| The Evil Dead films are some of the most popular horror films of all
time. All three were directed by Sam Raimi, whose credits include
Darkman, A Simple Plan and the upcoming Spider-Man. The Evil Dead story
begins in 1978 when Raimi and his high school buddies produced Within
the Woods, a short horror film. Sam wrote the script and raised
$1,600 with the help of Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert. The trio used the
30-minute splatter film to raise money for a full-length feature. In 1979,
after raising nearly $90,000, Sam shot The Evil Dead with a cast and crew
of 37 people. The main location was an abandoned cabin in the mountains
near Morristown, Tennessee. The Evil Dead lived up to its billing as "The
Ultimate Experience in Grueling Horror": it featured beheadings, dismemberment
and lots of squirting bodily fluids. The film opened to mediocre success
in the US, but it was a huge hit in the United Kingdom and Europe. |
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Over the next few years, The Evil Dead became successful
enough as a underground hit to warrant a sequel. In 1986 Raimi and his
friends reunited to make Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn. The film featured
the return of Bruce Campbell as "Ash" and featured a fresh batch
of victi--I mean, actors. Being a big fan of the Three Stooges, Sam threw
in some slapstick along with the usual gore. The film became less scary
than its predecessor, but more entertaining. In the film's most famous
scene, Ash's hand is possessed by evil, and after it gives him a brutal
beating he's forced to saw it off with a chainsaw.
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Six years later, Raimi and the Evil Dead crew decided to finish
the trilogy with a third installment. Entitled Army of Darkness, the
film picks up right where Evil Dead 2 left off, with Ash landing in a medieval
kingdom. More a swashbuckling action comedy than a horror film, Army of
Darkness is best known for Ash's memorable lines such as "Hail to the king,
baby," and "Give me some sugar, baby."
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