Why listen
Find out how a scrappy indie horror film earned Stephen King's blessing and changed the genre forever.
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In this episode
- Why Evil Dead broke the unwritten moral rules of 1980s horror
- How practical effects and painful contact lenses built real dread on a tiny budget
- The unlikely connections linking the film to the Coen brothers and Wes Craven
- How the franchise stayed relevant enough to spawn a brand new entry 40 years later
About this episode
Temperatures are rising, and so are the Evil Dead! Mark welcomes old friends Katie Bruno and Jacqueline Renne on a drive to a cabin in the woods to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of Sam Raimi's cult horror classic The Evil Dead in theaters throughout the country. The trio discuss how the NC-17 shocker starring Bruce Campbell as scream king Ash Williams got the approval of Stephen King and subverted audience expectations, skipping the sex, drugs, and alcohol morality rules of horror at the time, and going straight for the blood, inventive practical effects, and painful contact lenses. The scrappy indie film was influential in 80s horror, action, and fantasy comedies, and 40 years of deadites and gore later, the franchise still slays with the brand new Evil Dead Rise. Not every movie is cool enough to be connected to the Coen brothers, Wes Craven, and Xena: Warrior Princess!
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About Release Date Rewind
Movie nerd, filmmaker, and anniversary celebrator Mark J. Parker brings a friend on each episode to discuss movies (and sometimes TV shows) that are hitting milestone anniversaries of release that month. Think 20th anniversary, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, you get it!
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