The Evil Dead
Movie, 1981, Ash Williams, Set in A cabin in the woods
The Evil Dead is #1 of 7 in release order and #1 of 7 in chronological order in the Evil Dead.
The story
In 1979, a group of college students find a Sumerian Book of the Dead in an old wilderness cabin they've rented for a weekend getaway.
The Evil Dead recap
The Evil Dead (1981) sends five Michigan State students to a remote Tennessee cabin, where a tape of Sumerian incantations wakes a demon in the woods. Sam Raimi wrote and directed it on a tiny budget, with Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams. Ash brings his girlfriend Linda (Betsy Baker), his sister Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss), his friend Scott (Richard DeManincor) and Scott's girlfriend Shelly (Theresa Tilly). In the cellar they find the Naturom Demonto, a book bound in skin, and an archaeologist's recorder; playing the tape releases the Kandarian Demon. Cheryl is attacked by the trees, then possessed, and the bridge out has been destroyed. One by one the others turn into white-eyed Deadites, and the tape explains that only dismembering the host stops them. Ash is left alone in the cabin, unable to bring himself to cut up the people he loves. This is the first film in the series, followed directly by Evil Dead II.
The Evil Dead ending explained
The Evil Dead ends with Ash throwing the Book of the Dead into the fireplace; as it burns, the possessed Cheryl and Scott freeze and rot apart. At dawn he staggers outside, and the unseen demon rushes through the forest and hits him as he screams. Evil Dead II opens by retelling this setup in a shorter form before carrying on from that moment, so the sequel is part remake, part continuation.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Evil Dead has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is streaming on Xumo Play in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 85%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Evil Dead II.
- Chronological order: first, before Evil Dead II.
What to watch before The Evil Dead
Nothing. The Evil Dead is the first of the Evil Dead essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Bruce Campbell as Ash
- Ellen Sandweiss as Cheryl
- Richard DeManincor as Scott
- Betsy Baker as Linda
- Theresa Tilly as Shelly
- Philip A. Gillis as Fake Shemp
- Dorothy Tapert as Fake Shemp
- Cheryl Klam as Fake Shemp
- Barbara Carey as Fake Shemp
- David Horton as Fake Shemp
- Wendall Thomas as Fake Shemp
- Don Long as Fake Shemp
Directed by Sam Raimi.