Not the Best Cellar

Rating: Null/10 (5 April 2003)

I saw this movie last month (March 2003) so forgive my lateness...
Raimi's "The Evil Dead" is not entirely bad (heavy influence here from Romero's "Night of the Living Dead," Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes," and Carpenter's "Halloween"). It has a worthwhile script, make-up effects and camerawork, but the Rankin/Bass-like stop-motion ending is just too much and we can sense the 'tongue' slipping out of the 'cheek' and trying too hard to 'touch the tip of the nose.'
Five friends (two romantic couples and an extra girl) set out to spend some r&r at a Tennessee cabin. Soon they discover a forbidden tome in the cellar that, when its contents are read aloud, has the power to release an evil, demonic force on the world.
Irritating are the demonic cackles and the occasionally sloppy production values. But this is, after all, an 8mm production.
Raimi since directed the 2002 Spiderman movie, but Bruce Campbell's career appears to have come to a grinding halt.
In the working stages, this post-grad project was known as "The Book of the Dead." The two sequels (done that) are best left 'in the cellar.'