This movie had been released for 20 years before I ever saw it. I'm actually glad I waited a little while because when it was released in 1981 it almost certainly would have given me terrible nightmares.
It has more than achieved cult status and one of the important things to remember is that this film almost didn't get made and even once it did, a couple of very important things had to happen in order for this movie to ever see the light of day.
Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi were childhood friends and it is only through their tireless dedication to making this movie that it was ever started, completed, and distributed. In the eyes of most critics it is one of the defining moments in the history of the horror genre and it was made for just under $100,000. Just getting that small amount of money (in terms of movies) proved difficult because nobody knew Raimi or Campbell and Michigan isn't exactly Hollywood.
Filming in the iconic shack (which is presented as a vacation house in the dialogue) wasn't exactly easy for the cast and crew. It was a very confined space and since they had no budget everyone simply stayed in the shack. As one might expect, there were arguments and fights. Later on, Bruce and Sam would comment that the most difficult thing was stopping filming for months at a time while they went in search of more money to complete the project.
During the final weeks of filming the crew had to burn almost all the furniture in the cabin just to keep warm. By the way, the cabin has been dismantled and moved all over the world, I'm pretty sure you can own a piece of it if you truly wanted to. The land was being developed and before any fanbois get upset about such an iconic building being torn down you need to understand that after decades of no one giving a crap, it had almost completely collapsed anyway.
The lead character, Ash, played by Bruce Campbell, has become a bit of an arrogant icon in the horror genre and he is always presented as a confident, if not arrogant, hero of sorts. However, in Evil Dead he is, for the most part, anything but that. He is easily frightened, runs whenever possible, and doesn't really get the guts to face the evil until well into the movie. This is in stark contrast to the Ash portrayed in the modern-day TV-series "Ash vs. Evil Dead" and even the Ash in Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness.
Ok, Im in danger of making this too long. Basically, no one would have ever seen this gem if Ivan Shapiro, a dude who had distributed another iconic horror film "Night of the Living Dead," hadn't gotten involved. Shapiro managed to get the film played at the Cannes film festival where Stephen King just happened to be in attendance. Steven King loved the movie and his public comments about it encouraged others to have a look at it.
Had Steven King not been at Cannes that year, the project might have been shelved, the world would have never known the incredible acting of Bruce Campbell and his chin, and Sam Raimi wouldn't have gone on to direct and produce some of the biggest blockbusters Hollywood has ever seen.
a very large quantity of corn syrup was thrown at Bruce during filming
Overall, I could write a book about this movie. I have seen it dozens of times and may actually watch it again today. If you can get your hands on the collector's DVD it has tracks with Bruce and Sam commenting throughout the film and that really gives you some insider information for super-nerds. It also came inside of its own necronomicon.
my brother and I painstakingly deciphered the entire book
Evil Dead went on to only make 2.4 million globally when it was released. I have no idea how much they have made over the years on merchandising. But when you consider that I personally have at least 10 pieces of Evil Dead stuff, I am quite certain that the original investors are happy they decided to do so.
As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions
