One Of The Scariest Scenes In The Evil Dead Is A Nasty Finale
(Welcome to Scariest Scene Ever, a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror with your tour guides, horror experts Chris Evangelista and Matt Donato. In this edition, Matt returns to the original "The Evil Dead.")
In keeping with the "Evil Dead" theme in preparation for "Evil Dead Rise" on April 21, let's return to where it all began. Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead" is an infamous video nasty that started one of horror's most beloved franchises. Between the original trilogy, Fede Álvarez's requel, and "Ash vs Evil Dead," there's something for everyone starting with a low-budget darling that held nothing back. It's grotesque, unbelievably scrappy, and inventive in the face of financial shortcomings. "The Evil Dead" is a miracle, so let's treat it like one.
"The Evil Dead" is Raimi's first and least comedic of the original trilogy. Practical effects can be more traumatizing than blending over-the-top humor and extravagant goriness. Some might scoff at that statement knowing how Deadite disintegration looks like Play-Doh or claymation, but we'll get there. What's scary is less straightforward horror and more how the artistic choices that seem very backyard DIY end up being more gnarly despite being "lesser" in some eyes. It's not "Evil Dead" (2013), but there's one glimpse that's even grosser and more disturbing in "The Evil Dead" using presumably household items.
The setup
"The Evil Dead" sets up one of the most textbook definitions of "cabin in the woods" horror. Five Michigan State students, including Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell), head into the Tennessee wilderness where a cabin awaits. Upon arrival, the group encounters supernaturally suspicious events that initially go unquestioned in the name of staying positive. Then they find the Naturom Demonto and archaeologist Raymond Knowby's tape recorder — the beginning of the end for most visitors.
The story so far
The story so far is one of blood, guts, and Deadite viciousness. Dunderhead Scott (Richard DeManincor) plays a tape of incantations that unleashes a demonic entity that preys upon Ash's group, starting with Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss) in the woods (which we don't have to recount due to content). She becomes the entity's sleeper agent who enters the cabin, stabbing ankles with pencils and getting herself locked in the basement, but the damage is done. Ash is forced to battle, dismember, and dispose of friends who turn into Deadite beings until only Scott and Cheryl are left as Deadites — Ash's final confrontation.
The scene
Ash is outnumbered by the Deadite versions of Scott and Cheryl, who grab, restrain, and beat him with metal pokers. His only hope is to throw the Naturom Demonto into a blazing fire, which freezes the Deadites in their tracks. Cheryl stops whacking Ash with her weapon, and Scott lies motionless. What happens next certainly helped "The Evil Dead" earn its video nasty designation.
Cheryl and Scott begin to decompose around Ash. Cheryl's hair falls out in clumps while Scott's face starts melting away like it's turning into soup. Other bodies start rotting at hyper speed, as lips disappear to reveal shifting teeth and bleeding gums or appendages start falling off. The Naturom Demonto starts suggestively waving its tongue while on fire, and Deadites mimic the same motion.
Bodies litter the wooden cabin floor lookin' like skeletons wrapped in raw meat, and then an oatmeal-consistency puss starts oozing from wounds. Ash keeps looking around at the stomach-churning display, soaking it all in (yuck), and then, out of nowhere, demonic arms burst from Deadite corpses with even more gore splashed onto Ash. The chunky puss pours onto the floor, cranberry-saucy blood all over Ash, as the Deadites burst blood like geysers from necks or legs. We're stuck in this surreal splatterfest with Ash as bugs crawl over moldy gruel where bones and tissue used to be, in a repulsive display of Deadite deconstruction that is impossible to forget.
The impact (Chris' Take)
The "Evil Dead" franchise feels like it's primarily known for comedy, but I always like to remind folks that the original is going for more of a straight-up horror vibe. The DIY of it all only enhances the scares, making everything feel a little extra authentic, like we're watching some gruesome home movie. I particularly love this scene in question, in which the Deadites rot away with stop-motion and some fantastic sound design. The unreality of it all only adds to the scene, and as things grow more and more disgusting you can't help but marvel at it all. As Matt said above, this movie really is a kind of miracle. That it got made, distributed, and became a cult hit that spawned an entire franchise is somewhat amazing.