The Evil Dead is one of the most legendary cult films of all time. Only a moderate success upon its release, it has since gone on to develop a huge following. Stories and legends of its making abound across the internet, not all of which agree with each other. What is definitely true is that it launched the careers of director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell. It also launched a long running, multimedia franchise that includes film sequels, video games, comic books, and even a stage musical.
Raimi and Campbell were childhood friends from Royal Oak, Michigan, an affluent suburb of Detroit. As teenagers they made short Super 8 films together, with Raimi behind the camera and Campbell in front of it, reportedly because Campbell was more popular with girls. Still just a teenager, Raimi made the short film Within the Woods for just $1,600, with the intention of using it to attract interest from producers to make a full length version. To raise the nearly $100,000 that he estimated he would need, Raimi borrowed and begged, eventually scraping enough funds together to begin filming what would become The Evil Dead.
The plot is quite simple and having been imitated and spoofed so many times since, seems very much a cliché. A group of 5 young people rent a cabin in the woods for vacation. Ash (Campbell), his sister Cheryl, his girlfriend Linda, his best friend Scotty and his girlfriend Shelly are the only speaking parts in the film. In the basement of the cabin the group finds some old and spooky equipment, including a tape recording and a book made of human skin. The tape recording contains an incantation that raises demons and one by one the group becomes possessed by them.
By today's standards, the film looks quite crude, but in many ways this adds to its charm. The special effects, while limited are fairly ingenious considering the low budget. Raimi was working on something like 1,000 times less the budget he would have when he made Spider-man 3. This lack of funds required ingenuity and Raimi makes clever use of his cameras to compensate. The spirit in the woods, for instance, is never shown. Instead, whenever it appears, we see things from its point of view. It's a very effective technique.
The low budget and somewhat amateurish acting is most noticeable at the start. Once the scares, gore and-in the most shocking scene-rape by tree, begin, you'll be too busy enjoying yourself to notice or care. And at just 85 minutes, the film flies by quite quickly. Once the action and creepiness start, they rarely stop.
Although not nearly the comedy the sequels would become, there are some funny moments here as well. The amount of gore is so over-the-top that it eventually becomes hilarious. Campbell is drenched in blood and decaying demon bits by the film's end. Some of the stereotypical behavior of the characters is also chuckle-worthy, such as when Cheryl hears a noise outside in the dark and goes to investigate, asking the inevitable question, “Is anyone there?” Rather than outright funny though, this film is more about a sense of fun, despite the horror.
The Evil Dead would make close to $2.5 million worldwide upon its initial release, most of it overseas. Despite some high profile praise in the United States, including the enthusiastic endorsement by Stephen King, it only ever saw a limited release here. Over the years though, its reputation would increase, and is now considered a cult classic and has influenced many other films. 2012's The Cabin in the Woods was clearly heavily influenced by it and 2013 saw a remake, written by Raimi, but not directed by him and featuring Campbell in only a cameo.
Raimi has since gone on to a highly successful career as a director, but in many ways, this tiny little film has cast the biggest shadow out of all of his work. It has lived on and grown in stature in the over 30 years since its release. Not bad for a 20 year old kid on a shoestring budget.
