The Evil Dead (1981)

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

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writer:

Sam Raimi

Stars:

Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Campbell	...	Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams
Ellen Sandweiss	...	Cheryl
Richard DeManincor	...	Scott (as Hal Delrich)
Betsy Baker	...	Linda
Theresa Tilly	...	Shelly (as Sarah York)
Philip A. Gillis	...	Fake Shemp (as Phil Gillis)
Dorothy Tapert	...	Fake Shemp
Cheryl Guttridge	...	Fake Shemp
Barbara Carey	...	Fake Shemp
David Horton	...	Fake Shemp
Wendall Thomas	...	Fake Shemp
Don Long	...	Fake Shemp
Stu Smith	...	Fake Shemp
Kurt Rauf	...	Fake Shemp
Ted Raimi	...	Fake Shemp

Storyline

Five college students take time off to spend a peaceful vacation in a remote cabin. A book and audio tape is discovered, and its evil is found to be powerful once the incantations are read out loud. The friends find themselves helpless to stop the evil as it takes them one by one, with only one survivor left with the evil dead and desperately tries to fight to live until morning.

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Plot Keywords:

evil dead | necronomicon | psychotronic film | cult director | cult film | 

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Taglines:

They got up on the wrong side of the grave.

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for substantial graphic horror violence and gore

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Book of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$375,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renaissance Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 70 min (FSK 16) 96 min (Extended Version)

Sound Mix:

Mono DTS (re-mastered version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Much like Within the Woods (1978), the film needed to be blown up to 35mm, then the industry standard, to be played at movie theaters. The relatively large budget made this a much simpler process than it had been with the short film.

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Goofs

The shotgun wound on Cheryl's face goes from the left side, to the right side, then back to the left between shots.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

The opening credit for The Evil Dead shimmers like a ghost.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror III (1992)

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Soundtracks

Westminster Quarters
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

A Horrific Masterpiece

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.