The Evil DeadFive teenagers alone in a deserted cabin in the woods...the dead rising from their graves, possessed by demons, hellbent to destroy the living...a "book of the dead", bound in flesh and inked in blood. All of these elements (and more) are key tropes which make The Evil Dead such a stirring and memorable movie, as well as a seminal cult classic of the horror genre. By now--and perhaps always--these pieces of the plot have become indelible elements of what has been described by film critic Roger Ebert as "dead teenager" flicks, where one by one, young people get picked off by grisly means. The Evil Dead literally runs with this convention to extreme levels, racing side by side between horror and comedy.
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The story of The Evil Dead is straightforward enough, and doesn't invite much outlandish interpretation. In fact, it is itself merely an excuse to allow the gory goings on to happen. The five young people--including nice, if awkward, Ash (Bruce Campbell)--take a trip up to a cabin which his friend Scott (Richard DeManincor) got a killer deal on...and we find out why soon enough. Foreboding shots of the car slowly creeping up the leaf-stricken driveway to the sound of a rhythmic pounding--the porch swing banging on the side of the house, perhaps by the wind--are designed to unsettle us before the terror even starts, as does a near car crash early on. But all of this is merely the appetizer to wet our whistle for the bloodspray yet to follow. Ash and Scott are accompanied by their girlfriends--Linda (Betsy Baker) and Shelly (Theresa Tilly)--as well as Ash's sister, Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss), an artist who sketches the clock in her room, and is the first witness to the supernatural happenings, unconsciously drawing a picture of the Naturom Demonto, a Sumerian book which illuminates how to reanimate the dead. The book is the subject of a series of audio diaries kept by an unidentified researcher, who was unfortunate enough to not only translate the incantations to wake the Candarian demons from their slumber, but also to record himself doing so, which in turn results in the demons attacking the five cabin squatters. As the two couples pair off for a romantic rendezvous, Cheryl becomes increasingly unsettled by the noises calling for her to "join us", and goes out into the woods to try to bring an end to them. Unfortunately, she only succeeds in provoking the forces of darkness possessing the flora, and is violated in arguably the most infamous scene of The Evil Dead, leaving no question as to the unholy impulses of the demonic forces surrounding the cabin. Cheryl carries the evil infection of the dark entity with her, and after returning to the cabin, is shortly thereafter completely possessed by the demons, forever lost to their influence, but not before she and Ash attempt to flee, only to discover the rickety bridge has been completely destroyed, barring their passage entirely.
The Evil Dead was the breakthrough film for director Sam Raimi--and also a launching pad for assistant director Joel Coen and star Bruce Campbell--as it gradually became a cult hit. More than just a film about bloody dismemberment, tree rape, and disgusting demons, the movie succeeds in its shock factor because it goes so far over the limits of reasonable tension. There are more than a few moments where a corpse we thought was dead suddenly springs to life to attack Ash,who ultimately is forced to try to survive, as his friends are destroyed by the demons. But Ash also has to contend with his own failing grip on sanity, which is where the extreme portrayals of the demonic presence elucidates this far better than a restrained performance could. Take for instance the scene where Ash goes back down into the dark cellar to retrieve more shotgun shells to fend off his undead friends turned enemies. A dripping pipe we hadn't noticed before suddenly explodes into a spray of blood, drenching Ash. The walls literally bleed, and blood pours all over a suddenly animated film projector and inexplicably into a light bulb, which explodes in a bloody spray shortly thereafter. A bit much? Not here, as anything more subtle would have underplayed the overwhelming sense of terror gripping the unprepared Ash. Expression is how the movie achieves its aesthetic, such as the frequent shots of the full moon, with a cloud covering it up as though blood were poured over the lunar surface. Or the high-speed tracking shots through the woods--so iconic of the director's work, that it has been dubbed the "Raimi-cam"--which represent an indescribable demon chasing Ash better than any costumed critter. The Evil Dead also takes the approach of allowing humor to heighten the sense of horror in the film; not with campy jokes or disarming timing, but with the very same extreme presentations of gore, which go so far overboard that it becomes difficult not to chuckle at the absurdity, even in light of the graphic violence it is meant to represent. Later iterations of Ash's exploits against the "evil dead" would bank further toward comedy, but the original assumes the mantle of horror, while allowing itself to "ham it up" in the process.
Recommended for: Fans of horror films that are heavy on the "human sauce", but are also full of highly expressionistic displays of terror, achieving a kind of shock which cannot be achieved simply by plot alone. This is a seminal cult classic of the genre, and set the bar for movies of its kind to follow for years to come.
The Evil Dead was the breakthrough film for director Sam Raimi--and also a launching pad for assistant director Joel Coen and star Bruce Campbell--as it gradually became a cult hit. More than just a film about bloody dismemberment, tree rape, and disgusting demons, the movie succeeds in its shock factor because it goes so far over the limits of reasonable tension. There are more than a few moments where a corpse we thought was dead suddenly springs to life to attack Ash,who ultimately is forced to try to survive, as his friends are destroyed by the demons. But Ash also has to contend with his own failing grip on sanity, which is where the extreme portrayals of the demonic presence elucidates this far better than a restrained performance could. Take for instance the scene where Ash goes back down into the dark cellar to retrieve more shotgun shells to fend off his undead friends turned enemies. A dripping pipe we hadn't noticed before suddenly explodes into a spray of blood, drenching Ash. The walls literally bleed, and blood pours all over a suddenly animated film projector and inexplicably into a light bulb, which explodes in a bloody spray shortly thereafter. A bit much? Not here, as anything more subtle would have underplayed the overwhelming sense of terror gripping the unprepared Ash. Expression is how the movie achieves its aesthetic, such as the frequent shots of the full moon, with a cloud covering it up as though blood were poured over the lunar surface. Or the high-speed tracking shots through the woods--so iconic of the director's work, that it has been dubbed the "Raimi-cam"--which represent an indescribable demon chasing Ash better than any costumed critter. The Evil Dead also takes the approach of allowing humor to heighten the sense of horror in the film; not with campy jokes or disarming timing, but with the very same extreme presentations of gore, which go so far overboard that it becomes difficult not to chuckle at the absurdity, even in light of the graphic violence it is meant to represent. Later iterations of Ash's exploits against the "evil dead" would bank further toward comedy, but the original assumes the mantle of horror, while allowing itself to "ham it up" in the process.
Recommended for: Fans of horror films that are heavy on the "human sauce", but are also full of highly expressionistic displays of terror, achieving a kind of shock which cannot be achieved simply by plot alone. This is a seminal cult classic of the genre, and set the bar for movies of its kind to follow for years to come.