The Tag Line Was Actually Right

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2007)

"The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror" This tag line is actually correct this time instead of a lame exaggeration. The terror produced by this film is indeed grueling and physically exhausting. I thought I saw the scariest films ever made in "Halloween" or "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and while those film did indeed produce their own kind of terror, "Evil Dead" has surpassed them.
The story is simple. Five friends go to a cabin for some good old partying. A few weired instances take place but only when the Necromonicon is found and a tape player recites the text that the fun begins.
What makes this film so scary? The first would have to be the inventive camera angles. Fast, rapid and above all else stylish, especially when from the demon's POV, it's like being grabbed by the shirt and pulled along for the ride. The cabin is a perfect setting to take advantage of which Raimi does. Add to that is the use of sound. A creepy soundtrack with sinister sounds and a good use of silence, this movie has scene after scene after scene of unbearable tension, knowing something is going to pop out but never knowing when.
The makeup on the zombies are well done and while the fore effects are not realistic, they sure are cool to look at. The acting ranges from mediocre to below, the best performance going to Bruce Campell who pulls off his part fairly well.
On the downside, the film does drag a bit at the end, probably could've been cut about 5-10 minutes short. With that aside, this is a classic, classic horror film and one of the best ever made undoubtedly.