A true horror classic.

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2005)

Director Sam Raimi and good friend Bruce Campbell set out to make a real scary movie...although filmed on 16mm, THE EVIL DEAD is good enough to be your next nightmare and a hell of a lot better than your run of the mill slice and dice. Campbell plays Ash Williams, one of five college friends set out to have a wild weekend in the woods. Two guys...three girls journey to a remote cabin, of course in the middle of the woods. And the woods whisper "Join Us". The group stumbles upon a book and a tape recorder belonging to the previous inhabitants, warning of evil spirits lurking in the woods. When the dead come out to play, the newest victims turn into horrid ghouls. Ash, who at heart is a cowardly pansy, turns out to be the macho, macho man to the rescue. It takes courage, a shotgun and a chainsaw.
When the flesh-eating demons start their attack, the blood doesn't just ooze; it splatters, gushes and flows by the bucketful. And there is the scene where one of the girls is beckoned into the woods only to be attacked and raped by a...tree?! Cheap special effects galore decorate this vacation to a little north of Hell. The comedy was unintentional. It is a product of bad acting by actors with little or no experience. But still, Raimi as writer and director has stumbled upon something here. THE EVIL DEAD more than deserves its youth restricted rating. As if it really matters, other cast members are: Betsy Baker, Hal Delrich, Ellen Sandweiss and Theresa Tilly.