A simple film

Rating: Null/10 (16 June 2002)

Simplistic is the word to describe The Evil Dead. This would usually be a criticism for any other film. But The Evil Dead turns it's limitations to it's advantage. The first shot, of a vicious creature roaming the Tennessee woodlands, is a case in point. The film-makers have managed to get around the problem of creating an animatronic creature (which would probably have devoured the budget as well as the actors) by shooting from the creature's point-of-view as it tears through the woods, growling and snarling. Simple and very effective, it grabs the attention of the audience. For the rest of the film, The Evil Dead takes the audience on a roller-coaster ride of horror that remains unrivalled (except for the sequel). Bloody and violent to a ridiculous extreme to please drive-in audiences, it caused incredible controversy in England, where it was banned for a while then released in a heavily cut form. It was this controversy that made The Evil Dead an instant horror classic. But hype dies and so do hyped films, only true quality remains. The Evil Dead is still being talked about, thanks partly to it's loyal fan base and it's countless re-releases. But also because it's extremely well-made and effective.
The Evil Dead is brilliantly shot with an energy that is rarely seen in films a hundred times more expensive. The editing is razor-sharp and the special-effects (for a film made on a low-budget) are excellent. The zombies in the film are the most horrible creatures, with their blank eyes and rotting bodies. It made a star out of Bruce Campbell, a comic-book hero in three-dimensions, who made the character of Ash a horror icon. With Ash, director Sam Raimi, turns the genre on it's head by creating a hero that is, in no way, heroic. The film also has moments of uneasy comedy ('We can't bury Shelley. She's a friend of ours') that just manage to make the horror all the more horrible, like the dinner scene in 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. Not to say that The Evil Dead is a film to be taken totally seriously, the cartoon violence and the references to The Three Stooges make that impossible. But the film is genuinely scary in places and Raimi's handling of suspense is fantastic. The scene where the characters arrive at the cabin and the swing is thumping against the wall is a great example of Raimi's skill.
The Evil Dead could easily have been just another gore film, but Raimi's brilliance as a director shines through and lifts this simple film above everything else.