The Evil Dead

It takes a pair of balls to make meat like this on a budget of $375k, and for a then !!! twenty-two year old !!! The Evil Dead was a dream come true for Sam Raimi, as he and Bruce Campbell had saved up for it during their high school years and largely financed the entire project themselves. To be honest, I didn't believe it could be that good :))), however, already here, in Raimi's first "major" film, you can see his unmistakable style, some excellent directorial ideas, and an amazing ability to create, in conjunction with the sometimes quite unpleasant music :)), a great atmosphere that will have you gasping from the first minutes. An absolutely stunning work for its time, and one that has given Sam Raimi a reputation as one of the most interesting icons of film directing. (09/02/2010)

To etch such an innovative notch in the annals of horror at 21 requires quite a lot of filmmaking talent, and Raimi here proves with every minute that he has more than plenty of it. The perspective shots and the visual tricks with the foggy environment in the first half generate an atmosphere that is thick as oatmeal (and also delivers rape-by-tree and the book of the death), while the great make-up and an endless dose of inventive camera movements in the second half hold the entertainment value at the highest level, even though the script is stuck in one place. The watering of the light-bulbs and the window projecting blood are immortal moments with deserved cult status. A simple premise exploited to the fullest with a very unorthodox and delicate climax – modern ghost stories can’t hold a candle to this. 80% (16/01/2019)

When I saw this legend of B-movie horror films in 1990 for the first time, to this day a functional genre cult, I was perplexed. Now that I have repeated this experience, my doubts are still there. I consider Evil Dead to be an amateur film that fails fatefully in all the aspects that are important to me. Terrible acting performances, a nonexistent script, cheapness, the idiocy of the film characters - should I continue? Even that one star I'm giving it is not for any merits because the film is bad and is taken seriously to the extent that it is somewhat amusing in its twisted way. Nevertheless, Sam Raimi showed here (at least in his camera work) that he has filmmaking in his blood, and when he adds enough perspective (which he already demonstrated in the sequel of the same title) and gains some experience, he can shoot in a grand style. Overall impression: 10%. (08/07/2013)

Crazy affair, changing from atmospheric horror to slasher to splatter finale, holds together only thanks to occasional crazy idea. Raimi delivers fresh ideas but lacks balance. Campbell has charisma, but others around him only fulfill the role of background. As for the suspense, the best for me was probably laughing Linda between the doors, the thought of which still makes me laugh and scared at the same time. But the highlight remains the last visit to the basement before Raimi unleashes his gallery of disgust. The atmosphere there is palpable. In the final evaluation, it is a weaker horror, where the viewer can fully enjoy grabbing different limbs and later their separation. And even though I enjoy being scared of what I can't see, it's disappointing when I don't find out anything at all. (23/03/2006)

If you watch it alone, The Evil Dead seems like a depressing horror movie about a descent into madness beyond the boundaries of rational certainties. In the cinema, those levels are still there, but the entertainment value of the whole work stands out more, and that includes the unintentional elements, from the characters and their behaviour to the film’s low-budget roots, which are evident in the out-of-focus shots, among other things. At the same time, however, Raimi’s talent and creative brilliance become fully apparent on the big screen. The Evil Dead is an essential entry among the legends of enthusiastic amateurs who simply got together with some friends, picked up a camera and shot a genre milestone that opened the door to the wide world of professional productions. But the reason that thousands of others set out on the same path but only a few filmmakers actually succeed in graduating to the Hollywood big league consists in the level of talent. It’s not about Raimi picking up a camera, but everything that he does with it and how. With deflected angles and exalted gestures, poses and precise framing, he not only displays his disposition for almost comic-bookish expressive visuality, but also perfectly draws attention away from the limitations of the production environment and fascinates viewers in every respect through intense scenes. (01/11/2022)