The ultimate experience in grueling horror, no jive.

Rating: Null/10 (16 November 2001)

Sam Raimi's feature debut was this 16MM horror movie shot on a low budget and began filming around 1979, only to be retouched and reshot many times up until its U.S. release circa 1981.
The movie is a simple tale of five teenagers who vacation at a dilapidated cabin in the Tennessee woods. One night they play the tape recording of a man who had been to the cabin once before and discovered the horrendous secret of the "Book Of The Dead". His translations of the text are loud enough to wake the dead...and they do. Spirits of demons are awaken and one-by-one they are possessed and killed in an attempt for survival. In the end, our only survivor is Ash (Bruce Campbell), a somewhat ignorant and cowardish boy forced to save himself from the darkness surrounding him.
Not as highly slapstick as its followers (there is one horrendous Three Stooges salute near the end), and gorier than both sequels combined, this movie lacks plot and believability. But what you get are some fast-paced and surprising jolts, really great camera movements (the camera rushes through the scenery at breakneck speed), and some graphic violence bolstered by monster FX and stop-motion animation. Also notable, this was before the days of candy glass and soft contact lenses, so the cast and crew put their all into this movie.
The DVD release from Elite Entertainment is a sure buy. The movie is beautiful in color and there are many extras, including stills, outtakes, and two commentaries (one from Raimi and Robert Tapert, the other a more humorous and informative track from Bruce Campbell himself).