The Evil Dead

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2010)

Sam Raimi's classic horror-comedy still holds up after almost 30 years. Even though the plot may now sound very clichéd, and it probably did in 1981 too, it never hinders the fun of horror: A group of five friends, Ash, Cheryl, Scotty, Linda and Shelly (played by Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly respectively) drive to a remote forest cabin for a fun weekend but their plans are quickly put on hold by the presence of sinister forces from the unknown. After having inadvertently summoned the evil entities with the help of a strange book and audio tape found in the cellar, everything turns against them: the forest won't allow them to leave and starts assaulting them in gruesome ways, turning them into zombie-like freaks one after another. Ultimately only one of the friends remains human, intent on making it out alive...
The movie starts as an atmospheric suspense-driven horror film: the camera crawls near the ground like a preying animal, there's focus on creepy little details like a swing banging against a wall, a clock pendulum stopping by itself, a bridge ominously falling apart even before anything out of the ordinary has happened. Once the gore starts after about 30 minutes, it keeps evenly escalating into ridiculous amounts, conveniently shifting the tone towards comedy without awkward mood changes. The infamous vine rape scene looks genuinely nasty, providing maybe the most horrific moment in the story, and while the wild dismemberments in the latter half of the film are intentionally over the top, the tone maintains a feel of tragedy throughout – the freaks were once human beings, more than fodder for axes, bullets and chainsaws. Despite the excessiveness of the gore, the suspense is never allowed to fade away even at the very end, thanks to Raimi's skillful direction and the frequently oblique camera-work.
The effects still look excellent for the most part; only the stop-motion transformations of the climactic scenes at the end have dated notably, but I think their old-fashioned cartoon-like quality is really charming in a way. The screen-presence of the pus-oozing plastic monsters is on a wholly different plane of existence than the obviously non-existent CGI creations of many modern action movies.
Even though the actions of the characters aren't exactly believable, it comes across as awareness of the conventions of the horror genre instead of lazy writing, and surely provides a strong basis for a both funny and creepy piece of entertainment. The direction, music, effects and acting make sure The Evil Dead is still just as enjoyable as it was in 1981, completely deserving of its classic reputation. Essential viewing for any horror fan.