Genre Defining Classic

Rating: 7/10 (17 March 2002)

Evil Dead got banned in Germany in 1985. This probably contributed a lot to its infamous reputation it enjoyed here during the second half of the 80s. Among teenagers it was _the_ movie to bring to a party and devide the guests into those who were "brave" enough to watch it and those who weren't.
I remember one such party, I think it was 1990 already, were the movie was playing. I caught only about half of it (not including the gorier scenes at the end) because I was too busy experimenting with other stuff you tend to be very much interested in at the age of 16 (won't tell whether it was sex or drugs)... or maybe I just wasn't brave enough?
Anyway, time moved on, the ban on the film was lifted in 1991, and you can now rent and buy it on DVD in various incarnations. So, I rented the "full uncut" UK release (PAL, Code 2, 86 min).
OK, the violence in this picture is excessive but presented in a slapstick/comic book manner that makes it easily watchable. Acting is as bad as everyone is saying, but still it's hard to not like Bruce Campbells performance.
I also liked the much acclaimed camera work. From the first minute on camera angles and movements are used to create suspense and the sense of some immaterial threat lurking in the woods.
There are other very nicely done low-budget effects such as a mirror liquefying when one of the characters tries to touch it, which curiously reminded me of similar scene in The Matrix (done in CGI) that alone probably cost about as much as the complete Evil Dead.
I'm not sure though whether, after 20 years, this movie is still scary. The Sixth Sense, for example, scared me much more (don't laugh).
Still I guess it is a must-see for any fan of the genre. It is wonderfully campy and bits of it actually can pass as rather smart filmmaking, especially considering the highly limited budget.
7/10 (this includes a bonus point for being the influential cult classic it is)