Featured Audience Ratings

• Alexander D

  
  Drop "Dead" funny meets plain awesome. Full review at themoviefreakblog.com

• Nicki M

  
  Fricken hated it. Non stop gore and just stupid. This from someone who loves the chucky movies.

• Samuel R

  
  A superb yet really, really creepy horror, which makes 'The Evil Dead' one of the finest horror movies out there. What makes this gore fest stand out is its unique scene between a woman and a tree. Although I enjoy 'Evil Dead II' the most, I'll never forget… More
  A superb yet really, really creepy horror, which makes 'The Evil Dead' one of the finest horror movies out there. What makes this gore fest stand out is its unique scene between a woman and a tree. Although I enjoy 'Evil Dead II' the most, I'll never forget the shock this film gave me the very first time I saw it. In fact, I can never get over the pencil in the ankle scene. This film not only made a superb start for both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, it led to the creation of one of the biggest cult franchises out there.

• Joseph M

  
  A

• KJ P

  
  The Evil Dead is one of the scariest films I have ever seen in my life. Definitely my choice for best horror of all time. It delivers on it's gruesome and disturbing chills throughout. I found myself covering my eyes at scenes, which I have never once done in a film before. From… More
  The Evil Dead is one of the scariest films I have ever seen in my life. Definitely my choice for best horror of all time. It delivers on it's gruesome and disturbing chills throughout. I found myself covering my eyes at scenes, which I have never once done in a film before. From the gory realism, to the formalistic over-the-top chase sequences, to the cheesy but awesome dialogue, to the terrifying creatures, "The Evil Dead" stands alone in it's genre. I loved this movie from start to finish, and it is a movie that I will never forget!

• Everett J

  
  "Evil Dead" is one of the all time best horror movies. It's bloody, crazy, funny, over the top, and just plain entertaining. Made in 1983 it launched the careers of director Sam Raimi, and Bruce Campbell. Campbell plays the legendary Ash, and if yo didn't know… More
  "Evil Dead" is one of the all time best horror movies. It's bloody, crazy, funny, over the top, and just plain entertaining. Made in 1983 it launched the careers of director Sam Raimi, and Bruce Campbell. Campbell plays the legendary Ash, and if yo didn't know that, or know who Ash is, then stop reading and go watch this and it's two sequels. Ash is the ultimate horror movie hero, but here he is just a teenage kid trying to stop demons from killing him. The premise is simple. 5 college kids go to a cabin, find an evil book(the Book of the Dead!) in the basement which unleashes demons(aka deadites) upon them. The effects are so dated and cheesey, that it adds some serious charm to this movie. It doesn't hold up in the scary department, but it holds up as a throwback to the way horror movies should be made. Interesting note, it's actually an NC-17(there is a crazy vine rape scene, yeh..vines and rape), and I have a feeling that if this movie came out again it would still get that rating(the remake actually did!). I can't wait for the remake, and rewatching this just affirmed my excitement. I'm sure it won't be as good, but just going to a theater to see an "Evil Dead" movie is good enough for me.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  three stars

• Eugene B

  
  Sam Raimi's classical horror flick is dark, sadistic and at times hysterical. Bruce Campbell delivers in this low-budgeted film that produces enough blood, humor and suspense to drive audiences into the same fear and terror that was atmospherically portrayed. 3.5/5

• Directors C

  
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Sam Raimi's debut feature "The Evil Dead" plays with all of the stereotypes of typical horror cinema and decides quite smartly to mess them up and satirise them. It is the perfect demonstration… More
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Sam Raimi's debut feature "The Evil Dead" plays with all of the stereotypes of typical horror cinema and decides quite smartly to mess them up and satirise them. It is the perfect demonstration of a director giving homage to the genre he loves whilst introducing new and innovative ideas. When you consider that horror movies generally need a plot and strong bulid up's for creating atmospheres, The Evil Dead escapes the limitations of narrative. It underhandedly manges to mold that creepy eeriness and mashes up all the conventions of horror in a way that only it's 2 sequels and the recent Joss Whedon offering "The Cabin in The Woods" has managed to pull off. Like Pulp Fiction which has inspired many neo noir thrillers the irony is the fact that it was an homage in itself. The Evil Dead is similar in the sense that it pays tribute to scuzzy, slimy, bloodbath horrorfests of it's time. And the gore is terrifically made. Just when I thought the film couldn't be any more inventive it threw more crafty oceans of blood in my face. I had a hell of a time watching it. Bruce Campbell's performance is fantastic, although I can't really say the same for the rest of the cast. One of the greatest spectacles of this film is the fast, slick, and often slanted direction from Raimi. Also the idea that it was filmed on a budget of less than 1 million dollars is amazing. The Evil Dead just proves that money doesn't mean everything. All it really takes is a good story and loads of ambition. It's a film that cuts to the chase and works as a result of it. It's very much unrestrained, no nonsense fun. It scared me, it made me jump, it made me laugh more than a few times, and sometimes did all at once. If it was made without it's campiness and surreal tone it would have failed to work as a horror comedy. It proves that at his best, Raimi is a genius filmmaker. The determination of the once young and energetic director is not displayed anywhere else better other than in the Evil Dead trilogy, it's no wonder that it maintains a massive cult status.

• Carlos M

  
  A fun splatter movie with tons of gore that make it so gruesome and funny. It is cheesy, silly and poorly made, with awful acting and many filming and continuity errors, but compensated by an amazing make-up and bizarre sense of humor.

• Daniel M

  
  When John Carpenter was interviewed for the Masters of Horror documentary in 2002, he commented that his generation of filmmakers (Tobe Hopper, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg and the like) became revered because they could break with the rules and generic conventions more than any… More
  When John Carpenter was interviewed for the Masters of Horror documentary in 2002, he commented that his generation of filmmakers (Tobe Hopper, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg and the like) became revered because they could break with the rules and generic conventions more than any generation before or since. Their arrival coincided with huge advances in special effects which enabled them to physicalize metaphors and express terror like never before. While it may not have the metaphorical or narrative weight of Carpenter's The Thing or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Evil Dead is very much a part of this broad trend of unbridled and unbounded horror filmmaking. Sam Raimi's debut effort remains a milestone in the pantheon of gory shockers, and is tied with An American Werewolf in London as the yardstick for horror-comedy. Most of all, it's one of the most original and demented horror films that you are ever likely to see. Much of The Evil Dead's reputation is rooted in its notorious mistreatment during the video nasties panic of the 1980s. In the early days of home video, the British censors had no direct power to certify or cut films that were being imported on video from Europe or America. This enabled the likes of Driller Killer and Cannibal Holocaust to be viewed uncut in British homes, resulting in a moral panic and a misjudged remedy by the British government. The Director of Public Prosecutions drew up a list of imported titles which could be prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act - the definition of obscene being "likely to deprave and corrupt a significant proportion of its likely audience." The Evil Dead was perceived to be obscene because it was visually so far beyond anything that casual film audiences (i.e. non-horror fans) had ever seen before. It was banned on video outright, with a severely cut version emerging in 1992 and the film only seeing the full light of day in 2001. Whatever one's attitude towards the BBFC and its often draconian policies, it isn't difficult to see why The Evil Dead would have caused so much of a fuss. Raimi's debut is a relentless piece of filmmaking, which treats its audience and characters with no mercy whatsoever. It never flinches in its depiction of violence or the lengths to which it is prepared to go to make us shrink away in revulsion, laugh our heads off, or - most subversively - do both at once. Raimi famously described The Evil Dead as "a Three Stooges movie, with blood and guts standing in for custard pies." He believed, in other words, that the aesthetic sensibility of horror and comedy were very close, and that pain could and should be funny. The Evil Dead takes the mechanics of slapstick comedy, which is built around physical pain and embarrassment, and covers them in gallons and gallons of blood. We find ourselves laughing at the jokes while being scared to death by the monsters that are providing them, and the whole experience is immensely enjoyable. If we compare The Evil Dead to An American Werewolf in London, their differences illuminate this mechanism further. American Werewolf is a very close descendant of old-school horror-comedies like Young Frankenstein: it begins as a comedy, then brings in the horror elements to increase the comic potential of the characters, and only becomes truly horrifying in its final act. The Evil Dead, on the other hand, introduces the language of horror first of all and then applies it to put a unique twist on several comedy elements. The premise of the film is essentially comedic: a group of students go to a cabin in the woods, accidentally awaken evil spirits, and try to stop them without becoming possessed. The film recognises the ridiculous nature of its setup, and pokes fun at the zombie genre while revelling in its revoltingness. If you go into the film looking for a subtext, you'll very quickly draw a blank. If you wanted to stretch a point, you could say that the film is a satire of the final-girl scenario of horror movies, but even then there is little on show to support this. The film eschews George A. Romero's approach of making zombies allegorical, preferring to use them as relentless sources of comedy, whether the pain is inflicted by them or upon them. The gore is funny because it is so knowingly over-the-top: it goes for a river of blood instead of a steady drip, and has Bruce Campbell repeatedly bashed with a poker when one blow would be more than enough to hurt him. The horror trappings of The Evil Dead are easy to recognise for fans of the genre. Raimi was greatly inspired by the work of H. P. Lovecraft, with the Book of the Dead being essentially the Necronomicon (a resemblance which the sequels embraced). The demonic force which attacks the cabin is also Lovecraftian, insofar as it has a complete and malevolent ambivalence towards humanity. And the use of fog to create a creepy atmosphere is as old as Gothic horror itself. What makes The Evil Dead so scary is the way in which Raimi executes the set-pieces, building up unbearable tension, making us scream or flinch and then finding ourselves laughing either at the excess or out of sheer nerves. His camerawork is extremely kinetic, and is structured so that we are see much of the action from the demons' POV. The famous shot of the demon racing through the woods fills us with genuine dread, and as with Hallowe'en it gives the impression that we are constantly being watched. Even in its quietest moments the film never lets us settle: the scale of the onslaught builds and builds so that the silences are as unbearable as the shocks. The special effects on the film are endearingly low-budget. The running shots from the demons' POV were achieved by mounting the camera on a plank of wood and hanging it between two members of the crew. The make-up is very distinctive, using the old staples of corn syrup and non-dairy coffee creamer to full effect. Even today the final scenes of bodies decaying, filmed entirely in clay and coloured plasticene, have an endearingly disgusting feel to them. The scrungy, B-movie appeal is cemented in the casting of Bruce Campbell, Raimi's long-time friend and collaborator who became a cult icon through his involvement in the series. Campbell brings an element of irony to the situation: he is the chisel-jawed masculine hero, faithful to convention in a film which follows few rules. He has charisma to spare and brilliant comic timing, embracing the central conceit so well that he never risks feeling like cannon fodder when the evil dead are preying on him. The Evil Dead is not a perfect film. Even if we excuse and embrace the shortcomings in the acting and effects (as we should), the tree rape sequence is still very difficult to live with. Fans of the film may leap to its defence as an example of the film's absurdity, but it feels nasty for all the wrong reasons, making us feel repulsed without contextualising it among the other scares. Raimi himself regrets including the scene, and sensibly took it out of the sequel six years later. The Evil Dead remains a milestone in horror comedy and one of the most original debut features of the 1980s. For all its shortcomings, its place in horror history is assured, whether as a balls-out, no-holes-barred shocker or as a truly terrifying adrenaline ride. The level of excess in which it revels will separate the men from the boys, but those who stay the distance will be immensely rewarded and relieved. Above all it's a really great film, even if it takes a long time to work out why.

• Cynthia S

  
  I am rating this movie for when I saw it in 1981. I just watched this again. If this was my first time I would have probably hated it...BUT. I know that back in 1981, this movie was awesome!! Crazy. Funny. Scary (yes, I was scared). This definitely has to be viewed now as a movie to… More
  I am rating this movie for when I saw it in 1981. I just watched this again. If this was my first time I would have probably hated it...BUT. I know that back in 1981, this movie was awesome!! Crazy. Funny. Scary (yes, I was scared). This definitely has to be viewed now as a movie to just have fun with, and realize that it was some crazy, crazy, crazy stuff in 1981....

• Dean !

  
  A very good horror film for its time and easy to see why it became a cult film. It's very creepy and despite the low budget and simple plot is quite entertaining. The horror effects do look very poor and dated now, making it more funny than scary. The camera work is very good and… More
  A very good horror film for its time and easy to see why it became a cult film. It's very creepy and despite the low budget and simple plot is quite entertaining. The horror effects do look very poor and dated now, making it more funny than scary. The camera work is very good and adds a great deal to the atmosphere of the film. Just would have been a bit better if it had more plot depth to it and the acting is far from great.

• Christopher H

  
  Sam Raimi's theatrical debut delivers a wildly original film that gives the right amount of gore, horror, suspense, and comedy. One moment, you'll be laughing and the next moment you'll be screaming in horror. The cinematography is kinetic and wild, giving a sense of… More
  Sam Raimi's theatrical debut delivers a wildly original film that gives the right amount of gore, horror, suspense, and comedy. One moment, you'll be laughing and the next moment you'll be screaming in horror. The cinematography is kinetic and wild, giving a sense of craziness, like one is losing their mind. The music and the home-made look of the cabin setting give a true sense of dread. The movie does use gore, a lot of gore, but it never gets to the point were it feels excessive. The cast serves their purpose although B-movie King Bruce Campbell stands out among the rest. Campbell gives a nice amount of charisma while still coming off as believable. Considering the films low budget, it is hard not to appreciate it. The Evil Dead shows that creativity and inspiration can transcend a low budget.

• Donna B

  
  The movie may be a little cheesy but its old filming makes it extremly creepy and thrilling. It also has hints of humor when the main character gets drenched in blood (Which happens about 10 times.) There is always something happening when you think everything has calmed down, so… More
  The movie may be a little cheesy but its old filming makes it extremly creepy and thrilling. It also has hints of humor when the main character gets drenched in blood (Which happens about 10 times.) There is always something happening when you think everything has calmed down, so don't even think about getting off the edge of your seat. The ending is a humongous cliff hanger on what happens in the second.

• Kevin K

  
  Grade: A- (91%) "The Evil Dead" might be one of the most weirdest/goriest/sickening movies I have ever seen in my life. There is a whole lot of gore in this film that probably defines "excess gore" in film making. It might be one of the weirdest films just due… More
  Grade: A- (91%) "The Evil Dead" might be one of the most weirdest/goriest/sickening movies I have ever seen in my life. There is a whole lot of gore in this film that probably defines "excess gore" in film making. It might be one of the weirdest films just due to one scene with a character and tree branches (people who have seen the movie will completely understand). "The Evil Dead" follows a group of friends who decide to spent a weekend in an old cabin in the middle of the woods away from civilization. Some of you can probably see what is about to unfold. A floor door opens all of the sudden and they find a book covered in human skin that will soon be called "The Book of the Dead" by a tape recorder. But when the tape speaks a magical spell from the book, the group begin to be infected and turned into zombies. Then a gore fest occurs for the rest of the film. Whatever you can think of, most of it will be in this film. Whether it's gouging out eyes or dismembering zombies, you will find it in this film. The film is disgusting but funny as well. The extremely violent executions are disturbing as well as funny to watch. The movie can be quite eerie at times. One scene is just the main character beating the crap out of the zombie while it just giggles and laughs for no apparent reason. With all this you are probably asking yourself if this is a good movie? Well even though I can't fully explain why, "The Evil Dead" is a great movie. Not for one second was I not entertained by this horror flick. Once the zombies come, this becomes a nonstop thrill ride that will shake you and make you sick to your stomach and in the end you'll be asking to watch the sequels. Saying that this is not a movie for everyone is a huge understatement. "The Evil Dead" requires a really strong stomach to watch through it fully. This is not a movie for anyone under the age of 13. This is a film that could make you sick by the gallons of zombie gore. Hell, even the non-gory scenes will disgust you; it gets that heavy. With all this "criticism" on the gore, "The Evil Dead" is a great movie to watch. Its fun, sometimes laughable and always disgusting. If you are a true horror fan, you should watch this film the next chance you get. Just make sure you have a bucket as a precaution, you never know.

• Dean M

  
  Director Sam Raimi's cult-classic and low-budget zombie flick is good and scary. His camera work is truly masterful. By using fast camera work and aggressive shots, Raimi has created an eerie world that is sometimes hard to look at but too entertaining to turn away from. His… More
  Director Sam Raimi's cult-classic and low-budget zombie flick is good and scary. His camera work is truly masterful. By using fast camera work and aggressive shots, Raimi has created an eerie world that is sometimes hard to look at but too entertaining to turn away from. His style from behind the camera is absolutely unmistakable. The special effects are as laughable as they were in the rest of the series, but there's something to be said for a film that takes its chances and goes to the extreme in lieu of lacking resources. The acting is terrible, but again in that way that it's so obviously bad that it's hard to tell were the actors just plain bad or were they doing that deliberately to serve the purpose of mocking the genre. Bruce Campbell's introduction into the world of abused heroes is interesting since his character is actually less of a chauvinist in this one than he ultimately became famous for. But it works, and the horror on his face when his friend has no reservations about chopping up his possessed girlfriend is actually believable.

• Matt G

  
  Sam Raimi appears early in the film as the fisherman, keep your eyes out!

• Sergio G

  
  I keep a very vivid image of a demon flying around the living room and counting cards. I was 8 years old. Thanks cousins!

• Steven C

  
  There is a very specific audience for "The Evil Dead" and I am certainly not it. While I completely understand the appeal of Sam Raimi's gross out opus, I couldn't find it any more unlikable- and I've had to sit through it twice. "The Evil Dead," and… More
  There is a very specific audience for "The Evil Dead" and I am certainly not it. While I completely understand the appeal of Sam Raimi's gross out opus, I couldn't find it any more unlikable- and I've had to sit through it twice. "The Evil Dead," and it's equally obnoxious sequels, are beloved films, there is no disputing that, so I won't bother with a full fledged deconstruction, but I will say this, I have never seen a nastier, noisier, numbskull of a horror picture. Yuck!

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