The Evil Dead (1981)

Writer/Director: Sam Raimi

Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker, Sarah York

A group of friends (Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker, and Sarah York) face a harrowing night when they inadvertently release demonic forces.

 

This is about as punk rock as movies get.

 

Childhood friends Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell scraped together the money for a low-budget horror feature, went into the woods for a difficult shoot, and came out with a minor masterpiece. 

Lack of money was no constraint on creativity, and there is plenty of inventive filmmaking on display—surprising camera angles, ambitious special effects (convincing to varying degrees but always entertaining), and tons of atmosphere. 

Although this installment doesn’t lean into the comedy the way later films would, Campbell gets to show that his brand of comedic bravado has what it takes to front a movie.