X
- 1983
- TV-14
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 25 m
- 1983
- TV-14
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 25 m
- 1983
- TV-14
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 25 m
- 1983
- TV-14
- New Line Cinema
- 1 h 25 m
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
71
73% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
18% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
9% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
71
73% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
18% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
9% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Unquestionalby it's an instant classic, probably the grisliest well-made movie ever. [26 May 1983]
Shot on 16mm for less than $50,000, Sam Raimi's visceral debut remains a benchmark of modern horror. Plot and acting are minimal - five stooges inadvertently awaken demonic forces - but then this isn't about intellect or intricacy: it's about intensity and intestines. [1 Oct 2001]
Unbound by cinematic convention, Raimi unleashed his free-range camera, and ghoulish, omnipresent sound effects to create a bleak, paranoid atmosphere and a raft of sudden, effective shocks.
Raimi's script is riotously deadpan, his compositions undeniably breathtaking and inventive. [6 March 2002]
The film is ferociously kinetic and full of visual surprises, though its gut-churning reputation doesn't seem fully deserved: if anything the gore is too picturesque and studied, an abstract decorator's mix of oozing, slimy color, like some exotic species of new-wave interior design.
You could say this is all good gory fun, and The Evil Dead remains a triumph of brains over budget. But in retrospect, you can’t help wondering if Raimi and co didn’t have some women issues to work through?
Too bad it's hog-tied by a ridiculously familiar plot, uneven direction and characters of such dizzying simplicity that you wish the demons would get to them just to smack some sense into their heads. [26 Sept 1983, p.D3]
Production Company
Renaissance Pictures
Release Date Apr 24, 1983
Duration 1 h 25 m
Rating TV-14
Genres
Tagline They got up on the wrong side of the grave.
Awards
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
