The Evil Dead (1981)

You can't have a conversation about cult horror movies without mentioning The Evil Dead. It changed the landscape of how scary movies were produced thanks to inventive camera and editing techniques, and showcases just the right amount of peek-through-your-fingers gore. Sam Raimi was just out of college when he wrote and directed it, thus it's turned into the stuff of legends for people in film school. A debut that every student dreams of creating. Not bad for something released over 30 years ago.

The story is wafer thin. A group of friends think they're going to have a relaxing weekend at a cabin but end up awakening an ancient evil lying dormant in a Sumerian book of the dead. It's all just a vehicle for some of the best special effects ever produced in the genre. Effects that exceed expectation for such a low-budget indie project. Just how low? Sources vary, but we're talking somewhere between $50,000-$350,000. By contrast, Raimi's first Spiderman had $139,000,000 to work with.

There's never a question how and where Raimi spent the money. This was his debut project, his baby, and every scene reflects his passion. He ended up making two sequels and while they're good in their own right, they don't match the purity of the first.

That's not to say this is a perfect movie. Far from it. Recent viewings show it's getting a bit long in the tooth. The pacing and flow from scene to scene is sometimes downright embarrassing. By todays standards, this is a fun, campy flick. Put yourself back in the 80s, and this is game-changing work. But the best way to experience The Evil Dead is to put yourself on a couch with the lights off and the sound way up, ready and willing for some of the best fun cinema has to offer.