Sometimes a film comes along and completely takes you by surprise not just in directing, acting and overall film making but the excitement it instills in you. It’s the type of feeling where you want to ask everyone have you seen this movie. You hope that they haven't because you want to be the one to show it to them and in some small way want to recapture the magic of the first time you saw it. It's also important to state that when you see a movie for the first time by a first time filmmaker it sets the bar for how your cinematic relationship will go for the rest of time. What your parents told you is true you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
In the case of Sam Raimi nothing could be closer to the truth. Raimi is the guy who is responsible for bringing us the first three Spider-man films, yes even Spider-man 3 don't turn on him yet. He has done a lot of other good with such hits as "A Simple Plan”, "The Gift", and "Drag Me to Hell". However none of his films shocked or stated to the world “I'm here and I have something to say!” More so then his first film he directed wrote and produced The Evil Dead. Now most people see that title and think what kind of paint by number horror movie bullshit is this. To those people you can quietly get out and not come back. This film is the bench mark by which horror standards are set. This is the original cabin in the woods movie that so many others have tried to surpass but none have been able to. Raimi is an amazing magician of a film maker who not only knows how to make a film on the cheap but also knows how to make it look good. He keeps everything moving at a breakneck pace with very few things being sacrificed for this speed. He almost reminds me of a part filmmaker part mad scientist when it comes to pulling off his filmmaking. Another thing that sets this film aside from the rest is his use of camera work. The camera becomes another character by moving like some evil presence through the woods. It can’t be stated how many times this has been reworked and stolen in other horror movies.
The story follows five friends who are taking a weekend in a cabin to hang out and party. Upon reaching the cabin and going down into the basement the group discovers an ancient book that when opened and read from can release flesh possessing demons from hell itself. The five are one by one picked off until it is down Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) to step up with shotgun in hand and take the demons down a peg.
Now outside of having one of the greatest chins that God himself has ever molded Campbell is B movie royalty. If you were to go to a comic book convention with George Clooney and Campbell most people would be mobbing Campbell and asking who the guy with him is? Campbell has built a career of showing up in movies of a B level and making them all his own. If there was a Mount Rushmore of Horror I would say he might be the only non masked or deformed face to grace it. Him and director Raimi have been friends for a long time and this I s the reason why Raimi put him in the staring role. It also doesn’t hurt that Campbell is a naturally gifted actor with the ability to play all range of emotions. He not only can do drama but also can be the funniest and most charming man in the room. In The Evil Dead he is mostly playing a boy who eventually has to step up and become a man to save the day. Not a lot of laughs in the film particularly because this is the darkest out of the trilogy.
Evil Dead sets the standard for great horror not just for being the first cabin in the woods movie. It also sets a standard because of the sheer amount of gore and how it’s used in several different ways. You have your gallons of fake blood. Which when I say gallons I do mean outside of Japanese Samurai movies no one uses blood the way Raimi does. He also uses stop motion to bring his gore to the forefront. It is quite an unpleasant film at times to watch which causes fans of horror to want to re-watch again and again.
There is not enough praise one could heap on Evil Dead so I will just tell you to watch it and enjoy laughing screaming and also being very uncomfortable at one moment. You have been warned.
See you all tomorrow when we take a look at what that handsome devil Campbell would do if he decided he wanted to go back to that cabin in the woods for another groovy time. For High Weirdness I’m Ben Kolton reminding you “It’s Only a Movie.” “It’s Only a Movie.”
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