our client with the perfect social media marketing opportunity. The client was able to reach a larger audience with engaging content that they and their guests could post online.

After the movie, Warner Bros. Canada gifted guests goodie bags with their lenticular prints, a dog tag chain, and, of course, cheese graters.

We won’t spoil the movie for you, but if you know, you know.

MDRN Activations is thrilled to have helped our client create a photo booth activation that was fun, creepy, and a totally immersive engagement marketing medium for the Evil Dead Rise screening.

We can’t wait to come up with new activation concepts for the next one!