The Evil Dead

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1:52

The Evil Dead

NC-17

1981

1h 25m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it's read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy.

Critics Consensus

So scrappy that it feels as illicit as a book found in the woods, The Evil Dead is a stomach-churning achievement in bad taste that marks a startling debut for wunderkind Sam Raimi.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

09/12/2023

Sam Raimi’s 1981 breakout feature remains profoundly unsettling due to the gonzo vigour with which he attacks his subject.

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Diane Haithman

Detroit Free Press

03/24/2023

6/10

It may not be serious, but it's totally sincere; it never laughs at its own jokes. In fact, I'm not sure it even gets them. And you can't help but respond to Evil Dead at some level beyond the usual horror-movie fright and disgust.

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Owen Gleiberman

Boston Phoenix

03/24/2023

Sam Raimi's technique is equal to his perverse imagination. In his first directorial outing, he's already got a flair for the visual grammar of horror movies that John Carpenter might envy.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Oct 13

6/10

A B-movie horror film in which Raimi demonstrates his technical expertise in building bloody atmospheres in the cabin in the woods, but its narrative often stumbles into clichés that take the chills out of the gore show. [Full review in Spanish]

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23

8/10

Even with the jaded eyes of someone that grew up on the films influenced by Raimi’s directorial debut, it still is impressively violent, visceral, and darkly funny.

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Adrian Martin

Film Critic: Adrian Martin

Jul 30

3.5/5

The Evil Dead is the ultimate movie-nerd success story, flagrantly amateurish and hand-made in many of its effects.

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BAPHOMETT

10/20/2023

This movie is disgusting. My wife screamed the whole time and walked out before it was over because she couldn't handle it anymore. Personally I think it's a really cool movie though lol some of the scenes are very scary considering how old it is. But some also look super fake.

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Anthony H.

@Hardy 1d

The Evil Dead is a horror classic, but it shows its age throughout the film. It’s a solid film but was longer than it needed to be. The more it progressed, the more unnecessary the story became. I did have some fun with it, but some of the later films are definitely more fun.

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Shawn R

@satiable Mar 17

This movie is incredible, I mean what an iconic gorefest!

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Darius H

@Darius.Horror Feb 28

The first Evil Dead movie is simply beautiful. I've seen it at least three times and I still love it. It kept me glued to the screen from start to finish and shows how low-budget horror can become something great and unique. The practical effects are very well done for that era, and Ash is destined to become a hero in the early stages. A simply iconic film.

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bob t

@RT89536276 Jan 16

This is just a gorefest, and its incredible! Though the practical effects look a bit dated now, the scares are still there and there good!

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Marcos Z

@Tomatico2 Jan 12

Un clasico, se nota que se las arreglaron con el presupuesto pero es muy entretenida de ver, la recomiendo

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Sam Raimi

Director

Bruce Campbell

Ashly 'Ash' J. Williams

Ellen Sandweiss

Cheryl

Betsy Baker

Linda

Richard DeManincor

Scotty

Theresa Tilly

Shelly

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Tree Attack

1:56

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Trapped in the Cabin

0:56

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - They Won't Stop Laughing

3:17

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Rising From the Grave

1:52

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Zombies Attack

2:33

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Walls Bleed

2:15

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Demons Possess Cheryl

2:48

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Killing the Zombies

2:43

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Hacked to Pieces

4:46

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Psycho Demon Girlfriend

2:23

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The Evil Dead: Trailer 1

1:52

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Synopsis

Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it's read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy.

Director: Sam Raimi
Producer: Rob Tapert
Screenwriter: Sam Raimi
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: Renaissance Pictures
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 15, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 25m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1), 35mm, 16mm

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