A masterpiece of 80's horror!

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2010)

In this cult classic - the original cabin-in-the-woods flick - a furious demonic force possesses a group of thrill-seeking teens (led by Bruce Campbell) who venture deep into the Tennessee backwoods for a weekend of sex and drugs. The five friends awaken the ferocious intruders by playing a tape-recording of weird incantations, which consists of recitations taken from the Sumerian "Book of the dead". As each character gets possessed, the gore-factor effectively rises. The build up of the outrageously organic violence leads to a humorously horrific climax in which the remaining zombies deteriorate (via clever stop-motion techniques devised by Tom Sullivan) and their organs emphatically explode.
With this film, Sam Raimi established his signature touches as a director: breakneck speed, kinetic action sequences and inventive camera angles. "The Evil Dead" is shot with a powerful flair, and it's mainly Raimi's directorial verve that elevates the film above it's mundane zombie contemporaries. Overall, a superb example of what can be done on a low budget and a masterpiece of 80's horror.