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:

cult film | evil dead | necronomicon | supernatural rape | book of the dead | 

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Taglines:

They got up on the wrong side of the grave.

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for substantial graphic horror violence and gore

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ragtime song that plays on the Victrolla in the cellar and at the opening of the closing credits is The Charleston.

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Goofs

When Ash throws the Book Of The Dead into the fire and Cheryl freezes for a moment (right before she drops the poker) her image is reversed. The gunshot wound on her cheek and the bandage on her forehead are on the wrong side.

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

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Alternate Versions

The 1999 US Elite DVD release is missing a brief shot of lightning hitting a tree that was removed at the behest of the director, as he thought it looked too fake to retain. However, the 2002 Anchor Bay DVD release restores the shot and has remained ever since.

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Connections

Referenced in Spaced: Art (1999)

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Soundtracks

Charleston
(uncredited)
Music by James P. Johnson and lyrics by Cecil Mack
Performed by Traditional

User Reviews

STILL THE BEST OF THE FRANCHISE!!! A HORROR CLASSIC

I grew up watching the BRILLIANT evil dead trilogy & love all 3 movies, my favourite was probably Army of Darkness but now i would say NOTHING beats the terrifying & gruesome 1981 original Horror MASTERPIECE!!! The original is pure Horror & is a gritty low-budget gross demonic possession flick before it went all comical, Ash was more of a terrified coward here but he was more real & full of fear like anyone would be!!! The setting is scary as hell & the atmosphere is full of dread & it's all very well made on that tiny budget. A true scary old school Horror classic that used to terrifying me as a kid & still today it's scary as well as being crazy disgusting fun. Evil Dead (1981) really is a true Horror movie with amazing monster fx done with a tiny budget so this really is a Horror CLASSIC & the brilliant director Sam Raimi's MASTERPIECE

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead

Filming Locations:

Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,400,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,955,571

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renaissance Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 70 min (FSK 16)

Sound Mix:

Mono DTS (re-mastered version) Dolby (5.1)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1