The Evil Dead

3.75
    The Evil Dead
    1981

    Synopsis

    Five vacationing college students unwittingly resurrect demonic spirits through the Book of the Dead.

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    Cast

    • Bruce CampbellAshley 'Ash' J. Williams
    • Ellen SandweissCheryl
    • Richard DeManincorScott
    • Betsy BakerLinda
    • Theresa TillyShelly
    • Philip A. GillisFake Shemp
    • Dorothy TapertFake Shemp
    • Cheryl GuttridgeFake Shemp
    • Barbara CareyFake Shemp
    • David HortonFake Shemp

    Recommendations

    • 100

      Los Angeles Times

      Unquestionalby it's an instant classic, probably the grisliest well-made movie ever. [26 May 1983]
    • 83

      The A.V. Club

      Then the carnage comes, and when it does, it delivers on all promises and more, with a parade of gushing wounds, demonic howls, and oceans of gore which approach the line of good taste, toe it, then gleefully dance across. [22 Sept 2010]
    • 80

      Variety

      While injecting considerable black humor, neophyte Detroit-based writer-director Sam Raimi maintains suspense and a nightmarish mood in between the showy outbursts of special effects gore and graphic violence which are staples of modern horror pictures.
    • 80

      Empire

      Unbound by cinematic convention, Raimi unleashed his free-range camera, and ghoulish, omnipresent sound effects to create a bleak, paranoid atmosphere and a raft of sudden, effective shocks.
    • 80

      Total Film

      Shot on 16mm for less than $50,000, Sam Raimi's visceral debut remains a benchmark of modern horror. Plot and acting are minimal - five stooges inadvertently awaken demonic forces - but then this isn't about intellect or intricacy: it's about intensity and intestines. [1 Oct 2001]
    • 75

      ReelViews

      The extreme nature of the gore isn't beside the point - it is the point. Raimi goes so far over the top in presenting these displays that they take on a campy, almost humorous appearance. It's impossible to take all this blood seriously. So, instead of being sickened, we're strangely amused - and this is all intentional.
    • 75

      Slant Magazine

      Raimi's script is riotously deadpan, his compositions undeniably breathtaking and inventive. [6 March 2002]
    • 70

      Chicago Reader

      The film is ferociously kinetic and full of visual surprises, though its gut-churning reputation doesn't seem fully deserved: if anything the gore is too picturesque and studied, an abstract decorator's mix of oozing, slimy color, like some exotic species of new-wave interior design.

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