30 Years of Evil Dead

It's been thirty years since The Evil Dead first debuted October 15, 1981. The film was written and directed by Sam Raimi and stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Hal Delrich and wasbased on the original short Within the Woods which served as a 30min prototype for promotion and investment opportunities for the full length feature. Upon release The Evil Dead was met with mixed reviews and did considerable better after having received an endorsement from horror author Stephen King. The original working title of the film was Book of the Dead, but was later changed to The Evil Dead as it was felt the title would sell more tickets.

The film opens with five Michigan State University students on a weekend get away in the woods.  Insinde the cabin they find a book and recorder.  Demons are summoned upon playing the cassette containing Sumerian incantations.  One by one the five fiends fall victem until only Ash remains.  He battles and prevails over demonic beings and as the closing scene is presented we see share a first view perspective with a looming force charging through the woods and descending upon our champion.

Evil Dead is definitely a great film and well worth the time.  The majority of my childhood I'd been in search of the ultimate horror film and had always heard about how much this movie had scared my eldest sister and her husband during their first viewing; of course those were the days of VCR and turn dial television, so unfortunately no one wanted to get up to turn it off; it also may not have helped they they loved out in the country at the time.  My first experience watching this film had been quite similar. My mum had gone out to the dance and I had stayed home with my rentals.  I had paired a very demonic double feature: The Evil Dead and The Exorcist.  It was the most the most awesome thing I have ever seen which scared me shitless.  Even though The Evil Dead no longer terrifies me the way it did upon the first initial viewing; it will always have my respect for being one of the first films to me me fell that kind of terror.

Evil Dead 2 was also directed by Sam Raimi and produced by Robert Tapert, Ivan Shapiro, and Bruce Campbell.  This film falls into the retroactive continuity feature category as the film back tracks and retells the events from the previous movie.  This was done because the film makers were now going business with Rosebud Releasing and were unable to secure the rights to their film from the previous company they had dealings with.  As they were unable to obtain rights to their stock footage; the film events were altered to accommodate for the events surrounding the production.

In this film Ash is headed to the cabin for a weekend getaway with his girlfriend Linda.  Once again the book of the dead (now referred to as Necronomicon Ex-Mortis) and the tape recorder containing the incantations resurface.  Linda becomes possessed and is beheaded.  Ash is temporarily possessed as well but recovers at daybreak.  Eventually it becomes necessary to sever his hand as it is attempting to kill him. The professor's daughter arrives only to be thrown into the madness.  Annie discovers an incantation to send the demons back to their dimension, unfortunately Ash is swept up into the debris and is transported as well.

This second installment of the franchise introduced the horror comedy genre and opened up a whole new door for filmmakers and moviegoers alike.  I was eight the first time I saw Evil Dead 2; I had never heard of it and didn't even know what it was, but the blood sprays were enough to get my attention enough to sit down and watch the remainder of the film.

Army of Darkness was a complete breakaway from the series all together and provided slapstick humor more than anything.  We pick up with Ash having landed in the middle ages and being mistaken for a deadite and taken into captivity.  After having bested the demons in the pit, Ash is granted hes freedom and hailed as a savior. Upon retrieving the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, Ash misquotes the words and brings destruction upon the land.  Reluctantly accepting his role as defender, Ash prevails and is returned to his time; only to battle demons once more.

This was the first official Evil Dead film I ever watched (being to young to realize the franchise it spawned from). My niece and I watched the movie and quoted it back to one another on occasion.  It's one of those great films that does not follow it's own rules and isn't afraid to break tradition and introduce something completely new.