The Evil Dead - A Film Review

This week I chose to review: The Evil Dead directed and written by Sam Raimi. This film has a huge cult following, as well as a reboot coming out April 5th. This is one of my favorite horror films in recent memory. It originially released on October 15, 1981 and it shows. The use of props, fake blood, and a Super 8mm camera helps explain the film's roughly estimated $375,000 budget. The film's format is blow-up 35mm. Sam Raimi was only 20 years old at the time and had a very difficult time finding investors, eventually to the point of begging. Much of the crew was inexperienced, which made for unintentionally funny film. There was so much inexperience in fact that Raimi would run through the woods with his camera, strapped to a wood log, to capture the first person perspective of a demon running through the woods. This "horror comedy" played with many of the horror genre's stereotypes to become what it intended to. A general plot summary for this film sounds something like this: Five college students from Michigan State drive into the hill's of Tennessee to enjoy their spring break vacation in a cabin. The setting of the cabin in the woods helps to carry the overbearing feeling of loneliness. Upon their arrival, a sense of eeriness comes over them. They find a book entitled: The Book of the Dead, as well as private recordings from an unknown. They begin to be attacked by the forces of evil that they have summoned from reading this book. Bruce Campbell plays Ash,  a stereotypical college student protagonist. With him are his girlfriend Cheryl, and friends Scotty, Linda, Shelly. I do not see much of a serious theme, much because this is not much of a serious movie. It is meant to be entertaining and gory. I think much of the reason that this film does want it intends to so well is that it does not take itself seriously at all. I believe that there are two parts to this film: The first half, which involves the build up of the demon attacks and the second half being the psychological battle within Ash.  Sam Raimi knew what he was doing, and he knew how ridiculous it was. I feel that great directing comes from the director executing on exactly what he is intending. The mood of this film bounces around like a beach ball at a Nickelback concert. One moment, there is sheer terror and horror overcoming you as Ash is chased by a demon zombie, the next being the hilarity of a girl being "raped" by a bunch of trees. Raimi more than delivers with an unspeakably huge cult following as well as being cited among the greatest horror films of all time.