“If asked to make a list of the top five cult classics in movie history, any movie critic or film buff would be remiss to omit the 1981 masterpiece Evil Dead. Directed by Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell, the low-budget blood-fest follows five vacationing college kids — Ash, his girlfriend Linda, and their classmates Cheryl, Scott and Shelly — making an unplanned stopover in an abandoned mountain cabin surrounded by impenetrable woods. Before settling in for the night, they come across an ancient-looking occult tome filled with dense hieroglyphics and macabre illustrations, a dagger fashioned from human bones, and a reel-to-reel tape recorder. The taped message, dictated by a professor of archaeology, describes the contents of the Sumerian “Book of the Dead,” filled with incantations used to bring otherworldly demons to life, giving them license to possess the living. With the five friends listening intently, the professor’s recorded translations of the ritual chants unintentionally release an ominous presence from the depths of the forest and, needless to say, the evil spirit takes to its dirty work with glorious gusto. And that’s when things get really interesting. But what qualifies Evil Dead as a true cult classic and not just some run-of-the-mill “cabin in the woods” horror flick? Here are ten indisputable reasons.” w/ photos
