Review of The Evil Dead (1981) by Blake P — 09 Oct 2015

As a horror fan hard to please, there are times I sincerely wish it was possible to travel back to the 1970s and '80s and watch a dead teenager movie minus the cynicism I possess now. After decades of "Friday the 13th" sequels and direct-to-video slashers, I've seen it all - how many times can we see a psychotic villain inventively killing teenagers who lack the important virtue of common sense? It's rare to find scare-fests during what I consider to be the Golden Age of Horror that haven't aged terribly over time; it's not the fault of their makers but rather the fault of the disciples who didn't mind recycling in irrepressibly terrible fashion.

1981's "The Evil Dead" is one of the too few dead teenager movies that somehow has managed to stay away from the wrath of rip-off land, maybe because of its playfulness, its acumen, its originality, or its resourcefulness. To make a film with similar ingredients would be too forthrightly cheap, which is most likely why B-studios gravitated rehashing the more anonymous "Halloween." Today, it doesn't feel like an artifact but an irreplaceable prototype, a terror train far too perfect to undermine.

It also stands as the famous directorial debut of Sam Raimi, who has gone on to be a dependable talent with enough versatility to make a film like "A Simple Plan" one minute only to spin around and head something as monstrously big as "Spider-Man." But like most legendary filmmaking introductions, there is an ardor in the air of "The Evil Dead" that makes it career-defining - when a considerable talent in the making is mandated to go into survival mode and execute his vision with only $350,000 in pocket, there's something special to be found in the frantic energy of trying to make something so limited seem grand. And, by god, "The Evil Dead" is grand.

A hodgepodge of batty humor, scrumptiously gory special effects, and Bava-esque atmosphere, the film is a flavorful enchilada that stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, a college kid planning to spend spring week with his friends in a secluded cabin in the woods. Creaky and remote, most would turn right back around in fear that it looks and feels too much like, oh, I don't know, the location of a horror movie. But the pals are no different than the birdbrains of "Friday the 13th," quick to suggest that a strange noise in the distance is just some wind gone awry when it's clear that no such bump in the night would be a gift of nature.

Our doubts drastically heighten when the biggest dummy of the group, Scott (Hal Delrich), wanders down to the basement and stumbles upon a mysterious Latin book and an untrustworthy tape recording of incantations. But unlike most horror movie teenagers, the characters act in the exact same manner we would if in the exact same situation, deciding to split and vacation elsewhere, figuring it's better to be safe than to stay in such a risky location.

April fools! Because these are young adults in a film, they, of course, decide it would be hilarious if they paged through the manuscript, called "The Book of the Dead," no less, while listening to the recordings as background music. What could go wrong? As it turns out (shocking!), everything. I won't say whether or not the entire cast, besides Campbell, becomes possessed by the titular evil dead at some point, or if you can expect to see blood and guts, beheadings, and tree rapes galore; what I can say, however, is that "The Evil Dead" is a riot from start to finish, miraculously never lacking in its ability to thrill, kill, and chill.

Sure, the storyline is familiar, but in 1981 it wasn't - and seeing that it's told with clear eyes that hold more joy than naiveté, it's not only forgivable, it's integral. The kids in "The Evil Dead" aren't very smart, but if they were, we wouldn't get the chance to marvel at the succulent horrors waiting in the distance, and Raimi knows it. He isn't like the money hungry producers John Travolta worked for in "Blow Out"; he loves his product, and he's willing to fight for it. And with his unbridled affection for the macabre, there isn't anything stopping us from wanting to show "The Evil Dead" to everyone we know, even if their reaction is disgust.

The film has survived over the years as a cult favorite (more recently garnering widespread focus after the release of the 2013 remake) and has retained sentiment for Bruce Campbell, whose Ash Williams is one of horror's most charismatic reluctant heroes. The following sequels thrived on their increased budgets and their noticeable confidence, and Raimi has gone on to make a great career for himself. But nothing can ever compare to "The Evil Dead," which remains timeless, delirious, and disturbing in the best of ways.