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The Evil Dead

Play trailer 1:52 Poster for The Evil Dead NC-17 Released Oct 15, 1981 1h 25m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 84 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it's read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy.
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The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead

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Critics Consensus

So scrappy that it feels as illicit as a book found in the woods, The Evil Dead is a stomach-churning achievement in bad taste that marks a startling debut for wunderkind Sam Raimi.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) Sam Raimi’s 1981 breakout feature remains profoundly unsettling due to the gonzo vigour with which he attacks his subject. Sep 12, 2023 Full Review Diane Haithman Detroit Free Press It may not be serious, but it's totally sincere; it never laughs at its own jokes. In fact, I'm not sure it even gets them. And you can't help but respond to Evil Dead at some level beyond the usual horror-movie fright and disgust. Rated: 6/10 Mar 24, 2023 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Boston Phoenix Sam Raimi's technique is equal to his perverse imagination. In his first directorial outing, he's already got a flair for the visual grammar of horror movies that John Carpenter might envy. Mar 24, 2023 Full Review Adrian Martin Film Critic: Adrian Martin The Evil Dead is the ultimate movie-nerd success story, flagrantly amateurish and hand-made in many of its effects. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 30, 2025 Full Review Noah Berlatsky Everything is Horrible (Substack) No matter how many directors return to that forest, it's unlikely anyone will ever reproduce Evil Dead's weaponized feral clunkiness Mar 19, 2024 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ... such a bravura bit of cinematic inventiveness that it’s too much fun to be genuinely grueling, but this unrelenting parade of funhouse terrors and creative low budget effects is one of the most entertaining American horror films of its time. Sep 8, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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BAPHOMETT This movie is disgusting. My wife screamed the whole time and walked out before it was over because she couldn't handle it anymore. Personally I think it's a really cool movie though lol some of the scenes are very scary considering how old it is. But some also look super fake. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/22/23 Full Review Ghostface D THE ULTIMATE GRUELING EXPERIENCE! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/30/25 Full Review tim s The Evil Dead is a splatterfest if ever there was one. It's so visceral that your senses won't know what hit you. This film takes the old cabin in the woods trope and amps it up to a startling degree. The amount of gore and sheer devilishness of the besieging demons reign terror upon the venerable Ash Williams in Bruce Campbell's career-defining role. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/21/25 Full Review Tyler S. While some parts of the animation don’t hold up well to today’s standard I still feel this was a very enjoyable watch and every time we came to a scene where it was in the perspective of the entity looking into the cabin; it fully impressed me and I dare say that was one of it not the most visually appealing scenes in all of cinema!!! If you have not seen this iconic film before like me I implore you to watch experience this film atleast once. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/15/25 Full Review Jason H Writer/director Sam Raimi was 19 when filming began on The Evil Dead. 19! What was I doing when I was 19? Working at Walgreens and playing a lot of Super Nintendo. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/12/25 Full Review Matheus D Ótimas cenas e história; se tivesse utlizado a a motossera no primeiro filme, seria perfeito. O segundo flme é muito bom também, mas ainda acho superior o primeiro. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/03/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Sam Raimi

Director

Bruce Campbell

Ashly 'Ash' J. Williams

Ellen Sandweiss

Cheryl

Betsy Baker

Linda

Richard DeManincor

Scotty

Theresa Tilly

Shelly

Movie Clips

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The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Tree Attack The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Tree Attack 1:56 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Trapped in the Cabin The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Trapped in the Cabin 0:56 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Zombies Attack The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Zombies Attack 2:33 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Rising From the Grave The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Rising From the Grave 1:52 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - They Won't Stop Laughing The Evil Dead: Official Clip - They Won't Stop Laughing 3:17 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Killing the Zombies The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Killing the Zombies 2:43 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Walls Bleed The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Walls Bleed 2:15 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Demons Possess Cheryl The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Demons Possess Cheryl 2:48 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Hacked to Pieces The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Hacked to Pieces 4:46 The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Psycho Demon Girlfriend The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Psycho Demon Girlfriend 2:23 View more videos

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The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead: Trailer 1 The Evil Dead: Trailer 1 1:52 View more videos
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The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead (1981) The Evil Dead (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it's read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy.
Director
Sam Raimi
Producer
Rob Tapert
Screenwriter
Sam Raimi
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Production Co
Renaissance Pictures
Rating
NC-17
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 15, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 25m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1), 35mm, 16mm
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