The king of low-budget horror

Rating: 9/10 (13 June 2009)

Ultra low-budget horror movies simply don't come any better than this. Wonder kid Sam Raimi concocted a really scary demon flick here and with the use of some incredible camera work, very inventive make-up effects and surprisingly good special effects he made one of the best horror films of the eighties.
The woods scenario had been used a lot, even demons had made many appearances but this flick makes it look so fresh and insanely creepy you forget all that stuff and really sink head first into this nightmarish vision. Granted, the fog machine is used way too much and Hal Delrich as Scott is incredibly bad in his role, but still, all this works in the film's favor. Bruce Campbell is very subdued here compared to his Ash in Dead's two subsequent sequels but even this early he shows leading man potential and why he is one of horror's true cult legends.
Some scenes here are creepy as hell and it's got a few very nasty shocks in store, even for seasoned horror viewers. Raimi hits all the right notes here; there's a creepy basement, fog bound woods, blood and guts in big doses and there's even a chainsaw here. As said, make-up effects are really spectacular and the gory show still impresses nearly 30 years later. Humor is also well placed and delivered; though this flick is indeed a horror film as opposed to the more comically driven sequels.
I really don't know what to say more about "The Evil Dead" that hasn't been said (and written) many times before. If you're one of the lucky few who hasn't seen this horror masterpiece; stop reading now and go watch it.