The Evil Dead (1981)
Yes, another film off of the 30 films that made me who I am. This one was #1 on that list, and is pretty darn close here. Why isn't it #1 if it's so important to me? Well, just because it influenced me the most doesn't mean it's my favorite horror film. Big difference there. And also, I'm not counting the whole trilogy here. Just the original 1981 film this time. The other two are not straight horror films.
Again, if you want to see most of my comments on the film, read my much better written installment in the prior list.
1981 was a great year for horror films. Especially for gory ones. Sadly, the gore of that year would start the MPAA's crusade against it in the coming years. That year saw Friday the 13th Part 2, Halloween II, American Werewolf In London, The Burning, Deadly Blessing, The Entity, The Funhouse, Ghost Story, The Hand, The Howling, My Bloody Valentine, The Nesting, Omen III, Roadgames, Scanners, and Wolfen, just to name the most popular ones. None would surpass the test of time and the gore quota of The Evil Dead. Shot by some novice film-makers from Michigan in the mountains of Tennessee during the winter, it was hell to shoot, but what it produced was one of the most loved horror films of all time. The acting isn't great....
...but that's the only thing wrong with this movie. It's got jump scares galore (which many people consider cheap these days for some reason), it has some pretty convincing gore effects, and my god the camerawork! It's like some hobo on the banks of a river being commissioned to do a Renoir duplicate and succeeding! Using low budget solutions, Sam Raimi created camera rigs that could give him just about any shot he wanted. He carried a camera while driving a motorcycle, he fastened the camera to a 2x4 board and had ropes fastened to the ends of the board to create a sort of poor man's steadycam. The blood was a special concoction of Karo syrup, a mixture of red and blue food coloring, and coffee creamer. For moving chopped up body parts, they simply went below the floor and cut holes to put arms and legs through. And the makeup is effectively ghoulish.
One of the most remarkable things about the movie is the script. It's a simple story of teens going to a cabin in the woods, letting out an unspeakable evil which they get killed by. And they can't escape. The bridge is out, and the trees attack people. (Or rape people in Sheryl's case.) But I'm impressed by the script. The dialogue is pretty bad, yes, but the deadites all have their own personalities. Linda turns into this demented cupie doll that's actually both creepy and funny at the same time, Sheryl is hideously gross and taunts like a madwoman... And the idea that a tree could rape someone is actually pretty frightening. Especially since that's what causes Sheryl's possession. The script builds things up pretty slowly and it boils hotter and hotter, never letting up when it starts. And at the end, the pressure cooker explodes. (The stop motion melt-down scene. The worst effects in the film.) Also, Ash isn't a badass in this one. He's a pretty cowardly guy. He's the nice jock. There's no quote of "Groovy!" here. There's no chainsaw on the arm. This film only has an axe and a shotgun for them to work with. And a dagger.
The film is pure grindhouse. I'd have loved to see this on a drive-in movie screen. It's also a great film for groups to watch. (If you want to make fun of it or yell at the screen.) It's what made me want to work in film. You watch the movie and think, hey, I could do this! Yes, maybe you can! If you have the work ethic and skill of Sam Raimi, about a million bucks, and at least a dozen people to help you. Sure you can!
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