See it for Bruce Campbell.

Rating: 7/10 (30 June 2004)

Its low-budget look gives it a real charm. It progresses along gradually enough, ie the suspense builds realistically and naturally, instead of giving us zombies within the first five minutes, that we believe the zombies when they eventually come - it actually works as a straight horror movie, unlike its sequals.
I don't know where Raimi found Bruce Campbell, but he's the real highlight of this movie. He's incredible - he's got this superhero's head. It was a great idea to have a certain guy's face being the figurehead of the series. Especially when he's got a face like this! Those crazy eyes, that jut jaw. Raimi is right - he does look great in a head shot.
The first half hour is really exciting, because you can tell everyone is just learning how to make a film. It was shot over a period of seven years, i hear, so the general quality improves throughout, but there are no noticeable jumps in quality - the texture is not incredible uneven. It all hangs together okay.
Its a fairly full-on zombie experience, once we get into the thick of it. Its fairly harrowing and foul, so be prepared - weak of stomach should stay away.
Certain parts were better than others: I thought the zombie trapped under the trapdoor banging up against it was fantastic, all of Bruce Campbell was fantastic, especially his later scenes. But i didn't like the part near the beginning where a girl wanders into the woods and vines start chasing her and climbing up her crotch.
Raimi's lightning-fast steadicam which predates Barry Sonnenfeld's famous "crazy-cam" from Raising Arizona by a good decade is pretty freaky, but gets a little gimmicky.
7/10. Bruce Campbell's head in this movie is a thing to be seen.