Day 300: The Evil Dead

I saw this movie back when I was in middle school, which was probably too young to see it. I remember my friends telling me there was a scene where a woman has sex with a tree so, naturally, I was curious.

Evil Dead is Sam Raimi's film debut about a group of teens going to a cabin in the woods. Once there, they accidentally revive an ancient evil entity by playing a tape recording of incantations left behind by the owner of the cabin. Ash; his sister, Cheryl; his girlfriend, Linda; and another couple are freaked out but it isn't until Cheryl is raped by a tree that anyone asks to leave. Ash tries to take her away but finds the bridge leading away from cabin is out. Things get worse as, one by one, our heroes get possessed by the evil dead and attack one another. Cheryl gets locked in the basement while the others try to figure out a plan of action. It isn't long before only Ash is left unpossessed and fighting for his life.

I have a bold, kind of snotty theory on Evil Dead. I think it is meant to play completely straight. I think there is a light touch to some of the proceedings but the comedy was purely unintentional in this original version. The effects of the dead chasing the living through the woods have a Benny Hill quality and everything feels very over-the-top in an amateurish kind of way. I think Raimi was smart enough to know upon which side his bread was buttered and made Evil Dead 2 an intentionally funny movie. Evil spirits hunting kids in the woods are a dime a dozen but funny spirits tormenting the great straight man Bruce Campbell would be rare.

The original Evil Dead is a camp classic but I contend the laughs are not meant to be there. Check it out to see some low budget horror but you can really start at Evil Dead 2 if you want to see some good comedy/horror.