The Perfect B-Movie.

Rating: Null/10 (7 May 2012)

When I first saw 'Evil Dead' I was maybe 10 and I was too scared to finish at the part where the pull the possessed girl out of the fire and then chop her up. A few years later when I was 13 my friend only made it to the part where they jam a pencil on the one girl's heel... This is one of those movies that the first time you see if, if you're very young, it might just have that effect on you. Unlike Halloween which I'm in love with, but even at 11, I never got too scared to keep watching. In fact, this is the only film I remember having such a profound effect on me.
'Evil Dead' is a campy 1979 (released in 1981, but mostly filmed in 1979) low budget B-Grade horror film. But one that works. The effects are creative, the camera work is interesting and the pacing is unlike many movies done today. It will go instantly from silence to high action, then back to silence, and it won't be in any rush to scare you again. But unlike Paranormal Activity, which was "high tension, low payoff," this one won't disappoint you when the scare comes. There are some great high-tension moments, some screamer moments, and some parts that are just truly creepy. It has a little of everything in the scare department.
But, this IS a b-movie. So yes. The acting is bad. Yes. The claymation at the end is awkward. It's far from a perfect film. But it's a great one. And maybe the perfect B-Film. Most of what it tries works. And even when it doesn't come off so well, you still have to be impressed with their ambitious ideas for a low budget independent film made in 1979.
This one is truly a classic. Flaws and all, I wouldn't change a thing.
As a side note: This movie is originally in Full Screen. Widescreen release DVDs simply bar off the top and bottom rather than pan-and-scan or adding anything. This is one of the few movies I recommended Full Screen.
(Altered from my review from RottonTomatoes.)