Grueling, Mr. King? Oh, how clean the thrust.

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2004)

No matter the cheap effects, much less the college acting, I had to have a deep tissue massage once the final credit of this film had completed its upscreenward journey. If there is one thing I'll give this film, it is that it keeps you in suspense. Sam Raimi's use of sound and angle are merely the infancy of his genius. I dare say the second was even more grueling. Hats off to you Mr. Raimi, we know now what got you that Spiderman bid.
In Evil Dead, we also had a glimpse of Bruce Campbell's early acting. He plays the naive oaf with uncanny perfection as Ash, the unsuspecting hero of this film. Of course, in subsequent sequels, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, the character of Ash develops from this same unsuspecting hero and naive oaf to a crazed lunatic in the second film and finds himself a war hardened veteran of deadite war in the third.
The ladies of Evil Dead are captivating in spite of the dingy cinematography and 80's acting style, and they look none the worse for the wear what with the cold Tennessee atmosphere and tea saucer contact lenses.
They certainly do make that old cabin and Hal Delrich's garage look mighty frightening. Oh, and hey, Ted Raimi's in this one.