A worthy contender for 'greatest horror film ever'

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2006)

I don't know why it took so long for me to watch this film... I think it's the fact that I've always been told that it's a gore-fest and not really anything else. I can tell you now; I have been grossly misinformed. This is one of those films that everyone who's into the genre should see. If you as much as 'like' horror, you should see this film. Look past the less-than-stellar acting, the dubious dialog and the thin character writing, and you will see one of the greatest horror films ever created. The plot is hardly worth mentioning. The pacing is top-notch, you're not bored for a second through the entire film. Not one second, throughout the whole film. Seriously. The acting is mostly unimpressive. The characters are daftly written, and so hard to tell apart due to vague personalities that I was never completely certain how many men or women there were, or who was who(well, apart from Campbell as Ash, but his face is a pretty recognizable one). The dialog, as mentioned earlier, is quite dubious. Just about all characters(including the demons/Evil Dead, in-between moans and 'join us') get at least one really bad line. Delivery isn't exactly perfect, either. The effects, though some cheap and a few outdated(but not noticeably so; none of them looked fake or were easy to figure out) are very good. The real strength in this film, however, is the buildup to the horror and the editing. The way "The Evil", this unseen, abstract force of true evil is hinted at through the film... impossibly effective. The POV shots originating from said force are incredibly creepy. The editing is tight and excellent. The cinematography is by far some of the best I have seen in my entire life. A few shots were off, but there is no doubt that Raimi knows exactly where to put the camera or how to move it, even when he doesn't have the money to get a hold of expensive rigs. Now, as mentioned earlier, many have told me that this is a gore-fest... while everything I have put in my review up to this point still stands, let me make one thing clear; there is plenty of gore in this film. For better or for worse. Plenty. Limbs are torn off, bodies are maimed and blood is dripping by the truckloads. However, even if you don't like gore, if you don't care for blood and violence, you should watch this film... if you are into horror and you can take the gore(which is graphic and intense, make no mistake about that), you should definitely watch this film. One to watch for everyone who is into horror. I recommend this film to every horror fan who believes he can stand the violence and gore, and to everyone who is into both horror and gore... you've probably already seen this film, but if you haven't, go do so now. You won't regret it. 10/10