The Evil Dead (1981) ~ Film Review
The Evil Dead was a film I couldn’t wait to see. A legacy of its own, whispers of its greatness can be heard echoing throughout the horror world. Released in 1981 and written and directed by one of the kings of horror, Sam Raimi, this film will leave you cringing and more than a bit nauseous. My best advice — don’t make my mistake and watch it while eating dinner.
The Evil Dead follows five friends to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of relaxation. Undoubtedly bored and regretting their decision to come, they find an old recording. While listening to a man tell of evil in the woods, they unknowingly release that evil upon themselves. The true greatness of The Evil Dead is that evil is initially intangible. Like a ghost story told across a campfire, the evil that lurks in the woods is not a person or a pack of wolves; it is simply an evil force, an idea. Once infected, however, the evil possesses a person and turns them into a raging psycho.
The Evil Dead has a lot working for it: the shaky, erratic camera angles are fun and used purely, yet ruined by overuse decades later. The film has a meager budget feel to it, and this only benefits it. The special effects are terrible but charming. There isn’t much of a plot to this film, either, but crappy special effects and barely any script seem to be what makes this film the cult classic it is today.
The 80s were a time for campy…
