The Evil Dead | October 15, 1981
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| The Evil Dead |
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| The Evil Dead |
The Evil Dead is a 1981 American independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi. The film stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly. They play five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in the woods, where they find an audio tape that, when played, releases demons and spirits. The film follows the protagonist Ash Williams (Campbell) as he struggles to survive amidst the increasingly brutal chaos as four of his friends are possessed by demons.
Sam Raimi, along with producer Robert G. Tapert and Bruce Campbell, created a short film called Within the Woods in 1978 as a proof of concept to attract potential investors. This effort secured $90,000 in funding, allowing them to produce The Evil Dead. Principal photography took place in a remote cabin in Morristown, Tennessee, and was an extremely grueling process for both the cast and crew. The prosthetic makeup and stop-motion effects were created by artist Tom Sullivan. The Evil Dead had its world premiere on October 15, 1981, at the Redford Theatre in Detroit and later gained significant attention at the Cannes Film Festival. The film received further recognition after horror author Stephen King praised it, leading to New Line Cinema acquiring distribution rights and releasing it widely on April 15, 1983.
The Evil Dead grossed $2.4 million in the United States and $29.4 million worldwide. The film received positive reviews both at the time of its release and in subsequent years, eventually becoming a cult classic. It is frequently cited as one of the greatest horror films of all time and is considered a successful example of independent filmmaking. The film solidified the careers of Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and Bruce Campbell, who would go on to collaborate on several projects, including the Spider-Man trilogy.
The Evil Dead spawned two direct sequels, Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992), and a soft reboot/sequel, Evil Dead, in 2013. The franchise expanded into various media, including the TV series Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-2018) and the 2023 film Evil Dead Rise. The franchise also includes video games, comic books, and more, with the protagonist Ash Williams becoming a cultural icon in the horror genre.
Ash Williams, a student at Michigan State University, his girlfriend Linda, his sister Cheryl, his friend Scott, and Scott's girlfriend Shelly go on vacation to an isolated cabin in rural Tennessee. Strange things begin to happen as soon as they arrive at the cabin, such as the porch swing moving on its own and stopping when Scott grabs the door key. Cheryl hears a faint demonic voice saying "Join us" while drawing a clock, which suddenly stops. Although shocked by the incident, she does not tell the others.
During dinner, the cellar door suddenly flies open, prompting Ash and Scott to investigate. They find the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, the Book of the Dead, and an archaeologist's audio tape, which they bring upstairs. When Scott plays the tape, it recites incantations that summon demonic entities, terrifying Cheryl, who begs Scott to turn it off. That night, Cheryl hears strange noises and goes into the woods, where she is attacked and raped by possessed trees. She barely escapes back to the cabin and begs Ash for help, but they discover that the bridge leading to the cabin has been destroyed. Now trapped, the group realizes that the demonic presence will not let them leave.
Cheryl begins to transform under the influence of the demonic forces, and the others also experience supernatural phenomena. Ash learns from the tape that the only way to defeat the demonic entities is to dismember the possessed hosts. As one by one, the group members are possessed by demons, Ash must fight to survive the increasingly horrific situation.
