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The Evil Dead was released in 1981, directed by Sam Raimi and stars Bruce Campbell. The film follows a group of friends vacationing in a cabin in the woods. They accidentally end up releasing spirits and demons when they play an audio recording reciting lines from the book of the dead. The Evil Dead is one of the most important indie films ever created. This was filmed on an extremely low-budget but made a huge impact on audiences everywhere.

The Evil Dead may have been shot on a short budget, but it more than makes up for it with its gore, effects and black humor. The first thing I would like to point out is the inventive camerawork. This was created by amateur filmmakers, but the camerawork feels like a seasoned professional. It creates such an atmosphere to the film that is unmistakable. While there is an atmosphere of dread in the film, there is also a comedic undertone as well. There is some great use of black humor in the movie, especially from Bruce Campbell. Campbell succeeds in giving a great performance that is both campy fun and shockingly convincing. This was leaned into a lot more in the sequel, The Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn. The makeup and gore effects were terrific for being on such a low-budget as well. In combination with the makeup, the evil laughs that are used are extremely creepy as well. Everything in this film is amplified when you think about the inexperience from everyone involved in the making of The Evil Dead.

The Evil Dead is wacky and bizarre, and plays into that while continuing to turn out the horror and gore that you expect. This spawned one of my favorite horror franchises ever and I really hope to see its triumphant return to the big screen soon. Go watch The Evil Dead, and its two sequels, The Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn and Army of Darkness. They are a fun campy thrill ride, and great films to watch for Halloween.