Renaissance Pictures
1983
NC-17
“Oh, you bastards! Why are you torturing me like this? Why?”
Five young adults head out to a remote cabin for a night of, um, good clean, wholesome fun. Arriving there, they find a funky book and a reel-to-reel tape recorder, which, it seemed, was used by a professor who was translating the book. Turns out, that very book was the Necronomicon, the “Book of the Dead” (found at your local book store next to the lesser-known Cookbook of the Dead), and after the soon-to-be-icon Ash plays the tape back, some seriously pissed-off demons manifest. You guessed it. Possession party! Grab your favorite carbonated liquid beverage, order a pizza, invite some friends over, kick back, and enjoy yourself…
What can I say? Evil Dead is a classic in every sense of the word, putting the SPLAT back in SPLATTER. With this first movie, Sam Raimi took $50,000 and crafted a kinetic, energetic, relentless and even artistic straight-up horror film. The shocks never hold back, as people are getting hacked to pieces, possessed, raped by trees (seriously messed up), and the bloody gore is over-the-top. Yes, there are bad lines, and one has to wonder why the intelligence level of anyone in a situation like that goes out the window (you don’t investigate strange noises and run out to where the evil things are…in a way, they deserved what happened, out of sheer stupidity), but all that is easily overlooked. The low-budget effects work wonders here, even that cheesy claymation scene at the end, and the inventive filming techniques used add to the creepiness of the setting. This is horror art…and no, I don’t think I’m being over generous…
Now, let me take a minute to speak of the DVD. If possible, nab a copy of the Special Edition, the one packaged in a replica of the Necronomicon. It has a groovy commentary track with Bruce Campbell reminiscing about the film, pointing out little facts, making it one of the better features you can get. Basically, Evil Dead deserves to be in your collection, if you consider yourself a true horror fan. It’s has a simple story, packed with gore, and is no-holds-barred horror. ‘Nuff said…
Confessions Of A Christian Freak 
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