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TITLE: The Evil Dead
DIRECTOR: Sam
Raimi
YEAR: 1982
COUNTRY: USA
DURATION: 85 mins
ORIGINAL TITLE: Book Of The Dead
ALSO KNOWN AS: Within The Woods (Working
title)
STARRING: Bruce Campbell (Ash), Ellen
Sandweiss (Cheryl), Hal Delrich (Scotty), Betsy Baker (Linda),
Sarah York (Shelly), Ted Raimi (Fake Shemp) |
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THIS FILM CONTAINS DISTURBING SCENES OF
VIOLENCE
AND SHOULD ONLY BE VIEWED BY ADULTS & RETARDS |
| The ultimate experience in
gruelling horror... |
| REVIEWED BY: |
Body
Snatcher |
SAM RAIMI'S FIRST FEATURE is
arguably his best, despite the
fact with was made for a few hundred thousand dollars borrowed
from dentists and lawyers. The
unforgettable story of en evil presence
let loose by some goofy kids in a leafy woodland, The Evil
Dead is as inventive with the
gore as any Eighties or Nineties horror movie.
The nightmare begins when the kids find a tape machine in
the basement of a wooden cabin. Playing the tape results in
some of them becoming possessed by homicidal
demons, and a violent battle for survival begins. |
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The first time you realize this movie is no
ordinary splatter film is the ankle stabbing scene.
Out of nowhere one of the girls picks up a sharp pencil and
rams it into her friend's ankle, twisting
as she pushes. In uncut versions this sequence is prolonged
and pretty painful to watch,
though sets the tone perfectly for what's to come later.
The most infamous scene in the movie, though, comes later
when Cheryl (played by Ellen Sandweiss) wanders out into the
woods, only to be raped by a large,
thick tree branch. Raimi has gone on record saying
he regrets putting this scene into the movie, but we can't
help but think that this particular moment in motion picture
history is still a defining factor in the film's success. |
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The last third of the film is a multi-coloured
blood bath, as Ash (Bruce Campbell) begins to dish
out justice with an axe. He chops
his friends to pieces, decapitates his
girlfriend with a shovel, and even gets full use of
a shotgun into the bargain, but in the end it proves not enough.
From start to finish The Evil Dead is a joy
to watch. The dialogue is cheesy, but the characters
are engaging enough. The special effects are dated in places,
but this doesn't detract from the overall experience - which
is gruelling and fun. |
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| The first real splatter movie I ever saw is still
as much fun as it's ever been. If you've never seen Raimi's first
film, you must buy it now. |
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| I still can't watch the pencil in the ankle. Reminds
me of an accident I had when I was a cannibal kid. Still a great
film though. |
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| Legendary low budget, log cabin mayhem! Still packs a mighty punch a quarter of a century later and showcasing the directorial flair that ultimately turned Sam Raimi into a hot hollywood commodity. |
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| This first Evil Dead is much better than the Three
Stooges parodies that came later (Army Of Darkness was terrible).
A tour de force of cheapo film-making. |
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