DVD Review: "The Evil Dead"

The plot of “The Evil Dead” is deceptively simple-- five college aged kids spend a weekend in the woods, and accidentally awaken evil spirits. It's the type of story that has roots as old as the horror genre itself. However, like any good storyteller, director Sam Raimi imbues the story with such a new perspective, such a unique delivery, that the film transcends any categorization, and demands the attention of all who view it.

The story revolves around five friends spending a weekend in a cabin deep in the woods of Tennessee. Upon investigating the cabin, they discover a tape recorder that belonged to the previous owner. As any curious person would do, they listen to the tape, which happens to be a recitation of a cursed text, unwittingly releasing demonic spirits from the Necronomicon, or Book of the Dead. One by one the spirits possess the group until only the film's hero, Ash, is left to fend for himself against an onslaught of zombies and other generally nasty beings.

For a film that is over 25 years old, “The Evil Dead” is scary as hell! The grainy, low-budget aesthetic adds a dimension of realism to the film that today's slick, CG-heavy movies completely lack. And the all-out dedication that Sam Raimi and his actors had for the film is evident throughout. The film looked different from anything that had been made before it. And the ultimate compliment for this film is that so many films, even today, still borrow heavily from it. "The Evil Dead" is one of those films that changed it's genre and, if only slightly, the film industry. Needless to say, anyone who considers themselves a horror fan and hasn't yet seen this film should do so immediately following this review. It's a true classic.

Score: 5 out of 5

(NOTICE: Just to clarify, I am not now, nor have I ever been on Sam Raimi's payroll. I understand that I have just about played out the whole "Evil Dead" thing, but I've had this review written for a while, and never got a chance to post it.)