An influential horror movie with some humour, loads of gore and some shocking moments

Rating: Null/10 (27 March 2005)

Looking for a fun weekend away, Ash, Cheryl, Scotty, Shelley and Linda all head up to a cabin in the woods for drinking and fun aplenty. Having found it in the midst of the woods, they ignore the mysterious things they see and settle in. However, a clock stops and a mysterious trap door opens on its own and the boys go to investigate. Finding an old book and a tape recorder, they discover that something happened here but don't believe claims of the wood being alive. However when strange things start happening they find it is too late to try and leave and that they have awakened demons that will kill them all before dawn.
I wonder if this film would have been as famous in the UK if it were not for the outrage that it got involved in with the whole "video nasties" affair, I guess we'll never know but whatever factors helped it on its way it is undeniable that Evil Dead has been a great influence on many subsequent films. It is easy to look at the things like the tacking shots (done by running with camera on planks), the excessive gore and the "cabin in the woods" setting and call it obvious and clichéd but that is to forget that some of these things have become the norm since this film, maybe even because of it. This is not to say that the film isn't cheesy, poorly acted and rather low cost but then that is a fair claim because it is all these things but it is actually more impressive when you know the limitations it was made under. The gore and effects may have dated now but they are still very effective  not because they are cutting edge effects but because they are delivered with a real nasty eye and a sense of horror and brutality that really helps the action. I will admit that ED2 is delivered with real comedy but this film is a lot nastier and I defy anyone to be amused by some scenes. Specifically the BBFC's excised "pencil in wound" scene is hard to watch but is not as genuinely disturbing as the tree rape  this is not a funny scene but one that really delivers the horror of this film.
Given that this is a low budget horror then I think it succeeds well because it is gory and, although not that scary (coming from a man who is freaked out by all zombie films) the gore is hard to watch at times and made me flinch. The performances play second fiddle to the director, who marks out the style that he carried with him on his way to becoming the director of blockbusters that he now is; his camera-work is clever and he has a sense for the manic and the brutal. The cast are mostly forgotten and it is only Campbell who has gone on to cult status, but even his performance is not remarkable here (much, much better in ED2) and the rest are just "kids in a cabin" fodder.
Overall this is a good film that is a low budget horror that works thanks to constant gore, clever and energetic direction and a real sense of brutality in the action. It isn't wonderful and many will dismiss it as just one of many "don't go into the woods" horror movies but that is to forget how early it came in that cliché. People who dislike gore will find little else here and I personally prefer the horror comedy of Evil Dead 2 that is more or less a remake with a bigger budget, less brutality and more laughs but this is still an influential film that should be seen for that reason.