The Evil Dead (1981)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A group of college students find an ancient book and an audio tape in a remote cabin, inadvertently unleashing a legion of demonic entities.
The story
A quintet of Michigan State University students—Ash, Linda, Cheryl, Scott, and Shelly—vacation at a remote cabin in the rural hills of Tennessee. While exploring the cabin, they discover the Naturom Demonto, a Sumerian version of the Book of the Dead, and an archaeologist's tape recorder. When Scott plays a tape of incantations, it releases a demonic entity. The group soon finds themselves facing a terrifying reality as the demonic force begins to possess them, forcing the remaining survivors to fight for their lives against a growing wave of supernatural horror and gore.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Five students vacationing in a remote Tennessee cabin discover the Naturom Demonto and an archaeologist's tape recorder. When a tape of incantations is played, it resurrects the Kandarian Demon. The group is soon besieged by demonic forces; Cheryl is attacked by possessed trees and later transforms into a monster, while Shelly is turned into a monster after being attacked by the demon. Scott is mortally wounded by possessed trees and dies while warning Ash. Ash eventually faces off against the possessed Linda, whom he is forced to decapitate. In the final confrontation, Ash faces the reanimated corpses of Scott and Cheryl. He manages to burn the book, causing the zombies to decompose. As dawn breaks, Ash escapes the cabin only to be chased by the Kandarian Demon through the woods.
- First release year
- 1981
- Runtime (minutes)
- 85
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sam Raimi
- Writers
- Sam Raimi · writer
- Cast and characters
- Bruce Campbell · Ash Williams; Ellen Sandweiss · Cheryl Williams; Richard DeManincor · Scott; Betsy Baker · Linda; Theresa Tilly · Shelly
- Genres
- supernatural horror; independent; horror thriller
- Themes
- demonic possession; survival
- Tone and mood
- gore; horror; black comedy
- Setting
- A remote cabin in the rural hills of Tennessee.
- Premise and plot tags
- haunted house; supernatural; slasher; cult classic
- Source material / true-story basis
- Within the Woods
- Franchise connections
- Evil Dead
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received largely positive critical reception and has established a reputation as a significant cult classic and one of the most successful independent films.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 11
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…