Evil Dead (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
'The Evil Dead' (written & directed by Sam Raimi) is a gross-out horror pic that is gross, goofy, unfunny, unscary, has no plot, no character development, no subtext, and yet ... people seem to really dig it. I just don't. I tried. But trying to like a movie that many other DO like can be taxing and prove to make for an even worse judgment of the film in question. The plot: 5 college friends, Ash (Bruce Campbell), Scott, Linda, Shelley, & Cheryl take a vacation in a remote mountain location in Tennessee. While investigating the cellar of their lob cabin, the group discovers a tape & a decaying book of strange incantations.
The tape is played & it unleashes a powerful evil force from the woods that is hell bent on destroying every human in sight. Soon the group becomes possessed by the demons & they start falling by the wayside. The first one to become a zombie is Cheryl, who gets violated by the woods. See, the possessed turn into zombies who cannot die (except for total body dismemberment), & they start to turn on one another. There are a series of bloody shocks throughout the night, with Ash being the only one not a zombie & trying desperately to survive by the time dawn approaches.
This movie does not lack for energy. But it lacks mood & atmosphere - 2 integral ingredients in any horror flick. Some may disagree with me on that. But I didn't feel it. I respect that this movie was made on a shoestring budget (awful make-up, cheesy effects, atrocious actors). There are some humorous scares (Three Stooges-like zombies) & effective visuals. But my appreciation stops there. I like horror movies, as a rule. 'Friday the 13th', 'Nightmare on Elm Street' -- they scared the crap out of me in a good way. But the blend of cheeseball thrills/comedy/scares that 'The Evil Dead' offers ... just wasn't my thing.
The tape is played & it unleashes a powerful evil force from the woods that is hell bent on destroying every human in sight. Soon the group becomes possessed by the demons & they start falling by the wayside. The first one to become a zombie is Cheryl, who gets violated by the woods. See, the possessed turn into zombies who cannot die (except for total body dismemberment), & they start to turn on one another. There are a series of bloody shocks throughout the night, with Ash being the only one not a zombie & trying desperately to survive by the time dawn approaches.
This movie does not lack for energy. But it lacks mood & atmosphere - 2 integral ingredients in any horror flick. Some may disagree with me on that. But I didn't feel it. I respect that this movie was made on a shoestring budget (awful make-up, cheesy effects, atrocious actors). There are some humorous scares (Three Stooges-like zombies) & effective visuals. But my appreciation stops there. I like horror movies, as a rule. 'Friday the 13th', 'Nightmare on Elm Street' -- they scared the crap out of me in a good way. But the blend of cheeseball thrills/comedy/scares that 'The Evil Dead' offers ... just wasn't my thing.