The ultimate in raw, independent film-making

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2016)

Sam Raimi's acclaimed horror debut is certainly not for the faint of heart. As the advertising slogan goes, what many consider to be "the ultimate experience in gruelling terror" is a gripping, frightening, gory roller-coaster ride through all manner of unbelievable and scary happenings. I actually think the first half hour of this film is the best, just before all hell breaks loose and the special effects guys have a field day. The first half hour is the set up, an atmospheric sequence full of dark shadows, spooky cellars and the eerie isolation of a remote cabin in the woods - the film manages to tap into the same fears that THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT later exploited.
The amateur nature of the film means that the acting can hardly be called "refined", although most of the youngsters manage to make their characters likable and convincingly portray terrified people. Favourites include Cheryl, who is the first to get spooked out and who draws a picture of the book of the dead; Scotty, the joker and natural leader of the group; and Ash, who overcomes being a wimp in the first half to become a shotgun-wielding executioner in the second. The amateurish aspect does have its strong points however, as the film exudes a kind of "raw terror" in which the viewer can really relate to the characters and their situation.
The graphic gore content certainly earned the film a notoriety - it was very nearly classified as a "video nasty" - and of course it got heavily cut by the BBFC. Seen uncut, it's a surprisingly nasty and gruesome little film where the gore may not be convincing but is certainly disturbing. Watching a zombie biting off its own hand from which a white liquid then sprays is one of the most horrible things I've watched. Other "highlights" include a scene where a zombie is dismembered with an axe and the body parts continue to wriggle like jelly, a woman getting stabbed in the ankle with a pencil, an eye-gouging, a zombie getting its face burnt off in a fire, and the celebrated ending in which the final zombies suffer total meltdown - achieved via some natty stop motion animation for total disgustingness.
It's rare when a film manages to combine both old-fashioned atmosphere and new-fangled gore so successfully, but this is a milestone in that aspect. Black comedy is also thrown into the brew to lighten up some heavier moments, such as when Ash tries to give the mortally wounded Scotty a drink - but the poor man is unable to swallow. The demon/zombie creatures themselves are covered in a crude blue makeup but achieve their desired scariness by having some horrible looking blank yellow eyes which really makes them look sick. Their mocking of Ash also provides some chills as they sing "we're gonna get you, we're gonna get you!" and laugh at his situation. Two scenes involving the zombies stick in my mind; the first "shock" moment where a card game is interrupted by a girl suddenly possessed, and the scene where a zombie smashes up from the basement taunting Ash with the words "It's your sister Cheryl!". These guttural demon voices have to be heard, but they're just another highlight in a film full of great, memorable scenes.
In the film's most notorious scene, we see an innocent girl run out into the woods - to promptly get tied up by a number of branches and shoots and then suffer a supernatural sexual assault. In a startling display of bad taste and misogyny, we watch as the possessed tree first strips the heroine of her clothes and then attacks her with a branch. Followed by a brilliant sequel and a not-so-brilliant second sequel, THE EVIL DEAD really is a sick modern classic and a must for all gore fans. And on top of that it's darned scary with it. A true horror film then.