The Evil Dead Trilogy (1981-92)

The Evil Dead (1981)

Dir. Sam Raimi

I'll never tire of watching The Evil Dead. It wasn't the first film to use the isolated cabin in the woods scenario, but it remains one of the most successful in the horror genre.

Raimi doesn't waste time with a traditional slow build-up. He goes straight to horror town with the use of low, rushing camera movements. The way it interacts with the environment, even knocking parts of it over, places us as viewers directly into the action.

The point of view shots showing the same scene from different angles, pursuer and pursued, accompanied by subjective audio was a genius idea. It shows that both subjects (or objects) are in the same location but suggests they’re slightly out of sync, like the real and reflected or the breaking of a different kind of fourth wall from the wrong side.

The second half increases the amount of black humour without compromising on the terror felt by the remaining characters. I've been in the company of people who criticised the FX at that time, people with no understanding of how difficult the film-making process is when you don't have an endless pot of money to dip into. I hold the opposite view: the FX are amazing!

Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987)

Dir. Sam Raimi

It begins with a recap of the previous film, but because of legal rights issues it's slightly different. Nevertheless, it does the job it's designed to do and afterwards we’re treated to a continuation of Ash's story.

The situations and techniques used are so similar to what came before that at different times, or even all at once, it appears to be a sequel, a remake and a parody. But don't let that foolish interpretation put you off watching it. It's technically a better film.

Raimi's creative use of space and over the top twists and turns are visibly richer for having more money to play around with. The unbroken chase through the entire cabin is some of the best work he's ever done.

I like to think that a question was raised prior to shooting: how much pain, misery, humiliation, and icky stuff can we throw at Bruce Campbell before it stops being funny?

The answer: it never stops being funny. And Campbell takes it like a true champion, playing a man slipping in and out of a half-mad state almost as if he knows first-hand how it feels.

On a personal note, I really love the above cover art. Back in the day my local video store had a poster almost identical to it on their wall for months and I wanted it so bad. I never got it.

Army of Darkness (1992)

aka Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness / The Medieval Dead
Dir. Sam Raimi

Part III is set in 1300 AD, or thereabouts. The long-suffering Ash wants to get back to his own time, but before that can happen he must find the book, the Necronomicon, and that’s not going to be a cakewalk.

It's a kind of sword chainsaw and sorcery flick with way too much slapstick for my liking. There are stand-out moments in Ash's struggles—I liked how his questing for selfish reasons makes him the antithesis of the noble knight figure, and his brief sheepish look was quality—but much of it makes me cringe.

If you've always pictured him as a hapless Errol Flynn type, then you'll maybe feel differently, but for me his change from zero to hero robs him of the everyman charm he had.