Alleluia! Devil’s Carnival World Premiere – Red Carpet Photos and Images Part 2

Sean Decker |

Aug 14, 2015

Tuesday, August 11th, saw the highly anticipated world premiere of Repo! The Genetic Opera and Saw series director Darren Lynn Bousman’s Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival (review) at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, CA, and Dread Central was there to document the event.

A sequel to Bousman’s 2012 musical cult hit The Devil’s Carnival (review) (in which a motley crew of recently deceased face the sins they committed in life in the titular satanic gala), Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival expands on the Terrance Zdunich-scripted universe by not only returning to and exploring Lucifer’s lair, but by setting a majority of the action in his adversaries’ domain: Heaven.

So, what can audiences expect? A head-spinning piece of cinema, overflowing with top-notch cinematography, editing, production, and costume design, Alleluia! Devil’s Carnival wastes no time in introducing the viewer to the previously hinted at and brewing war between Heaven and Hell, and it quite simply never lets up.

With a more cohesive narrative than its rather confusing precursor (Carnival acolytes, please don’t send me hate mail), a visually stunning opening, a stand-out second act Adam Pascal-sung swing number called “Give Me Two Hallelujahs and an Amen,” and an entirely commanding performance by Emilie Autumn as The Painted Doll (channeling here a pitch perfect 1940’s ingénue in the film’s heavenly backstory), there’s a lot to like here. Supporting players Kristina Klebe as Geraldine and Lyndon Smith as Cora further lend gravitas to the proceedings.

Conceptually, Zdunich’s expansion of the universe is a welcome thing, lending depth to the series’ returning characters as well as painting an unsettling depiction of the inner-workings of Heaven and of the deity who runs it (Sorvino, as God). It’s unique, intriguing and altogether colorful, and, because this is a Devil’s Carnival film, it’s also deliciously blasphemous.

On hand for the sold-out event (in addition to the jesters, mimes, barkers, and sword-swallowers who whipped the faithful into a pre-screening frenzy in the theater’s courtyard) were director Bousman and wife and producer Laura Bousman, writer and actor Zdunich, and (take a breath) cast members Sorvino, Pascal, Klebe, Smith, Marc Senter, Emilie Autumn, Briana Evigan, Ted Neeley, Jimmy Urine, Chantel Claret and Heidi Shepard (of The Butcher Babies), Carla Harvey, Mike Murga, Alexis Brandt, Alisa Burket, Natalie Castillo, Stephanie Hyden, Maddisyn Carter, Sydney Meyer, Andrea Nelson, Francesca Vannucci, and Kevin Payton.

Producer Sean E Demmott, co-producer Kimmie Yan, and associate producer Spooky Dan Walker were also on hand, as were FX artists George Frankadakis and Gage Hubbard.

Tuesday’s premiere served as a kick off, as Alleluia! Devil’s Carnival commences in truly punk rock fashion its U.S. tour on August 26. Eschewing studio intervention in not only the production of their film but also in their distribution method, Bousman and crew, as they did in 2012, have remained loyal to their DIY aesthetic. And with the Carnival soon once again on the road, I for one believe that fans will be quite pleased with the visually and aurally stunning result (and that they will additionally clamor for a third in the series in order to witness the climatic showdown so teased in Alleluia!).

Visit TheDevilsCarnival.com for more info. Also be sure to check out The Devil’s Carnival on Facebook and follow The Devil’s Carnival on Twitter.

Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival