Season's Greetings to all you Ciaosters! Also on Dooyoo as xBorgx
Season's Greetings to all you Ciaosters! Also on Dooyoo as xBorgx
Member since:16.08.2001
Reviews:262
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Few films have had such an impact on me as this one. I remember quite clearly sitting with my brother and sister one Saturday afternoon, a spotty teenager, watching this movie for the first time. The beginning was instantly drawing and very creepy. A camera falling over a vast and deep lake that looked both unnerving and mesmerising.
This was my first introduction to the world of Sam Raimi, a man who would go on to direct such movies as Spider-Man and The Gift. His camera work and ‘vision’ as to how a film should be crafted to me is second to none. He makes a film exciting. But as that spotty teenager I was not interested in camera work, not really: I was interested in be scared, scared a lot.
And was I scared?
Yes – very much so.
The story is quite simple. Five buddies go to a log cabin in the woods. They are there to spend a good time, drinking, perhaps having a laugh. But there they discover the Book Of the Dead, bound in human flesh and written in blood. Once they begin to recite words from this book, ‘The Evil Dead’ start to rise.
They start to take possession of the various members of the group. First is Cheryl, who after being ‘raped’ by the trees (these scenes where later cut following the video’s ban) – she is transformed into a hideous creature who wants to kill the rest of them. Slowly and surely, the entire group bar one are changed and the only way to stop them is by chopping up their bodies into pieces.
Sole survivor ‘Ash’, played by Bruce Campbell (perhaps the only one of the young actors here to go on to do other noteworthy things – including Maniac Cop and Waxworks) has the unfortunate job of trying to destroy the Evil Dead.
This is a timeless classic, and quite gruesome in the fact that there is a lot of body parts being severed and a lot of blood and puss being oozed from out of twisted and possessed creatures.
As I have mentioned briefly, this movie was banned on video for a while and then reinstated with several scenes cut. Now it is back, full and uncut, available on DVD for a good price. Funny how what was once too shocking for everyone is now deemed fine. I guess this is because it is more of a black comedy, a parody of several films that were doing the rounds at that time.
Other cast members:
Ellen Sandweiss .... Cheryl Hal Delrich .... Scotty Betsy Baker .... Linda Theresa Tilly .... Shelly
The film went on to spawn two sequels – ‘Evil Dead 2 - Dead By Dawn’ and ‘Army of Darkness.’
Overall: It is scary, it is darkly humoured. It is gruesome. The fact that the makers did this on such a low budget is its overall charm. It is amateurish for sure, but when you think of how well the makers did you have to admire them all. One of the most horrific facts about this film is how Ash has witness his friends, his girlfriend and his sister all transform in the frenzied, psychotics zombie like creatures, and how he has to personally dispose of them…
Great…
Thanks for the read.
Borg 2003
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Production Year: 1998 - Horror - Director: Steve Miner - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Williams, Adam Arkin, Adam Hann-Byrd, Janet Leigh, L.L. Cool J.
Apr 25th, 2003
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