The Evil Dead (1981)

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writer:

Sam Raimi (written by)

Release Date:

15 April 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Can They Be Stopped?

Plot:

Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.

Plot Keywords:

Evil | Woods | Cabin | Tape | Friend

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Bruce Campbell	...	Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams
Ellen Sandweiss	...	Cheryl
Richard DeManincor	...	Scott (as Hal Delrich)
Betsy Baker	...	Linda
Theresa Tilly	...	Shelly (as Sarah York)
Philip A. Gillis	...	Fake Shemp (as Phil Gillis)
Dorothy Tapert	...	Fake Shemp
Cheryl Guttridge	...	Fake Shemp
Barbara Carey	...	Fake Shemp
David Horton	...	Fake Shemp
Wendall Thomas	...	Fake Shemp
Don Long	...	Fake Shemp
Stu Smith	...	Fake Shemp
Kurt Rauf	...	Fake Shemp
Ted Raimi	...	Fake Shemp

Also Known As:

Book of the Dead (USA) (première title)
Evil Dead (USA) (trailer title)
Into the Woods (USA) (working title)
Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead (USA) (complete title)
The Evil Dead, the Ultimate Experience in Grueling Horror (USA) (closing credits title)

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for substantial graphic horror violence and gore.

Runtime:

85 min | Germany:70 min (FSK 16 version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1990) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2002) | USA:Not Rated (DVD rating) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Germany:16 (heavily cut) | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (uncut) (2001) | UK:18 (re-rating: 1990) (cut) (re-rating: 2001) (uncut) | UK:(Banned) (1984-1990) | UK:X (original rating: 1982) (cut) | USA:R (edited UMD version) | Netherlands:16 | Germany:18 (re-rating) (1995) (court decision) (cut) | Argentina:16 | Canada:14A (rated 2006) | USA:X (original rating) | Chile:14 (2006 DVD Rating) | South Korea:18 | West Germany:(Banned) (1984) (uncut) | Sweden:(Banned) (1988) | Italy:VM14 | Canada:18A (Ontario) (Re-rated 2008) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Québec) | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:(Banned) | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) (2004) | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/18 (original rating) | Singapore:(Banned) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 (re-rating) (1997) | USA:NC-17 (rated 1994) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Renaissance Pictures

Trivia:

Sam Raimi originally wanted to title this film "Book of the Dead," but producer Irvin Shapiro changed the title to "The Evil Dead" for fear that kids would be turned off seeing a movie with a literary reference.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ash's legs have been grabbed at, clawed and bitten into yet when he stands up at the end of the film, his trousers are intact although we've seen them ripped at least twice.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Scotty: Hey, Ash, where are we?
Ash: Well we just crossed the Tennessee border...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jennifer's Body (2009)

You don't need a big budget to make an accomplished film

Sam Raimi's feature length debut "The Evil Dead" is truly one of the greatest horror films of all time and the start of a magnificently entertaining trilogy of hilarity and some real scares. Made on a budget of only $375,000, the film is surprisingly accomplished on a technical level. The effects, although they do look fake by today's standards, hold up a lot better than you might have expected, and the stop motion sequence at the end, which looks a lot faker than anything else in the movie, was accomplished for its time and budget.

"The Evil Dead" is about a group of young adults who travel to a cabin in the woods and discover a 'book of the dead'. No prizes for guessing what happens next as each character is possessed (except for Ash) and disposed of via an intriguing variety of methods. Considering its budget, unknown director (at the time), and typical slasher plot "The Evil Dead" would almost certainly seem headed towards forgotten B-movie status, and yet it has stood the test of time and remains one of the most widely acclaimed horror films of all time. Why? It's simple. Although "The Evil Dead" is nowhere near as funny as its sequels, it's still a humorous self-satire while also being terrifying despite its age. This odd combination (only perfected in this film's sequels and "Creepshow") works because Raimi crafts a tense and moody environment, puts his characters in there, and then ruthlessly disposes of them, sometimes doing so several times for the same character. What's worse is that there's nowhere to go. Raimi creates a claustrophobic feeling in anyone watching, he wants you to think about being in a situation where you're trapped with nothing but death and destruction surrounding you. For most people, he probably succeeds. As far as acting goes, none of it is really very good but Bruce Campbell is instantly likable as Ash, who just has to be one of the most memorable horror film characters of all time.

Gory, desolate, hopeless, and still funny, "The Evil Dead" is a horror masterpiece that isn't quite the strongest entry in the series, but is shockingly accomplished and entertaining despite its low budget and inexperienced cast and crew. This is a film everyone must see, along with its sequels.

9/10