Evil Dead is a classic

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2004)

'The Evil Dead' was one of those films that no-one ever got to see as there was little call for it in Video, but now with DVD it is readily available for anyone. And thank god for that! People can have opinions of this film which weren't derived from some friend who probably hadn't seen any of the trilogy, never mind the first. The film may have been banned when it was first released, but it is not the scariest film ever made and apart from Big Boy Bruce the acting is not the greatest. But the tension is excellent and the directing from Sam Raimi is effective as well as impressive, especially when you consider that this was his debut feature film. The possessed characters are brilliant, better than the make up in Romero's Trilogy, and the back drop is used to perfection.
It may be another in a long line of horrors in the wood, but it easily stands out as one of the best due to its scares brought out through the high quality cinematography and Sam Raimi himself. And the underlying humour that is apparent throughout just improves it further (see the present Ash gives to his girlfriend).