“The Evil Dead” may be one of the greatest gems to come out of low-budget horror films. And, when you consider all the greats in that category, it most definitely says a lot about this movie. A genius blend of intensity, gore, and absurdity, all brought together by a genius writing and directing, and one of the greatest lead heroes to come from the horror genre.
The sheer ambition behind the scenes makes this appealing on the surface. Writer/Director Sam Raimi fought tooth and nail to bring this to life, first by making a prequel short film(“Within The Woods,”) with lead actor Bruce Campbell for $1,600, then by using its proceeds and funds from friends and family to eventually make The Evil Dead for a minuscule budget of $375,000.
The film was shot on location in Morristown, Tennessee, and lasted nearly twelve weeks. Tensions grew quickly as the crew had to stay in the cabin during filming. Not to mention Raimi’s knack for “torturing” the cast as a way of capturing real pain. There were injuries, including actors being accidentally stabbed and Bruce Campbell tripping while running down a hill and hurting his leg. Needless to say, this was a brutal and claustrophobic experience for all involved. Campbell even stated in his autobiography that production was “twelve weeks of mirthless exercise in agony” and, in what may be the best description for a film’s production, “a comedy of errors.”
Raimi showed the film to whoever would be willing to watch it, eventually catching the eye of the individual who was a founder of the Cannes Film Festival. “The Evil Dead” was shown at the 1982 festival, with Stephen King being an attendee. King later included the film as one of his favorites in the horror genre in a USA Today article, thus gaining more attraction in the press and catching more and more buzz for distributors. Eventually, New Line Cinema agreed to distribute it domestically, and the rest is history. The film has two sequels, a soft reboot, a few video games (a new Evil Dead video game is coming later this year,) comic books, a sequel series that ran for three seasons, and, believe it or not, an off-broadway musical.
As a young and curious horror fan, I knew of this movie, had known who Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi were, and knew that this movie had some significance in the horror genre when I found a copy in the $5 DVD bin at Walmart some years ago. It has gone on to be an annual staple when Halloween comes around, and one of my favorite horror movies.
What do you think of this classic? Where does Ash Williams rank among the horror leads?
Jared Douglas Tonsfeldt
I’ve loved movies all my life and it’s a dream come true to be able to share about my views on film! My favorite Director is Alfred Hitchcock and my favorite movie is Dr.Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
