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Directed by: Sam Raimi Starring: Bruce Campbell Prior to seeing Evil Dead I'd only seen Army of Darkness, which I rather enjoyed. I rented Evil Dead and mistakingly assumed I'd be watching a similar mix of comedy and horror. I didn't enjoy this movie at all. I was never scared. I never laughed. Lots of scenes were completely boring and too long. I can sympathize with a low budget but it's hard for me to enjoy a horror movie when the gore effects are about as good as a K-Mart Haloween costume. Bruce Campbell can't act all that well now, and he couldn't back then. I didn't expect the movie to be student-film level quality, which is likely my fault for not knowing what I was getting into, but I figured since it got a fancy-packaged DVD release that it was a "real" movie. I can look at the movie and say it was very well done for an amateur filmmaker with an amateur cast and a low budget. In fact I can fully understand how Sam Raimi is now a very rich and popular director, and why he was allowed to continue making Evil Dead movies. In the context of the money and experience of the people involved this movie is really excellent. But still, as a movie experience it's just not all that entertaining aside from "hey cool, it's Bruce Campbell when he was 20" and "hey cool, this movie was made by the guy who did Spiderman". I understand that it's considered to be somewhat of a classic among horror fans, but I don't think it has much appeal outside that group of people. RATING: 1.5 PROS: A couple of cool scenes, excellent for the budget/resources available CONS: Painfully indie, not scary at all, no real humor mixed in, Raimi hadn't fully developed yet as a good director ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/
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Jul 5, 2004 22:27
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 04:16 |
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I loved the way the camera was used in this movie, especially the way it took on the part of the "evil presence" instead of having a special effect or guy in a suit. The sound effects that accompanied some of the camera movements were a riot, as was the over-the-top style of the violence and gore (the box of bandages in the pool of blood is the best). It isn't as immediately humorous as the other two dead films, but it gets better with repeated veiwings and if you think about what the filmmakers were doing as they made it. Looking back, it's hard to believe the guy who made Spiderman 2 once filmed a tree rape sequence, but I guess we all have to start somewhere.
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Jul 5, 2004 22:44
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The original Evil Dead is definitely my favorite of the series. It's not all that scary, but has a great sense of dark atmosphere and is full manic and unsettling mischief -- like the giggling demon-possessed girl (one of my favorite moments) or the film projector in the basement or the infamous tree rape. There's campy acting and dialogue to be sure (most of it in the first half hour, but some great comic touches sprinkled in throughout). After that things get edgier and more effectively creepy, in a way that Army of Darkness' pure slapstick and one-liners never manages. 4 stars.
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Jul 6, 2004 01:13
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This is my least favorite one of the series. I still like it a lot and much more than almost every other horror movie, but whenever I watch it now I can't help but see it as a "first draft" of Evil Dead II. It has a lot of great scenes, some on par with the sequel, and is different enough to stand on it's own but in the end it isn't as well-paced or funny as II or Army of Darkness. Still amazing considering it was Raimi's first movie, had no budget and amateur actors, but definitely the weakest of the three. 4.5/5
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Jul 6, 2004 01:52
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I haven't seen Army Of Darkness, but I certainly enjoy watching Evil Dead a lot more than the sequel. The camera work is excellent and the actual filming itself is quite intelligent. Whilst it's gorier than Dead By Dawn, I don't find it as over-the-top. Being born in 87, I actually started watching films of the horror genre in reverse (chronologically). By the time I'd seen Evil Dead 2, it offered nothing new or exciting, just a couple (yes, two) of funny scenes and some lame monsters flying around. Evil Dead on the other hand is a refreshing watch to someone who's bored with the Black Comedy/Horror films of the late 80's. 4/5
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Jul 23, 2004 15:11
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I like the tree rape scene. Two.
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Jul 23, 2004 19:34
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^^^that scene was hosed up This movie was absolutely terrible. Terrible acting. Terrible special effects and all horribly executed. But thats exactly what i like about it. Its just hilariously awful. 4/5
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Jul 25, 2004 22:56
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For a movie with no real actors and a 19-year old director, it's very good. Quite a few tense moments some rather disturbing scenes. If anything, it's good to see how far Raimi and Campbell have come since 1979. Evil Dead II is better though. 4.5
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Jul 27, 2004 16:18
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 04:16 |
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Evil Dead wasnt quite as good as Army of Darkness, but it was still fun to watch. I think some people forget that the movie isnt a A or B film, but a cheezey flick thats so incredibley dumb at some points it's funny!
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Jul 28, 2004 00:22
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