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IMDbPro

The Evil Dead

  • 19811981
  • NC-17NC-17
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
208K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,087
16
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
7 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
208K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,087
16
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • 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
    • 958User reviews
    • 365Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos7

    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

    Photos267

    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. Williams
    Ellen Sandweiss
    Ellen Sandweiss
    • Cheryl
    Richard DeManincor
    • Scott
    • (as Hal Delrich)
    Betsy Baker
    Betsy Baker
    • Linda
    Theresa Tilly
    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
    Ted Raimi
    • Fake Shemp
    Ivan Raimi
    Ivan Raimi
    • Fake Shemp
    Bill Vincent
    • Fake Shemp
    Mary Beth Tapert
    • Fake Shemp
    • Director
      • Sam Raimi
    • Writer
      • Sam Raimi
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more 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 reviews958

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    A marvel what some college film students can do on a shoestring budget
    SPOILER(S) POSSIBLE

    The first ever full-on film project by budding filmmakers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert(then called Bobby Tapert)would prove to be a work of endurance and love and also one of the more entertaining horror films made in the eighties.

    The plot is painfully simple: Five young adults from Michigan drive off into the woods for a camping vacation,using a seldom-used cabin as their haunt. They uncover a tape recorder and a crusty,dusty and blood-and-flesh-coated "Book of the Dead" or "Necromonicon",inadvertently incant the chant that awakes a limitless supply of malevolent spirits in the woods,and then one by one get picked off until a lone survivor is left to fight to escape. The story isn't much of an accomplishment:it's the whole physical undertaking that's the real accomplishment.

    On a small budget that was probably getting smaller as the shoot continued(I don't know the exact amount of time of filming,but it probably lasted at least a year),the filmmakers and stars(all of 'em,most famously budding star Bruce Campbell as the conflicted but can-do Ash)had to make the most of a limited set,claustrophobic settings,gallons of viscous fluids,endless supplies of cakey make-up,a limited amount of lighting(probably NOT an accident,there) and probably a mass-produced amount of fog to create something that has both the feel of a creepily eerie film about the undead and yet had the effects to back up the type of slasher horror pic that the producers were aiming for.

    The first of an intriguing trio of horror/comedy films that Raimi,Tapert,Campbell and company would crank out over a period of just under fifteen years(and,after seeing this film in full,I'm not sure if anyone involved originally intended to make any sequels),the atmosphere and noticeably cheap effects may turn-off your pickier horror film snobs,but anyone with a sense of adventure and high tolerance for gore will be reasonably pleased--if not greatly impressed--by this first effort film. A keeper,not a renter,not only for repeated viewing but also for the extras.
    helpful•36
    9
    • KUAlum26
    • Oct 31, 2009

    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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