It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A landmark of modern horror and a great indicator of where passion and hard work will take you.

The Evil Dead is a pleasure to watch as a horror movie. However, do not expect the acting to be great. Honestly, at times the acting dips from average at best to below average at worst. There are several instances where the acting efforts of an individual feel uncomfortably out of sync with the efforts of others sharing the scene with them. The special effects suffer from similar problems, as well. Often times they appear poorly executed, and other times they appear just plain lazy. There are even moments during the stop motion sequence that appear laughably juvenile. The storytelling itself feels lacking. While I was not provided enough story to satisfy my imagination I was provided enough story to keep my interest peaked. Whether that is a sign of inadequate storytelling, or genius storytelling is subjective. Where I feel The Evil Dead rises to the occasion, and leaves a lasting impression is in the camera work, the atmospheric tension, and the eventual arrival of Ash on the screen. The director maneuvers the camera in a way that makes the viewer aware of a presence while keeping the viewer oblivious to it's whereabouts at the same time. I could see the fear on Ash's face, and I could see his response, but the stimuli was never revealed. While, the atmosphere created through the environment is one of defeat. I was made aware that there was no escape beyond the walls of the cabin, nor was there safety within the walls of the cabin. Yet, I felt comfort within the cabin where I hoped I would see the evil's approach. The highlight for me, as a long time Ash fan, is his arrival. There is a transition from Ashley to Ash, and watching Ash fight against his own inadequacy in order to defeat the evil dead is 100% cinematic entertainment.This movie is not without more than a few problems. However, the entirety of this experience is entertaining, and enjoyable enough to easily overcome the minor deficits that survived.-Bob

The Evil Dead (1981) is a classic horror film, one of the most famous ones in history. This film really earns it's title of being one of the best. It does not rely upon big special effects or a very large budget to make it effective. it is a very effective horror film without these things, which is what too many scary movies rely on heavily. Everything starts out with a group of young adults in a car heading out to a secluded cabin in the woods, as you can guess, things get pretty bad from there on. I loved the classic, creepy atmosphere all throughout the film, it contributed to the overall dark feel. The cast does a good job here, I really enjoyed their performances. Bruce Campbell in particular stands out, very enthusiastic performance. The makeup was oh so well done, i loved the scary evil look the people had to them when they became possessed by the demonic spirit. Not only was the look great, but oh my god I loved the demons voice, sounded perfect. Eerie and creepy as hell, very effective as far as the voice goes. Overall, this really is a fabulous horror film and I recommend it. 9/10.

In the first Evil Dead movie, Ash was just an average guy. He was cocky and egotistical. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't brave. In fact, he was the Beta male to his friend Scott. Hell, throughout the opening of the movie, people are calling him "Ashley", not the much cooler "Ash" he gets in later movies.A lot of what fans have come to expect from Bruce Campbell and Ash weren't in this movie. Bruce Campbell himself said on Reddit that the problem was that he couldn't act in this movie. But that's not the whole story. This movie didn't have campy humor or a strong hero. This movie was scary. You were thrown into the movie with no sense of humor, just dread.The movie had a $50k budget, which was spent over a few years that the film was thrown together by two friends. Every expense was spared. But it has still had a lasting impact on the modern horror genre.And, while I find most modern horror movies to be forgettable, I find myself coming back to Evil Dead every year around Halloween. It is scary and gory and unique in some way I find fun and endearing.