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Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2012)

One could easily describe this landmark horror film as The Little Horror Film That Could. Made for a meager $375,000 by a troupe of Detroit buddies in the woods of Tennessee, it still stands tall three decades after its release. Led by writer / director Sam Raimi, the crew set out to take the films' viewers on a hell of a ride, one that gleefully gets in ones' face and delights in over the top carnage and mayhem. Fast, fresh, and frequently funny, its old school practical effects (including stop motion animation) remain a treat to watch; the film may indeed be a little "rough around the edges", but that merely adds to its charm.
The story has five young chums - two guys, three gals - travelling to a cabin in the mountains who have their fun interrupted when by poking around some artifacts left by the cabins' previous tenant, they unleash the demons that had been dozing in the area. Once the demons start possessing this hapless quintet, it becomes clear that there's going to be plenty of bodily dismemberment going on.
Raimi and company aren't afraid to dispense with good taste here, as witness the notorious scene with a lecherous tree limb. The atmosphere is completely authentic and the performances totally committed. Bruce Campbell may be the breakout star of the production, as poor, tortured Ash, but everybody here delivers an entertaining performance. "The Evil Dead" shows some real imagination and ingenuity, and takes only the barest of breathers in between its assaults on your senses.
The film has a healthy respect for horror films of the past, and as an appreciable in joke, features a ripped up poster of Wes Cravens' "The Hills Have Eyes" in the cabins' basement. It's films like this that prove that old adage that the independent productions are great for forcing their makers to be creative, and everybody involved gets an A for effort (buffs will note that Raimis' friend Joel Coen was the assistant editor here), from composer Joseph LoDuca to cinematographer Tim Philo to makeup effects creator Tom Sullivan.
This remains great fun from viewing to viewing, and its two sequels kept up the tradition of imbuing the horror genre with a riotous sense of humour. A true crowd pleaser.
Eight out of 10.