When you walk into Evil Dead The Musical, you expect blood. You expect chaos. You expect chainsaws.
What you might not expect is the extraordinary craftsmanship behind every ripped sleeve, every teased fringe, every prosthetic wound and splattered double (or triple) costume.
We spoke to Costume Designer, Hair, Wigs, Makeup and Prosthetics Designer Renata Beslik about building this gory, hilarious world from the ground up.
A Jack of All Trades (And Master of Many)
Renata’s theatrical journey started early – very early.
“I’ve been doing theatre and costumes since Year 1 when I was a precocious child and costume designed Peter Pan,” she laughs.
At 17, she enrolled at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) to study Costume Production. There, she trained in costume making, art finishing and hair styling with some of the industry’s best. But, as she explains, much of her expertise has come from two decades on the job.
“I watch other people work and learn from them. I’m like a sponge – I absorb information.”
Her résumé includes work with most major theatre companies in Sydney and screen credits such as The Great Gatsby, Dance Academy and Drop Dead Weird.
“I often work as a costume supervisor, which is basically being the jack of all trades,” she says – a skillset that makes her uniquely equipped to oversee costumes, wigs, hair, makeup and prosthetics all at once.
Horror? Not Usually. Comedy Horror? Absolutely.
While familiar with the Evil Dead franchise, Renata admits she wasn’t exactly a horror devotee.
“I generally find horror a bit silly,” she says. “But a comedy horror musical? Now that’s my thing. I knew this would be hilarious to do.”
And hilarious it is – though behind the laughs lies serious design thinking.
Building the 1980s Deadite
For inspiration, Renata dove into the original Evil Dead films, TV spin-offs and games. But she also widened the lens to other quintessential 80s films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Sixteen Candles, even pulling character inspiration from Napoleon Dynamite.
“The classic college kids of the 80s just makes sense for a comedic musical,” she explains.
A key early decision? Setting the show firmly in the 1980s – the era of the original films.
“I asked Daniel whether we wanted contemporary, 2000s (when the musical was written), or 1980s. I was thrilled he chose the 80s.”
But recreating the decade wasn’t as simple as raiding vintage stores. With multiple costume doubles and triples required (blood happens – repeatedly), original vintage pieces weren’t practical.
“So I sourced contemporary items with a vintage vibe and styled them as 80s people did.”
Her process began, as always, with character.
“Who is this person? What would they wear? Why do they wear it? The script tells you everything.”
She gathered hundreds of reference images, refining them down until each character’s look felt right – then began the hunt for pieces that could withstand nightly carnage.
The Art of Budget and Blood
When asked about the biggest challenge, Renata is refreshingly honest.
“Keeping to budget and schedule,” she says. “You have to get super creative with your time and put the money in the right places.”
For Evil Dead, that meant investing heavily in iconic elements – particularly Ash’s instantly recognisable look.
“He’s done at Halloween and cosplayed a lot. That’s serious pressure.”
Picking a Favourite? Impossible.
“This is like picking a favourite child,” Renata laughs.
She’s particularly proud of solving a complex design challenge for Annie (no spoilers), but also delights in the absurdity of the show’s more outrageous creations.
“The haunted trees are just ridiculous and it’s rare you get to design something that utterly silly.”
A Brain That Zings Happily
For Renata, Evil Dead has been creatively energising.
“It’s been one of the most wonderful shows to work on. The creative challenges make my brain zing happily.”
And the cast?
“Phenomenal. Truly some of the most talented and loveliest deadites I’ve ever worked with.”
From blood-soaked denim to painstaking prosthetics, the world of Evil Dead may look chaotic but behind every splatter is careful design, research, problem-solving and a whole lot of hairspray.To see Renata’s work, limited tickets remain – book now for Sydney and Melbourne.
