Evil Dead (1981)

By today’s standards, this movie is laughable and not super scary outside of jumpscares. The thing that made this a cult classic was the unapologetic gore and effects. This movie also solidified the Raimi-isms that Sam Raimi is known for. While not the first movie to do the “cabin in the woods” setting, it made it what it is today. There was a lot of effort put into a movie with such a small budget and inexperienced production. It never really overstays its welcome and does cheesy 80s horror to perfection. Try not to eat anything while you watch it because gore and prosthetics will make you lose your appetite. While doing some research I also learned a lot of the scenes were created on the fly. Obviously, there was a narrative and ideas going in but a lot of stuff was done by winging it. This is a must-watch for any horror fan. Also, RIP the coochie of the woman assaulted by a tree. Yes, that is an actual scene in this movie. As I said, the movie was unapologetic and in most markets received an NC-17 or full-on X rating. So maybe don’t watch this with the kids. It would probably be a basic R rating today but ya. Give it a watch!

Story - 15%

Characters - 16%

Pacing - 16%

Spectacle - 20%

Entertainment - 17%

Total score: 84%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here