The Evil Dead

 

Netflix's Synopsis:  "During a stop at a remote cabin deep within the woods, a group of teens begins turning into flesh-eating zombies in director Sam Raimi's cult classic."

My Synopsis:  Five friends go out to a cabin in Tennessee to have a weekend away.  Strange events lead them to a book in the basement that, when read from, conjures the Dead to rise... and possess... and murder... and... let's just say, chaos ensues.

The Peeps:  Sam Raimi (writer; director); Ted Raimi (writer); Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard Demanincor; Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly

The Quick Run Down:  Scary, Gory, Funny, Entertaining

Worth The Watch:  Absolutely!

The Evil Dead is the story of Ash, his girlfriend, and three other friends, going out to a cabin in the middle of nowhere to have a relaxing get-a-way weekend.  The cabin is creepy but cozy, so the friends settle in, getting ready to do their thing.  Through unsettling noises and some quirky events, the group goes into the basement and stumbles upon the Necronomicon or the Book of the Dead.  Some chants are read from the book, despite pleadings from various members of the group that they shouldn't be, and BAM - the dead are summoned.  Pretty soon, the fifth wheel of the group gets possessed, starts stabbing people and bitting people, who, in turn, get possessed, and chaos ensues.  Evil, possessing, cannibalistic, self-mutilating, murderous chaos.  It's awesome.

I wish I could go on and on about The Evil Dead, but I can't.  I've got like 800 more films to go on Netflix, so, I'm gonna try and keep it short.  If you haven't seen The Evil Dead, you're either way young, not into horror movies, or possibly blind.  The film is probably the quintessential cult flick and quite easily one of the best B-rated indie horror films ever made.  It's cheesy, over-the-top, gory as all hell, and an absolute blast.  Raimi never lets up with the thrills and chills, and Campbell is terrific to watch.  It's not GOOD acting, per se, but it's FUN.  The classic status that the film has acquired over the years stems Raimi and Campbell's later successes and from the bookoos of background info that has surfaced on the film*.  It was shot over the course of two years - beginning in 1979 with the short film "Within The Woods", principal photography for the feature occurred at an abandoned cabin in the TN backwoods during a terrifically cold winter, the film went over time and over budget, funding was lost, gained, lost, gained, and finally the film was released in 1981.  What emerged was a horror movie like none before.  One driven by a scare plot but with the protagonist seemingly acting some sort of twisted Three Stooges** type Halloween special with exploitative special effects  (and a tree-rape scene - sheesh!).  It probably sounds like a mess (and it is messy!), but it's not.  It's actually a very simple film that delivers good scares, tons of gore, and some pretty good laughs.  In my humble opinion, it's a horror film not to be missed and easily within the top five best horror flicks ever made.  If you haven't watched it already, check it out.  It's on Netflix!

Could you pass the Trailer, please?

 

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*Bruce Campbell has a book out called, "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor".  The book is about Campbell's career, as a whole, but it goes into a lot of detail concerning the shoot, problems, and ultimate completion of The Evil Dead.  It's a really good read, and, if you're interested in checking it out, HERE IT IS: "If Chins Could Kill" By Bruce Campbell  It's a messy format, but it's PDF and freeeeee!

**The Raimi Brothers (Sam and Ted) and Bruce Campbell were big Three Stooges fans, and the influence on the film is abundant.  In fact, if you look on IMDB, after the 5 main cast members are listed, you see "Fake Shemp" for everyone else involved.  This came from the Three Stooges.  Shemp was a character from the show, and, often, when Shemp was shown from the back or side, Cambpell and the Raimi's would recognize that the person shown wasn't the actual guy playing Shemp but a stand in.  So, when they began filming their own stuff, they starting using the phrase "Shremp it", meaning, "fake it", use a stand in or whatever necessary to make it work.  Impromptu film at its best!