Sam Raimi wrote and directed this shock and shlock campy horror in 1981, and it has earned cult classic status since it’s lukewarm box office reception in 1983. With an uber low budget, Raimi and star Bruce Campbell began planning for this gore fest and cinematic gamble in the late ’70s, risking just about everything on its success.
The simple story of a man and his friends discovering an ancient evil while at an isolated cabin in the woods is bolstered by non-stop terror and gore, and black humor. Raimi and co. went old-school on the effects and storyline, making the whole movie in the fashion of the low-budget gore-fests of the time. There’s nothing subtle about The Evil Dead, just tons of cringe-worthy violence and horror.
The popularity of The Evil Dead spawned a trilogy that is reportedly slated to become a quadrilogy, as a fourth installment is in the works with Raimi and Campbell reuniting for the project.