One of the original video nasties and a classic piece of gory movie-making. This offers some genuine scares and shocks rather than the full on slapstick gore that the sequels and imitators provide as we watch Ash and his friends fight off Armies of darkness after getting stranded in a cabin in the woods.
A group of friends are away for a weekend of relaxation and debauchery at a cabin in the wilderness- always a good recipe for horror an never bettered here. The group finds an old, dusty book which happens to hold dark secrets of untold dread. After reading from the Book of the Dead, an ancient evil breaks loose and begins to cause havoc. Things start fairly slowly with night falling, noises growing, and trees seemingly bearing down ever closer on the tiny house. The tension is cranked as high as possible before the fun really begins as a battle for the souls of our heroes begins. In classic horro fashio we are left with a sole survivor, a horror legend in the making, who must keep his wits as madness arches all around him.
Grainy, cheap, and with amateur actors, The Evil Dead succeeds where many big budget films do not, offering real scares and entertainment. Raimi and his cast and crew all appear to be having fun here, and this shows in the final result. There is is strong ambition and invention, and any number of new and forgotten techniques and skills are put to effective use here. The film is also a list of new horror rules which would be followed by eager copycats throughout the decade, and many techniques Raimi uses here we can still see in work today, including hiw own more recent hits. There are no messages here, nothing for uptight critics to get excited about. What the audience wants is gore, and we get it. Campbell’s acting skills are a welcome bonus. Very funny, and one film every horror fan should see and hopefully love.
This Special Edition DVD has all the extras a fan could wish for, from commentaries, to outtakes and documentaries. Every good film deserves a release like this.
As always, please leave your comments on the movie- is the original the best?
The Spac Hole 