The Evil Dead: Critic Reviews

Sam Raimi directed this 1983 horror feature fresh out of film school, and his anything-for-an-effect enthusiasm pays off in lots of formally inventive bits.

While injecting considerable black humor, neophyte Detroit-based writer-director Sam Raimi maintains suspense and a nightmarish mood in between the showy outbursts of special effects gore and graphic violence which are staples of modern horror pictures.

To say that the Evil Dead movies are not for everyone is an understatement. A strong stomach is required.

Everyone tries to make a horror flick this way. Few succeed like Raimi did.

In the league of "Night of the Living Dead" and "Jaws" where it continues to be immortal and outlive other horror classics in the face of changing movie going sentiment...

No serious subtext to be found here, just vigorous love and respect for the simultaneous horror and humor inherent to the genre.

An inspired gross-out horror pic.

No, they don't make 'em like this anymore, folks.

Director Sam Raimi attacks the movie with a brutal kind of kinetic creativity, moving the camera in truly unique patterns.

The Evil Dead's no-holds-barred resourcefulness places it among the masterpieces of the genre.

Not for the faint of heart or those uninitiated in the ways of modern horror, it's a hoot for fans of the genre.

If you can overlook the mostly lame-o acting, cheeseball effects and fumbling drama, there's enough fledgling genius here to fill another thousand horror movies.

Energetic, original and icky, Raimi's splat-stick debut is a tight little horror classic that deserves its cult reputation, despite the best efforts of the censors.

Short on characterisation and plot but strong on atmospheric horror and visual churns.

With a flurry of dismembered body parts, the film spells its intentions in scaring with complete, relentless excess.

Le premier film d'une excellente trilogie [...] mais les deux autres volets sont davantage des incontournables.

A milestone in low-budget horror

One of the best low-budget horror flicks ever created!

Think "The Blair Witch Project," but with the witch holding the camera.