User blog:ShawnCognitionCP/Shocktober: The Evil Dead

Hello, Creepypasta Wiki community, and welcome back to Shocktober. Nostalgia incoming, for any fan of 80's horror. Scratch that. Horror in general. There is no excuse to not know this film, or the legacy it left in its trail.



Released in 1981, this film became a cult classic as time went on, and birthed two (amazing) sequels. Though the second and third films would take on a more comedy approach (chainsaw hand, anyone?), this film takes itself seriously.

The plot follows Ash Williams, his girlfriend, and their friends, as they go deep into the forest of Tennessee, to an isolated cabin, for spring break. Strange events start happening right away, and when a trap door flies open during their dinner, they soon discover the book of the dead (necronomicon), and a tape recorder, that reads the passages aloud. Releasing the evil spirits and the dead, the friend group goes through being possessed and killed off, by sadistic, uncaring spirits.

Directed by Sam Raimi (Spiderman Trilogy, upcoming The Last of Us film) on a budget of $350,000, the film grossed $2.6 million USD in the box office.

Packed with scenes of shock and violence, it did gain a bit of infamy for scenes such as the tree rape scene.

The effects of this film, however, are great. The plot and enemies in the film certainly allowed the special effects artist Tom Sullivan (Into the Woods) to go crazy with his ideas, and let his nightmares pour onto the big screen.

This film is regarded as one of the most important horror films ever made, and I must say- I agree. One of the movies responsible for the created on the Shaky Cam (where two operators put the camera on a piece of wood and run together to create a suspenseful scene), a cliche we now see replicated constantly.

The progression in the film is grand, and does not allow the audience to be poured. At each point of time, and in every instant, something interesting is going on, or suspense is elevating your heart rate.

All in all, The Evil Dead shows you that a low budget does not ruin a film. B-movies can shine, and in some cases (such as this), completely out preform their 8-million-dollar adversaries.