A group of friends decide to spend the weekend away in the country at a reclusive cabin in the woods. Unspeakable horrors beset them as night falls. One by one the friends are dispatched until all but one is left alive. And just when the terror seems at its end it springs to life for one last moment of fright.
Sound familiar?
This is one of the most common horror plot lines of them all. This scenario is used often for many reasons, mainly because it has proven so very effective. One of the finest examples is THE EVIL DEAD. Directed by Sam Raimi, the film began as a college project and eventually became so much more.
Made on a shoe-string budget with limited resources at their disposal, The Evil Dead has become a landmark film as either a horror masterpiece to some or a movie so bad it's funny to others. The actors were friends or fellow classmates. The special effects had to be employed cleverly and executed with genius and ingenuity. The intent was to make a serious horror film. What resulted, whether by accident or because of the limited resources available, is a powerful horror film with unexpected and certainly unintentional moments of humor. Whether you feel that The Evil Dead is hilariously funny or the most grueling experience in terror ever, one thing is for certain...
The Evil Dead is one of the greatest modern horror films ever made. A true classic.
THE PLOT
A group of friends decide to spend the weekend away in the country at a reclusive cabin in the woods. A mysterious presence permeates the cabin. They discover a macabre looking grimoire in the basement and a recording made by the previous guests at the cabin. They play the recording and listen as a voice recites an incantation from the tome. Evil spirits rise out of the earth. One by one the friends fall victim to unspeakable horrors and eventually death until only one remains. Can this last survivor holdout through the night or will he too become a victim of the evil dead?
THE GOOD
The Demons. They're not zombies. They're not monsters. They're not ghosts. They're uniquely their own. Evil spirits have been portrayed in countless ways throughout cinema history, none quite like those featured here. Levitating, white-eyed, deformed creatures. A disembodied presence stalking the woods. The very woods themselves coming to life in one of the most disturbing sequences in the movie. Laughing, taunting, and corrupting everyone they touch. And bursting with geysers of blood, crumbling to pieces like rotted moldy ruins, and bubbling over with creamed corn? And more. The evil spirits in this movie and this franchise are an assault on the senses, the mind, and the soul.
The Unintended. If you sit back and immerse yourself in the story, forgive the bad acting, and suspend your disbelief when the special effects fall short, this really is a terrifying horror film. This is certainly what was intended. However, a sad fact is that some of the acting and special effects probably didn't meet Sam Raimi's desired expectations. These shortcomings do however provide another layer of enjoyment: unexpected laughter. Clearly Sam Raimi realized he had tapped into a rare quality and fully embraced it in the sequels. It's this quality that has defined the series and makes the Evil Dead films a unique experience.
But remember that the humor in this one is completely unintended. And when taken completely seriously it is terrifying horror film.
THE BAD
The Unintended. Repeat the paragraph above titled "The Unintended." The filmmakers wanted to make an intense and grueling horror film. Sadly they didn't have the means nor the technology to convincingly realize their vision. Obviously something good came out of the resources utilized and a melding of horror and humor the likes never before seen was born. But Sam Raimi wanted us to scream, not to laugh. What would this film look like had the effects and acting been 100% real? You can see what the movie might've been if you suspend your disbelief when things lack. One of the taglines on the posters read "the ultimate experience in grueling terror." That sounds like an incredible horror film to me. And it could've been had Sam Raimi the money and resources necessary. Even so, The Evil Dead is still one of the best horror movies ever.
THE VERDICT
Incredibly gory. Maniacally evil. A modern classic. The Evil Dead is the definition of a cult classic, more fans cropping up every year. Intended to be a serious horror film, and with some forgiveness from the audience, is an intense and disturbing experience. A mixture of unforeseen elements give the movie an unintended and unique quality, a melding of humor and horror. Without this film not only would we not have the Evil Dead sequels, but also countless other knock-offs and homage films like CABIN IN THE WOODS and DALE AND TUCKER VS EVIL. What the filmmakers created with this film is a horror genre staple.
Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10
Nigh Perfect! Makes it into my Top Ten. A Rarity.
Nude-O-Meter: 2 out of 10
For films that inspired The Evil Dead and those that were inspired by it check out the movies listed below...
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