The Evil Dead

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1:52

The Evil Dead

NC-17

1981

1h 25m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

87 Reviews

84%

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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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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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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Sep 12, 2023

Sam Raimi’s 1981 breakout feature remains profoundly unsettling due to the gonzo vigour with which he attacks his subject.

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Diane Haithman

Detroit Free Press

Mar 24, 2023

6/10

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.

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Owen Gleiberman

Boston Phoenix

Mar 24, 2023

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.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

Aug 3, 2026

this horror classic is still a banger featuring writer and director Sam Raimi’s excellent camera work, editor Edna Ruth Paul’s effective and efficient montages, excess gross outs and unremitting bleak storyline.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Oct 13, 2025

6/10

A B-movie horror film in which Raimi demonstrates his technical expertise in building bloody atmospheres in the cabin in the woods, but its narrative often stumbles into clichés that take the chills out of the gore show. [Full review in Spanish]

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23, 2025

8/10

Even with the jaded eyes of someone that grew up on the films influenced by Raimi’s directorial debut, it still is impressively violent, visceral, and darkly funny.

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Eric G

May 27, 2026

classic but damn these undead wail for waaaay too long

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Juandi

May 11, 2026

I just watched this for the first time & I tried not to be biased. The remake is one of my favorite horror movies & it’s far beyond the original Evil Dead. For the time this was released & such a small budget, this was okay. I did fall asleep for 15 minutes though.

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Jim C

Apr 26, 2026

one of the absolute best. never saw this on the big screen until screening. Evil Dead rules. Ash rules. Sam Raimi rules.

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Tristen

Apr 25, 2026

Evil Dead (1981) is an absolute classic, I love the franchise and the way they build the world in the story is near perfect.

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claudio

Apr 25, 2026

Legendary classic status. Every horror fan should watch at least once

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aimee

Apr 25, 2026

brilliant 👏 one of my absolute favorites an amazing turning point in the horror genre. this was my first time experiencing this beautiful classic historical masterpiece in the theater! what am amazing 👏 experience indeed just pre bliss from this horror fan. this is the making of a great franchise with 2 new movies on way. so excited for those as well! Bruce was born to be Ashley.

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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

The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Tree Attack

1:56

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Trapped in the Cabin

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - They Won't Stop Laughing

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Rising From the Grave

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Zombies Attack

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - The Walls Bleed

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Demons Possess Cheryl

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Killing the Zombies

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Hacked to Pieces

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The Evil Dead: Official Clip - Psycho Demon Girlfriend

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The Evil Dead: Trailer 1

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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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