Other Titles • Book of the Dead (1981) • The Evil Dead, the Ultimate Experience in Grueling Horror (1981) • Into the Woods (1979) • Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead (1981) • Tanz der Teufel (1984) • Tanz der Teufel 1 (1984) • Smrte¾né zlo
Synopses for The Evil Dead (1983)
1.
Director Sam Raimi's first film has achieved legendary status since its 1982 release, and for good reason. Though perhaps not as widely seen as its two sequels, EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS, THE EVIL DEAD is arguably the best of the three. It is the story of five college-age friends who travel to a cabin in rural Tennessee where the stumble upon the Book of the Dead, an ancient tome bound in human flesh and inked in blood. After unwittingly awakening the unspeakable terror told of in the book, each of the friends is transformed into the evil dead, one by one, except for Ash (Bruce Campbell). So, Ash is left with no other way to survive than to dismember the living corpses of his sister, girlfriend, and two of his friends. Shot on a shoestring budget, the film boasts some impressive camera work and extremely over the top gore effects as well as a sense of humor much more subtle than the tongue-in-cheek aesthetic of the two sequels.
(17 votes)
2.
Ever-present, ever-listening, the Evil Dead lie in wait for the one ancient incantation that will give them license to possess the living. Watch in horror as five vacationing college students unwittingly resurrect these slumbering demons, and are forced into battle with the supernatural forces that occupy the forests and dark bowers of man's domain. The innocent must suffer. The guilty must be punished. One-by-one, the students are possessed by these demons whose thirst for revenge is insatiable. As the night wanes, only one man remains...Ash. He must now defend himself while trying to uncover the horrible secret of The Evil Dead.
(16 votes)
3.
Limited Edition Gift SetThe Evil Dead: The Book of the Dead (Limited Edition) This limited edition of The Evil Dead comes packaged in a special leather-like case that simulates the original leather bound book featured in the three movies. The title is a limited edition special feature and it will be in short supply. The Evil Dead, director Sam Raimi's first feature film, is a true classic in every sense of the word. Originally released in 1982, The Evil Dead tells the tale of a group of friends who go to a cabin in the woods, where they find an unspeakable evil lurking in the forest. They find the Necronomicon, the book of the dead, and a taped translation of the text. Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens become deadly zombies. With only one remaining, it is up to him to survive the night and battle The Evil Dead. Evil Dead 2: The Book Of The Dead 2 (Limited Edition) The one and only Bruce Campbell stars in this mind-blowing, eye-popping, chain-sawing splatter/comedy classic from Sam Raimi (director of the Spider-Man movies). Experience all the gore-spewing havoc like never before in this Special Limited Edition that features packaging created by special effects designer Tom Sullivan and a spectacular DVD re-mastered in High Definition and supervised by Sam Raimi, plus audio commentaries, a groovy new featurette and much more!
(15 votes)
4.
The Evil Dead, director Sam Raimi's first feature film, is a true classic in every sense of the word. Originally released in 1982, "The Evil Dead" tells the tale of a group of friends who go to a cabin in the woods, where they find an unspeakable evil lurking in the forest. They find the Necronomicon, the book of the dead, and a taped translation of the text. Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens become deadly zombies. With only one remaining, it is up to him to survive the night and battle The Evil Dead.
(15 votes)
5.
In the summer of 1979, a group of Detroit friends with $375,000 raised from local investors headed for a cabin outside of Morristown, Tennessee to make a film about five college students possessed by an ancient 'Book of the Dead.' The filmmakers' goal was to create 'The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror,' a movie so relentless that it would stand forever as a landmark in modern horror history. When it was released in 1982, it was immediately recognized worldwide as one of the most ferociously original films ever made. Twenty years later, this is The Evil Dead like you've never seen or heard it before.
The Evil Dead is now more grueling than ever, featuring newly restored state-of-the-art digitally remastered picture and sound, and loaded with incredible extras, all personally supervised by director Sam Raimi. This is the Ultimate Edition of the legendary film that launched the careers of Raimi, producer Robert Tapert and star Bruce Campbell unleashed an unprecedented army of primitive screwheads upon the world and changed the face of horror forever!
(15 votes)
6.
This limited edition of THE EVIL DEAD comes packaged in a special leather case that simulates the original leather bound book featured in the three movies. The title is a limited edition special feature (features are listed below) and it will be in short supply.
7.
In the Autumn of 1979, Sam Raimi and his merry band headed into the woods of rural Tennessee to make a little film called The Evil Dead. They emerged with a roller coaster of a film packed with shocks, gore and wild humour, a film that remains a benchmark for the genre. Ash (cult favourite Bruce Campbell) and four friends arrive at a backwoods cabin for a vacation, where they find a tape recorder containing incantations from an ancient book of the dead. When they play the tape, evil forces are unleashed and one by one the friends are possessed. Wouldn't you know it, the only way to kill a "deadite" is by total bodily dismemberment and soon the blood starts to fly. Raimi injects tremendous energy into this simple plot, using the claustrophobic set, disorientating camera angles, and even the graininess of the film stock itself to create an atmosphere of dread, punctuated by a relentless series of jump-out-of-your-seat shocks. Much of the film's energy is supplied by the "Raimi-cam," a gliding, swooping, rushing camera that suggests a dislocated, otherworldly point of view while injecting a lively if spooky fleetness to the pace. Though it's no comedy, Raimi's dry wit and cinematic cleverness pervades the entire film. The Evil Dead lacks the more highly developed sense of the absurd that distinguish later entries in the series--Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness--but it is still much more than a gore movie: it marks the appearance of one of the most original and visually exciting directors of his generation, and it stands as a monument to the triumph of imagination over budget. --Simon Leake, Amazon.com
On the DVD: For a film made on the tiniest of budgets and shot in 16 mm, The Evil Dead looks impressive in this widescreen 1.85:1 anamorphic print, even if the picture quality is never going to rival that of 35 mm. The revelation here is the soundtrack, with optional DTS 6.1 audio mix, which showcases Sam Raimi's bizarre assembly of sound effects and Joseph LoDuca's minimalist Bernard Herrmann-inspired score. Director Raimi and Producer Robert Tapert chat amiably about making the film on the first commentary track, but the real treat is Bruce Campbell's "alternate" commentary, which is not only extremely informative but laugh-out-loud funny, too. Among other nuggets we learn that: the distinctive moving camera effects were created by strapping the camera to a plank held between two people who had to run very fast through the woods; most of the actors were so worried about appearing in a horror movie that they made up stage names for the credits; and Raimi's 73 Oldsmobile has since reappeared in almost every one of his films. A trailer and stills gallery complete the extras package. --Mark Walker
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