The Evil Dead (1981)

After seeing Drag Me To Hell last night, it seemed proper to go back and watch Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead tonight! If you haven't heard, this flick is a classic and highly celebrated among Raimi Fans. It was a treat to witness Raimi's signature "character abuse" in both Drag Me To Hell and The Evil Dead. Both feature characters' bodies being tossed about by spirits and a hearty serving of various fluids, substances, juices, as well as the famous yellow Oldsmobile.

If viewed for the first time nowadays, The Evil Dead will most likely seem an intentionally campy, comedic movie, but it's still a blast, and for its time it pulled off great stunts with sounds, effects, costumes, and camera angles. Sure, it has its flaws: Bruce Campbell gets trapped under a third of a flimsy bookshelf TWICE--apparently his arm was hooked around one of the (broken) shelves, thus making it virtually impossible to escape the few planks of wood. And I can't count the number of times it seems like Bruce Campbell, and others, behave as if having a friend-turned-demonic-zombie in the doorway or under a cellar door is no more than a perfunctory, everyday occurrence.

The best part about this movie is the ending--you know, the part where we watch as the zombies are taken asunder? It seemed like the film crew took whatever goop was leftover and emptied it all in the final zombie deconstruction scene. Keeping with the Raimi-esque "character abuse," Bruce Campbell's face is repeatedly painted with the different goop!

The Evil Dead is a cult horror classic from '81 that is still entertaining and "so Raimi" even today. Rent it, buy it, download it (shame on you!), or catch it on Netflix instant viewing like I did.

Enjoy!