The Evil Dead (1983)

Me seeing this was a long time coming. I suspected ahead of time I wouldn't dig the first outing, and I was right. That being said, I see the appeal. Instantly.

The later installments were known for their sense of humor and it's sort of strange to see Ash here who is known by reputation as a wiseguy when he doesn't make a single wisecrack (Not even a "Groovy") in the film. His visual appearance is amusing to me however. With the unibrow and awful haircut he's a dead ringer for Jim Carrey in Dumb And Dumber.

One of the things that interests me as someone who plans to watch the follow-ups is that Ash in the first film is very averse to violence. He resists dismembering and conking the things that used to be his friends on the head with all of his might. Knowing that the character eventually turns into a badass is kind of cool. Because it's not evident in this film and that would show actual character progress. I am also aware that chainsaws are a big part of the franchise but Ash noticeably refuses to use one here.

Stephen King said in Danse Macabre "I try to terrify the reader. When I cannot terrify, I try to horrify. If I cannot horrify, I go for the gross-out." I think nine times out of ten Sam Raimi has simply given up on horrifying us. This movie is super gross.

I will say one good thing about that (that counts as a bad thing too). I am not as grossed out or horrified at the movie as I could have been because the gory effects look so dated and fake. That's part of their low-budget charm. But I recognize that what is supposed to be Deadite pus is in reality cottage-cheese. I don't much care for horror movies, and the movie is easier for me to take because I see how the tricks were done. But the fact that I wasn't ever really scared, and that even my gag reflex was held in check by the fakeness, says the movie may be a fine genre picture, but it's not a truly scary horror film.

With one exception. I have not seen the rest of the franchise, but I sincerely hope there is not ever another scene similar to the woman being raped by a tree. Granted it was the only thing in the movie that truly horrified me, but it's so freaking tasteless I don't remotely give the movie points for it.

Not my jam. Hopefully later outings tickle my funny bone more. **1 removed link