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)

I get why this film has cult status, but for me it’s not worthy of a full score. The first half was great, but the second has several dull moments, the plot gets stuck somewhere and all I could do was wait for an ending that was clear. The final disintegration of the demons didn’t have any atmosphere due to the not very good special effects. It needs a remake, those special effects today don’t work as they should. (03/01/2008)

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)

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. (22/03/2006)

On the one hand, it is perhaps too frantic and prolonged by several unnecessarily long scenes of destroying "friends", yet on the other hand, it is definitely imaginative, playful, solidly suspenseful atmospheric fun. I saw Evil Dead for the first time today, so I really can't go on and on about nostalgia, VHS tapes and whatnot. But even so, the film has a kind of special charm that is hard to describe. I'm curious about the sequel. (27/07/2012)