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The Evil Dead (1981)

 -  Horror  -  24 April 1983 (USA)
7.6
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Ratings: 7.6/10 from 87,522 users   Metascore: 70/100
Reviews: 688 user | 251 critic | 10 from Metacritic.com

Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.

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Title: The Evil Dead (1981)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Richard DeManincor ...
Scott (as Hal Delrich)
...
...
Shelly (as Sarah York)
Philip A. Gillis ...
Fake Shemp (as Phil Gillis)
Dorothy Tapert ...
Cheryl Guttridge ...
Barbara Carey ...
David Horton ...
Wendall Thomas ...
Don Long ...
Stu Smith ...
Kurt Rauf ...
...
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Storyline

Five friends go up to a cabin in the woods, where they find unspeakable evil lurking in the forest. They find a tome called the "Necronomicon", Book of the Dead, and the taped translation of the text. Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens are possessed. With only one remaining, it is up to him to survive the night and battle the evil dead. Written by Chris Sealy <csealy@bu.edu>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Can They Be Stopped? See more »

Genres:

Horror

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for substantial graphic horror violence and gore | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

24 April 1983 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Book of the Dead  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$375,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (FSK 16)

Sound Mix:

| (re-mastered version)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Bruce Campbell actually twisted his ankle on a root of a tree and was in pain when Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tapert thought Campbell was fooling around. They started to poke at the ankle to the point that it made Campbell laugh, despite the pain. Raimi told him to "stop fooling around and get ready for the next shot." Campbell painfully obliged. See more »

Goofs

When Ash goes into the basement for shotgun shells, the shells he grabs are "spent" shells, and therefore, would not work. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Scotty: Hey, Ash, where are we?
Ash: Well we just crossed the Tennessee border...
See more »

Crazy Credits

The Evil Dead, the ultimate experience in gruelling horror, was filmed in Morristown, Tennessee, and in Detroit, U.S.A. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Creepy Tales (2001) See more »

Soundtracks

"Charleston"
(uncredited)
Written by Traditional
Performed by Traditional
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

A Horrific Masterpiece
13 January 2005 | by (Boston, MA) – See all my reviews

Sam Raimi proved to the world that he could not only direct a movie but that he could create a product that was not only original but that could scare the hell out of you. Since the 1981 release, Bruce Campbell has found work on many film projects due to his break out performance in the Evil Dead. Raimi, has gone on to direct many films. Both have earned much of their career based on this little horror movie, that has been re-produced / recycled by thousands of "wanna-be" film makers world wide. This is not your typical "zombie" film, let alone your garden variety horror movie as well. The Evil Dead is one of those black comedies / horror movies that overwhelms the audience to either be scared out of their wits or won over by the movie's story and over the top characters. The Evil Dead is what most, if not all horror movies should be, very real and powerful.


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This movie is terrible !!! georgenevs
Wayyyy overhyped?! dudeacockus
SCARY film, but the tree scene is hilarious! connor-fieldsend95
The perfection of horror! THISisZODIACspeaking
Was this supposed to be a comedy? oburns01
Cabin in the woods! petergc6
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