The Evil Dead (1981)

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The Evil Dead (1981)
Genre: Horror Black Comedy Directed by: Sam Raimi Produced by: Robert G. Tapert Written by: Sam Raimi Starring: Bruce Campbell Ellen Sandweiss Richard DeManincor Betsy Baker Theresa Tilly Cinematography: Tim Philo Editing: Edna Ruth Paul Music by: Joe Loduca Production company: Renaissance Pictures Distributed by: New Line Cinema Release date: October 15, 1981 (Redford Theatre) April 15, 1983 (United States) Runtime: 85 minutes Country: United States Language: English Budget: $375,000 Box office: $2.7 million or $29.4 million Franchise: Evil Dead Sequel: Evil Dead II

The Evil Dead is a 1981 independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, filmed by Tim Philo, musically composed by Joseph LoDuca, edited by Edna Ruth Paul, distributed by New Line Cinema, produced by Robert Tapert and Renaissance Pictures, and starred Hal Delrich, Ellen Sandweiss, Bruce Campbell, Betsy Baker, and Sarah York. It has two sequels, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992). It also got a remake in 2013.

Why It's Groovy

1. Incredible special effects for both the gore and the creatures.  
2. Ash is an incredibly likable and sympathetic character, and you feel bad for what's happening to him in the movie.  
3. Amazing soundtrack.  
4. The movie utilizes the Necronomicon in the plot, which is a book that is said to supposedly possess the power to raise the dead.  
5. Great acting by everyone, especially Bruce Campbell as Ash.  
6. Revolutionary camera techniques employed by director Sam Raimi, a trait which he would later use in his Spider-Man movies.
7. Excellent black comedy.

The Only Quality That Made It Evil

1. While Ash is likable and sympathetic, he isn't nearly as cool or badass as he is portrayed in the much better sequels.

Reception

The Evil Dead has a 95% critic rating and an 84% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 3.8/5 on Letterboxd, and a 7.5/10 on IMDb.

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