Movie Reviews

With the remake playing in theatres now, why not watch the original again? You all know the story… five youngsters hole up in an old cabin in the woods and find a Book of the Dead. Rather than leaving it for what it is, they listen to a taped translation and unwillingly summon an evil spirit which possesses them one by one.

Made by Sam Raimi in 1981 for a budget of under 400,000$, the movie obviously looks a little dated and some effects now come across as cheap. But the shocks are still decent, you get some laughs out of it and it’s still as gory as can be. And hey, it’s not every day you get to watch a movie where a girl gets raped by a tree! And let’s not forget that The Evil Dead gave us the legend that is Bruce Campbell.

While its sequels are definitely funnier, this one is more demented and deserves its place in the collection of anyone who loves a good horror flick. It goes to show what you can do with a small budget, a couple of actors, some cameras, buckets of blood and tons of talent.

This version comes with an all new audio commentary by writer/director Sam Raimi, producer Rob Tapert and star Bruce Campbell; a special picture-in-picture commentary, called Join US! The Undying Legacy of The Evil Dead, in which modern horror filmmakers such as Alexandre Aja and Stuart Gordon pop up during the film to talk about its influence on them; the 53-minute making-of featurette One by One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga of The Evil Dead; an hour's worth of deleted scenes and a lot more.