The Evil Dead is a Body Horror Inducing Nightmare of Pure Terror

 

Credit to 40 Years of Epic Terror — ‘The Evil Dead’ (1981) Retro Review — PopHorror

While I think the sequel is the best Evil Dead film in the franchise, I think the first one is the second most tragic film in the franchise. Even though it’s the most serious film in the series, it’s still an entertaining dark ride that will leave you disturbed and disgusted. 

The use of the demons in the first film feel so violating, like you are literally watching a snuff film. I was in shock to see that the original film was given an NC — 17 rating, and I’m 100% sure it had to do with the realistic violence, and the disturbing sequence that takes place with one of the characters in the woods. 

This movie took guts to make, and we have to thank Sam Rami for bringing such a memorable franchise to life. 

The story takes place with a group of friends going to a cabin in the woods. 

Credit to evil dead 1981 04 | MonsterZero NJ’s Movie Madhouse

Upon arrival to the cabin in the woods, the characters get creeped out by a random bench located in front of the cabin, that is moving by itself. Once Scott, one of the characters, gets the keys to open the door, the bench stops moving. The friends shrug off this strange event, and all head inside of the cabin to hang out. 

The only one in the group that isn’t happy to stay in the cabin is Cheryl, the main character’s sister. She is instantly targeted by the evil lurking around the cabin, forcing her to draw an image of the Book of the Dead. Cheryl’s brother, Ash, and Scott, decide to investigate the cellar when it suddenly opens by itself while the group is having a nice dinner. 

The two guys discover the Book of the Dead, a random creepy looking weapon with a skull on the handle, and a recorder. The group play the recorder, and it scares the hell out of Cheryl when she realizes that the stranger on the recorder is speaking about the Book of the Dead, and the group accidentally summon the evil. 

Cheryl goes outside to search for the voice that calls out to her later that night, and she is lured into the woods. She is immediately captured by the evil, and they use the trees and vines to torture her. This scene is extremely dark and disturbing, and I cannot go into detail what takes place to this poor girl. 

Even the cast and crew admitted they regretted filming one part of the scene.

Cheryl escapes from the evil, and runs back into the cabin. She begs Ash to take her away from the cabin, and he drives them out of the area. Unfortunately, the siblings realize that the bridge is now destroyed, leaving them trapped. 

They go back to the cabin, where Cheryl is watching out the window, staring off into space as the group continues to have fun, not fully understanding what sort of horrors took place with Cheryl.

They all learn the hard way once Cheryl reveals that she is now possessed. 

Credit to Horrific Inquiry: THE EVIL DEAD (1981) — Film Inquiry

Cheryl attacks the group is horrific ways, and they are forced to throw her down the cellar to make sure she will not hurt anyone for now. What’s even more terrifying is that while Scott pushes her down the cellar, Cheryl’s face has now taken on a more terrifying change, no longer resembling a human. 

The group is still at a loss for words, and they all try to calm down as they figure out what to do. Scott sends Shelly, his hysterical girlfriend, to their room, so that she can calm down. Ash is looking after his own girlfriend, Linda, who had received a horrible injury from Cheryl’s possessed form. 

Shelly is the next one to become possessed, and she goes after Scott. She attacks Scott, and he puts her down with the weird weapon they found in the cellar. He is then forced to cut her up in pieces, as Ash watches this horrible act in horror. Scott tells Ash that Shelly is now dead, and they bury her body parts in the woods. 

Scott is determined to now escape from the situation, no longer giving a damn about anyone else. Ash begs him to stay, but he refuses to listen. He runs out, leaving Ash to fend for himself. 

Linda is the next one to become possessed. 

Credit to The Evil Dead (1981) — Movie Review : Alternate Ending

Ash runs away from her completely terrified, and he runs into a severely injured Scott who returns to the cabin. Scott tells Ash they are all going to die, and Ash refuses to accept this reality, as Linda and Cheryl both trick him into believing they are no longer possessed. 

Cheryl attacks Ash, and he barely gets away from her. Then Linda attacks him, and he drags her outside of the cabin to protect himself. He tries to comfort Scott, but he dies from his injuries. Linda then breaks into the cabin, attacking Ash with the same creepy blade. Ash gets the upper hand and wins the fight, stabbing her with knife. 

Ash buries her in the woods, but she comes back fully transformed, brutally attacking him. Ash chops off her head to save himself, and he screams in terror, leaving her body outside. He gets attacked by Cheryl next, and he goes to the cellar to collect the remaining bullets for his rifle.

Ash experiences total psychological and physical torture for the remainder of the film. 

Credit to La Casa — The Evil Dead (1981): nessun posto è bello come casa mia… — La Bara Volante

I could not stand watching poor Ash get tortured like that. It was like the demons purposely chose to mess with him next, after what they did to his sister. The demons make him see blood all over the cabin, blood spills onto his body, and he is forced to fight Cheryl and the now possessed Scott. 

He barely wins the fight, after he comes across the Book of the Dead. He burns the book using a gift that he had given to Linda, and he watches in exhaustion and horror as his sister and his friend both begin to melt. The body horror is excellent here, and it’s one of the most uncomfortable moments I have experienced in a horror film. 

Ash leans his face against the floor after the demons die, as he can barely hear the demons taunting him to join them. Ash gets up, and notices that it is now daylight. He walks outside, hopeful music playing in the background. 

How I wished this is where the movie ended. 

The film ends with Ash screaming in absolute fear as the demons come for him, the screen fading to black. 

I’m not exaggerating when I say this, I was pissed off for two weeks straight after watching this movie for the first time back in 2018. That ending messed with me so bad the first time I saw it. I was so mad that Ash didn’t get his happy ending, because he had gone through so much and lost so many people he cared about. 

It’s rare for a film to make me feel this way, and I think that is why The Evil Dead will always remain special to me. And I still can’t stand that dark ending.