horrorfixxx


My name is Tommy. I'm a 21-year-old college student from the primitive wilds of Kentucky who really likes horror films. Like, a lot. This blog is my tribute to them. It features creepy pictures, gifs, reviews, ramblings and fiction.
Creative Commons License
The countdown continues with The Evil Dead (1981). It needs no introduction, I’m sure. It’s one of the most well known, and one of the most re-watchable, horror films ever made. I’ve seen every movie on this list at least ten times, but this one — I’ve probably seen it fifty. And that’s because it’s brilliant! Evil Dead’s genius is simple: it’s the perfect blend of horror and comedy. It’s a tense, creepy sort of film, filled to the brim with both gore and psychological tension — but it’s also funny. But not too funny, like its sequel occasionally tends to be and its sequel’s sequel outright is. The laughs are there, but so are the scares, ping-ponging off of each other at every possible turn to create a wholly unique cinematic experience. It’s a formula other films have tried, but it’s not one they’ve succeeded at. Usually, there’s too much comedy. Sometimes there’s not enough. Even Raimi only nailed it once. But still, he nailed it, and he nailed it with Evil Dead. It’s necessary viewing for any horror fan. It’s not just the genre mashup that makes Evil Dead so great. There’s also the fact that it’s the quintessential horror film. It uses every old trope you can think of: deserted cabins, zombies, demons, a group of kids who travel to an isolated location and begin to get picked off one by one, possession, the forest, basements, the full moon, haunting laughter, first person perspective, ancient artifacts, creepy old audio recordings, and, uh, more stuff I’m too lazy to list! If it’s a horror movie staple, it’s here, and it’s used to such effect that, thirty years and six million horror films later, it still feels original. And then there’s the film’s protagonist. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far without mentioning Ashley J. Williams at least once. Is there a better good guy in the history of horror? Hell, is there even another one whose full name you can remember offhand? And if there is, does he (or she!) even come close to matching the brilliance that is Bruce Campbell’s performance as Ash? I really doubt it. I can actually only come up with two full names: Laurie Strode and Damien Karras, and neither of them quite match up to Ash. We tend to walk away from horror films remembering the bad guys — and that’s okay. It’s just nice to have one exception to that rule, where the hero is infinitely cooler than the evils confronting him. Don’t get me wrong: the Deadites are still memorable villains — some of cinema’s most memorable, for my money — but this is Ash’s movie and it’s better that way. On top of all that, it’s just an inspiring film. Not so much the movie itself — there’s no complex message about the human condition or anything like that. It’s total popcorn fun, as it should be. I’m talking about the story behind the film. Everybody knows Evil Dead’s backstory, but I feel like nobody takes the time to fully appreciate it. One of the greatest horror films of all time was made on a shoestring budget by a bunch of ne’er-do-well 20-somethings in the middle of nowhere circa 1980. It took a year and a half to make and Raimi had to use stand-ins to cover for the people who gave up on him. And then it was released — unrated, which is like a death sentence — and still made money. Entirely by word of mouth it became a financial success, and it has a legacy that still lives on today. There are sequels and comic books and remakes and musicals. As someone who wants nothing more in life than to become a filmmaker, it’s possibly the single most inspiring movie ever made. I love it. If you haven’t seen it, yeah. Do that. Like, now. Go.

The countdown continues with The Evil Dead (1981). It needs no introduction, I’m sure. It’s one of the most well known, and one of the most re-watchable, horror films ever made. I’ve seen every movie on this list at least ten times, but this one — I’ve probably seen it fifty. And that’s because it’s brilliant!

Evil Dead’s genius is simple: it’s the perfect blend of horror and comedy. It’s a tense, creepy sort of film, filled to the brim with both gore and psychological tension — but it’s also funny. But not too funny, like its sequel occasionally tends to be and its sequel’s sequel outright is. The laughs are there, but so are the scares, ping-ponging off of each other at every possible turn to create a wholly unique cinematic experience. It’s a formula other films have tried, but it’s not one they’ve succeeded at. Usually, there’s too much comedy. Sometimes there’s not enough. Even Raimi only nailed it once. But still, he nailed it, and he nailed it with Evil Dead. It’s necessary viewing for any horror fan.

It’s not just the genre mashup that makes Evil Dead so great. There’s also the fact that it’s the quintessential horror film. It uses every old trope you can think of: deserted cabins, zombies, demons, a group of kids who travel to an isolated location and begin to get picked off one by one, possession, the forest, basements, the full moon, haunting laughter, first person perspective, ancient artifacts, creepy old audio recordings, and, uh, more stuff I’m too lazy to list! If it’s a horror movie staple, it’s here, and it’s used to such effect that, thirty years and six million horror films later, it still feels original.

And then there’s the film’s protagonist. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far without mentioning Ashley J. Williams at least once. Is there a better good guy in the history of horror? Hell, is there even another one whose full name you can remember offhand? And if there is, does he (or she!) even come close to matching the brilliance that is Bruce Campbell’s performance as Ash? I really doubt it. I can actually only come up with two full names: Laurie Strode and Damien Karras, and neither of them quite match up to Ash. We tend to walk away from horror films remembering the bad guys — and that’s okay. It’s just nice to have one exception to that rule, where the hero is infinitely cooler than the evils confronting him. Don’t get me wrong: the Deadites are still memorable villains — some of cinema’s most memorable, for my money — but this is Ash’s movie and it’s better that way.

On top of all that, it’s just an inspiring film. Not so much the movie itself — there’s no complex message about the human condition or anything like that. It’s total popcorn fun, as it should be. I’m talking about the story behind the film. Everybody knows Evil Dead’s backstory, but I feel like nobody takes the time to fully appreciate it. One of the greatest horror films of all time was made on a shoestring budget by a bunch of ne’er-do-well 20-somethings in the middle of nowhere circa 1980. It took a year and a half to make and Raimi had to use stand-ins to cover for the people who gave up on him. And then it was released — unrated, which is like a death sentence — and still made money. Entirely by word of mouth it became a financial success, and it has a legacy that still lives on today. There are sequels and comic books and remakes and musicals. As someone who wants nothing more in life than to become a filmmaker, it’s possibly the single most inspiring movie ever made. I love it.

If you haven’t seen it, yeah. Do that. Like, now. Go.

49 notes 1 month ago
#top ten    #evil dead    #evil dead 1981    
  1. desolate-earth reblogged this from thelilyjean
  2. thelilyjean reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  3. mcbluffincavedwelling reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  4. outroego reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  5. satanicpandemonium reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  6. zommbies reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  7. yeyomonster reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  8. catquack reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  9. seanoftheundead reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  10. casuarina said: Awesome and well written :D Really enjoying your countdown!
  11. mytumblbumbl reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  12. her-eyes-vacant-and-stained reblogged this from horrorfixxx
  13. horrorfixxx posted this