EVIL DEAD (includes trailer)
July 12th 2010 00:49
Evil Dead - a film by Sam Raimi
If 1981’s Evil Dead had been less skilfully or inventively made, it would have been at the least a guilty pleasure. From it’s very first frame Sam Raimi’s first film cosily fits itself into the book of classic schlock fests that, with it’s obvious dialogue looping and soft focus photography, is reminiscent of such horror films as Last House On The Left or Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It’s low budget roots give way to a highly inspired, gruesomely fun, B-grade show down with surprisingly flashy camera work and fine editing. Evil Dead pulls it’s act together and comes out as one of the most enjoyable and well made horror films in the genre.
Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Drag Me To Hell, Army Of Darkness, The Gift) was just 23 when Evil Dead was released, he managed to get horror writer Stephen King to come to one of it’s early screenings on the festival circuit, and when King sang it’s praises, it helped launch the film and it’s writer/director to cult popularity and then some. Evil Dead stars the man, the myth, the legend himself, Raimi regular Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-tep, Darkman, From Dusk Till Dawn 2), in the role that launched him to B-film royalty. Horror has proven to be the genre that Sam Raimi belongs in, his films are as much fun as a trip to the candy store and his recent return to form, Drag Me To Hell was also a reminder of this (despite the success of some of his other films outside of horror, they just arnt the same). When you watch one of Raimi’s light hearted fright flicks you are watching some one have a hell of a lot of fun, he so good at playing with the audience, sending them into gasps and laughs, horror is his play ground.
Bruce Campbell as 'Ash' in Evil Dead
As usual, things begin with the awful mistake of a couple of guys and girls deciding to go out to that cabin in the woods, a furious, jagged, low hand held, point of view camera races along through these woods indicating the menace abound. Their car, packed up with the five of them, rolls nervously over a rickety bridge as the camera from underneath notices the planks crumbling away into the rapids below. The car moves along cautiously through these unknown woods, there’s a hypnosis in the air as we linger on the vehicle, arriving at the door step of what will be a night from hell. Ash (Bruce Campbell) takes his friends inside the isolated house, as they explore it’s darkened corners and dingy secrets. Nothing is explained regarding why they’re there, it’s just a fun set up. They discover a tape recording and as it plays back it speaks a curse that will awaken the dead, to go forth and inhabit the living. Flesh eating zombies are abound tonight, some will make it out of there and some won’t – Who will survive and what will be left of them!
For Sam Raimi’s first film he proves to know how to build suspense superbly, the build up is bloody juicy, and I do mean bloody. It’s amazing how far the innovative production design goes in this film. It’s rich in detail, in every way, each small facet picked up by the camera, from the pipes in the basement, to the home made blood, guts and green and purple goo bubbling out the zombies brains, it’s a deliciously good time. Sam Raimi injects a fair dose of visual flair into his shots, constantly surprising us, using audio and visual technique to create a style which elevate the movie out of it’s b-film crudeness. Evil Dead remains mood heavy until it reveals it’s goods, a pack of flesh eating zombies preventing our main characters from a decent night’s shut eye. This may not be for everyone but you can’t turn your nose up at how much thought was put into the making of this film, it’s frankly inspiring and time has proven it to be a cult classic.
Who will survive and what will be left of them?
Evil Dead is, however, very much a case of ‘what you see is what you get’, it’s old school horror that’s real straight forward. No statements or social commentary to found here. The acting suffers from bouts of choppiness, sure Bruce gets the job done, but some of the actresses create a worse smell with their acting then a chainsaw into the corpse of the undead. Actually, the most entertaining characters in the film are the zombies them selves, constantly harassing and mocking the living, with taunts that are sure to put a smile on your face. I shouldn’t have this much fun with during the film, but I do.
You could make a case though that a few of it’s short coming fit unnoticeably into the spirit of b-film horror genre. While the zombies are fun to watch and even engaging in what the sound mixing has done to their voices there are some dodgy, terribly dated looking effects towards the end of the film, you can literally see where each frame of claymation begins and ends. This is forgivable though as it’s all in context when you think about how little money was probably behind the film, most of the make up and sound effects create a top notch, gross out good time. There is such a glorious over abundance of the rancid and putrid to be found, as the blood and brains erupt you can almost smell them. If a trip into hell, armed with a shotgun and chainsaw, taking on the walking dead sounds like your cup of tea, then grab your mates and a couple of beers, cause as far as zombie films go you don’t get much better than this!
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
And what's with dropping the "The"..? It's The Evil Dead. The sequel dropped the "The" ....
I love this movie, I was lucky to see it on the big screen back in 1984 at the Wgtn Film Festival. People were walking out of the cinema. My friend and I lapped it up.
I'm one of the minority that doesn't like the sequel(s).
My review here.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
JD - My name is Bruce sounds like a sinfully extreme guilty pleasure. The very title alone makes me smile - thanks for reading
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
I only saw the second film in the last year or two and really enjoyed it even though it covers the same ground. Army of Darkness I'm not so crazy about but it does have that same manic energy about it that's hard to hate.