The Evil Dead.

Review #1296: The Evil Dead.

Cast: 
Bruce Campbell (Ash Williams), Ellen Sandweiss (Cheryl Williams), Hal Delrich (Scott), Betsy Baker (Linda), and Theresa Tilly (Shelly) Written and Directed by Sam Raimi (#611 - Spider-Man)

Review: 
"[Sam Raimi] has made the most ferociously original horror film of 1982" - Stephen King.

What can really be said about this film that hasn't already been said by better writers? Originally filmed as "Book of the Dead", The Evil Dead is a grand achievement in film-making, reaching plenty of highs in horror on a humble budget racked with high ambition from its director. Sam Raimi had become fascinated with the idea of making films as a teenager, doing so with fellow Royal Oak, Michigan native Bruce Campbell on a Super 8mm camera, with his feature debut being It's Murder! (1977). The following year, he was inspired to make a prototype horror film, one that would soon take the lesson of featuring plenty of gore (blood). Raimi's result was Within the Woods, made on a $1,600 budget in 1978 that took inspiration from numerous horror such as H. P. Lovecraft's writing that would feature both Campbell and Sandweiss. It proved to be a minor hit when it premiered in a Detroit theater alongside The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In order to make a feature film, Raimi (who wasn't even 21 when production started) would need around (or over) $100,000, for which he and Campbell raised slightly below that amount through asking for donations (which they would need to do again in order to try and finish it after completing half the film by late 1980). It certainly was a film engaging in terror to make for the actors and crew, where certain scenes required thick contact lenses that could only be utilized for 15 minutes at a time. The cabin they used in Tennessee was an abandoned one that needed renovation such as putting in electricity and a telephone, but it did not spur having to deal with cold temperatures that led to frozen camera and wires along with them burning furniture prior to finishing production to stay warm. There is plenty more that really could be said about how this is an achievement in thriving over a low budget with plenty of shock value to go around that can be gruesome alongside thrilling in its 85 minute run-time while leaving the audience curious for more. The way that the demons speak, combined with the intricate filming and certain shots make for a disturbing time that I readily enjoy, where its cast manages to keep the horror trappings on full display without succumbing to cliches, starting with Campbell. When it comes to dealing with terror and the madness, he just happens to have the right kind of entrancing quality where one can just watch him with no hesitation that proves key in what makes the best horror films tick, whether one has fake blood down the face or not. The rest of the cast do fine jobs with what they are given (especially when having to wear makeup), with Sandweiss proving the finest of the bunch in that regard. You could point to nearly any scene when it aims for spooks, really, but the slow-moving sequence at the end, coupled with the tracking shot for the finish, is likely the one that seals the deal just right. When you want a sincere horror film that means what it wants that rides high on suspense with a few effects and other aspects (such as some interesting music from Joseph LoDuca), this is a pretty good example of one that does everything near perfectly. The film eventually found footing in distribution (in part because of such glowing recommendations such as King), and it inspired two sequels (1987, 1992) along with a reboot/remake in 2013 and even a television series. You really can't go wrong with a film like this, as it oozes in terror that clicks to your senses and stays with you after its last shot - just what the best horror films do, after all.

Next Review: One more for the road for Halloween - The Week After. It's a bit of a surprise, but it's coming...Tonight.

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Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.