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The Evil Dead

  • 19811981
  • NC-17NC-17
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
206K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
476
250
Bridget Hoffman in The Evil Dead (1981)
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
Play trailer1:28
8 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
206K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
476
250
  • Director
    • Sam Raimi
  • Writer
    • Sam Raimi
  • Stars
    • Bruce Campbell
    • Ellen Sandweiss
    • Richard DeManincor
Top credits
  • Director
    • Sam Raimi
  • Writer
    • Sam Raimi
  • Stars
    • Bruce Campbell
    • Ellen Sandweiss
    • Richard DeManincor
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 956User reviews
    • 364Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos8

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 1:28
    U.S. Version
    The Evil Dead
    Trailer 1:51
    The Evil Dead
    The Evil Dead
    Trailer 1:47
    The Evil Dead
    How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    Clip 3:47
    How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    The Evil Dead: Makeup
    Featurette 1:11
    The Evil Dead: Makeup
    The Evil Dead: Casting
    Featurette 1:42
    The Evil Dead: Casting
    The Evil Dead: Bruce Campbell
    Promo 1:06
    The Evil Dead: Bruce Campbell
    B-Movie Legend Bruce Campbell
    Video 1:31
    B-Movie Legend Bruce Campbell

    Photos250

    Ellen Sandweiss in The Evil Dead (1981)
    Bruce Campbell in The Evil Dead (1981)
    Ellen Sandweiss in The Evil Dead (1981)
    Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweiss, and Theresa Tilly in The Evil Dead (1981)
    The Evil Dead (1981)
    Bridget Hoffman and Bruce Campbell in The Evil Dead (1981)
    Bruce Campbell in The Evil Dead (1981)
    Bridget Hoffman in The Evil Dead (1981)
    The ladies of Evil Dead.
    The Evil Dead (1981)
    Bridget Hoffman in The Evil Dead (1981)
    The Evil Dead (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bruce Campbell
    Bruce Campbell
    • Ashley 'Ash' J. Williamsas Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams
    Ellen Sandweiss
    Ellen Sandweiss
    • Cherylas Cheryl
    Richard DeManincor
    • Scottas Scott
    • (as Hal Delrich)
    Betsy Baker
    Betsy Baker
    • Lindaas Linda
    Theresa Tilly
    Theresa Tilly
    • Shellyas Shelly
    • (as Sarah York)
    Philip A. Gillis
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    • (as Phil Gillis)
    Dorothy Tapert
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Cheryl Guttridge
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Barbara Carey
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    David Horton
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Wendall Thomas
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Don Long
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Stu Smith
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Kurt Rauf
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Ted Raimi
    Ted Raimi
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Ivan Raimi
    Ivan Raimi
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Bill Vincent
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    Mary Beth Tapert
    • Fake Shempas Fake Shemp
    • Director
      • Sam Raimi
    • Writer
      • Sam Raimi
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The cabin used as the film's set was also lodging for the 13 crew members, with several people sleeping in the same room. Living conditions were terrible, and the crew frequently argued. The cabin didn't have plumbing, so the actors went days without showering, and fell ill frequently in the freezing weather. By the end of production, they were burning furniture to stay warm.
    • Goofs
      Characters' hairstyles, as well as the amount of blood on them, change drastically from shot to shot - a result of shooting the film sporadically over several years. Note that seconds after Ash is completely covered in Linda's blood, he is clean again.
    • Quotes

      [repeated line]

      Voice of Evil Force: Join us...

    • Crazy credits
      The swing music from the old Victrola in the cabin's cellar plays during the closing credits, only to wind down and grind to a stop leaving the sound of the wind to accompany the rest of the credits. The final sound heard as the closing credits end is the fly buzzing - the first sound heard in the opening of the film.
    • Alternate versions
      When originally released to theaters in Britain, the UK censors removed 49 seconds of footage including an ankle stabbing, Shelley chewing off her own hand, an eye gouging, Shelley's body being dismembered, body blows with a poker and a wooden post, and shots of blood spurts, and it was this version that was released on video originally. Despite the cuts, it became one of the most notorious of the UK video nasties and was subject to many obscenity trials before being withdrawn on video in 1984, when mandatory video censorship was introduced to the UK. It was not until 1990 that the film surfaced on video in the UK again, due to wrangles between the distributors and the BBFC over how much footage should be cut from a legal video release. In the end, a further 1m 6s was removed, in addition to the previous theatrical version cuts. Most of the scenes depicting excessive gore were shortened or removed, with the tree rape scene being particularly targeted for cuts. The fully uncut version was finally released on DVD in 2001.
    • Connections
      Edited into Bhayam (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Charleston
      (uncredited)

      Music by James P. Johnson

      Lyrics by Cecil Mack

    User reviews956

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    This film probably used more blood than all the "Living Dead" movies put together!!
    "The Evil Dead" is not at all the sort of film I normally watch. However, it's a historically important one, as it gave director Sam Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell their big break...and is a great example of a super-cheap film that earned back a fortune for the filmmakers. In many ways, this early feature by Raimi reminds me of George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" (the 1968 version) and Peter Jackson's "Bad Taste" as they, too, were early films of these directors and earned a fortune...catapulting these men to A-level films.

    The plot here isn't exactly deep. Five young people go off to a cabin in the woods. They find a tape recorder and play it...only to have a professor on the tape blurt out an incantation from a book he found...and the incantation brought out the evil dead who soon began invading the bodies of these folks. For some odd reason, Ash (Campbell) is spared and the final portion of the film is a total bloodbath as he is forced to violently dismember his friends in order to avoid being killed by these not demonic beings.

    While the gore level is off the charts in this film, it's so ridiculously over the top and fake looking that it is worth seeing. Had they had a better budget, no doubt the gore could have looked much more realistic...and the film would have turned me off completely! As it is, it's somewhat comical because it's so ridiculous. Not a great film but for its budget, an amazing picture...one all budding filmmakers should see.
    helpful•12
    2
    • planktonrules
    • Nov 20, 2021

    FAQ8

    • What is a Fake Shemp?
    • Where is the location of the cabin?
    • What are the differences between the old British BBFC 18 VHS and the Uncut Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 15, 1983 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Evil Dead
    • Filming locations
      • Marshall, Michigan, USA
    • Production company
      • Renaissance Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $350,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,400,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,895,379
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1(original ratio)

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