His kinetic style is easily marked with crazy zooms and angles, and transitions that both make you chuckle and make you nod in appreciation. His direction seems to inspire and bring out the best from his actors, as his films are filled with great to over-the-top performances that almost always leave an impression. It's easy to see that Sam Raimi is a creative mind that loves the art of film making, a man that isn't afraid to try something new, and an innovator that has been mimicked and sited as an inspiration over and over.
His movies have affected us here at the Fiend in one way or another for a long time now, and we are proud to acknowledge Mr. Raimi's accomplishments with the following retrospective. We hope you enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed his films.
Like most film makers, Sam Raimi started out directing a few shorts. Using his friends and classmates, some of which whom would come along for his journey for quite some time, Raimi made his first short It's Murder!. A throwback to classic murder mysteries, it is also filled with Raimi's developing slapstick humor streak. It has some merit, but overall it's a tad rough. Feel free to give a go as it's on YouTube in a few parts, the first if you click to through the film's title. As a side-note...one of Raimi's most notable collaborators, Bruce Campbell, makes an appearance as a cop. After this came Within the Woods. This is the short Raimi and co. used as a sell for The Evil Dead. The film hasn't aged well physically, so if you want to check it out make sure your aspirins are ready. Finally, we have Clockwork, the shortest of the bunch, but also the most polished. This one is about a homeless serial killer who stalks a girl, and you can really get a feel for Raimi's talents here. It's probably one his more serious pieces, too. Give it a check!
And now, let's move on to the features:
(click each title to see that movie's trailer!)
THE EVIL DEAD (1981)
From IMDB: Five friends go up to a cabin in the woods where they find unspeakable evil lurking in the forest. They find the Necronomicon and the taped translation of the text. Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens become deadly zombies. With only one remaining, it is up to him to survive the night and battle the evil dead.
Sal: Where it all began...I remember seeing this one in high school with a group of friends, and laughing my ass off at the "tree rape" scene. It wasn't so much scary at the time as it was fun, and what stuck to me was this frenetic camera work that Sam Raimi employed. Bruce Campbell, Ash, wasn't yet his over-the-top self, but you could still tell there was something in his acting that would make Ash an icon of the horror genre. This one played at being more of a horror movie than the rest, and it has inspired a world of clones over the years.
Steve: I consider this my least favorite of the 'Dead' films. I saw Evil Dead Two first and it had a lasting impression; I only sought out its predecessor in my teen years. Watching it only confused me as to why one and two were so similar. I, of course, eventually figured out why that was, but for me two is the tits. I still think this is a great movie and well worth checking out.
Lou: To me, this is one of the over-rated "classics" of the horror genre. It is shot well on the very low-budget that it was made with, but the plot and acting leave a lot to be desired. The sequel/remake is better, but honestly, not by a whole lot.
CRIMEWAVE (1985)
From IMDB: A pair of whacked-out cartoon-like exterminator/hitmen kill the owner of a burglar-alarm company, and stalk the partner who hired them, his wfe, and a nerd framed for the murder, who tells the story in flashback from the electric chair.
Sal: I think I'm on my own with this one. I recently caught Crimewave (thank you, Netflix!) after searching for it for a long time in the 90's. However, I wish I hadn't honestly, it was tough to watch. Raimi, along with cowriters the Coen Bros., attempted a sort of Three Stooges/Keystone Cops type of movie and it didn't really work for me. Surprising, given the talent mentioned. Not much more to say other than it gave Raimi some more experience so he'd go onto his horror classic. Oh and Bruce Campbell has a funny role.
Steve: Haven't seen it, and after Sal's thoughts I don't see myself searching to find it.
EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN (1987)
From IMDB: A sequel/remake of the film The Evil Dead. A young man named Ash takes his girlfriend Linda to a secluded cabin, and plays back a professor's tape recorded recitation of passages from the Book of the Dead. The spell calls up an evil force from the woods which turns Linda into a monstrous Deadite, and threatens to do the same to Ash. When the professor's daughter and her entourage show up at the cabin, the night turns into a non-stop, grotesquely comic battle with chainsaw and shotgun on one side, demon horde and flying eyeball on the other.
Steve: This is probably my favorite Raimi movie, and the first one I had ever seen. I rented this, or had my Grandmother rent it for me, when I was far too young to see it. It fucked me up, and has had me coming back for more ever since. It was zaney and scary (though not anymore) and I had never seen anything like it since. Evil Dead 2 and Night of the Living Dead were the first two horror movies I remember seeking out based on the box art alone. This movie has it all, and if there were one Raimi movie I'd recommend it'd be this one.
Sal: ED2:DBD was sort of a retread of the first movie, with the opening 10 minutes or so retelling that story in a new way and then just continuing from there. This time Raimi fully cast Campbell in the only lead and Ash was officially born. All of the tricks Raimi had been practicing come to full light here and he bops you in the head with zooms and trick shots throughout. It was a fun horror flick that played more as a comedy with horrific elements than anything else. I've always had a blast with this movie.
Lou: To me, again, this film is over-rated. While the effects are better than it's predecessor, the story still seems lacking and the disjointed ending throws me out of the film more than it helps to wrap it up. The creatures annoyed me more than they scared me.
DARKMAN (1990)
From IMDB: Peyton Westlake is a scientist who has discovered a way to produce synthetic skin. This could revolutionize skin grafting, except for one minor glitch; the synthetic skin degrades after 100 minutes of exposure to light. When gangsters attack Peyton, he is horrifically burnt, and assumed dead. In his quest for revenge, Peyton, aka the Darkman, is able to take on the appearance of anyone (using the synthetic skin,) but he's only got 100 minutes per disguise.
Sal: Raimi's first foray into the superhero genre had tinges of horror mixed in as well. Liam Neeson, in an early role, was his lead here as a scientist who is horribly scarred, but a master of organic mask making. He battles the thugs who did it to him. It's a rather fun romp, and probably showed the folks at Marvel that he can do this type of film. Seeing the trailer again makes me want to watch it!
Steve: My memory is a little fuzzy on this one. I recall liking it quite a bit, but then again at the time I watched this I was still a youngin' with no idea what I wanted from a movie. I remember liking the make-up FX, and I think they still hold up.
Lou: Haven't seen this one in a while, but I do remember enjoying it. It was the first film that I ever saw Liam Neeson in and he stood out from then on.
ARMY OF DARKNESS (1992)
From IMDB: In this sequel to the Evil Dead films, a discount-store employee ("Name's Ash. Housewares.") is time-warped to a medieval castle beset by monstrous forces. Initially mistaken for an enemy, he is soon revealed as the prophesied savior who can quest for the Necronomicon, a book which can dispel the evil. Unfortunately, he screws up the magic words while collecting the tome, and releases an army of skeletons, led by his own Deadite counterpart. What follows is a thrilling, yet tongue-in-cheek battle between Ash's 20th Century tactics and the minions of darkness.
Steve: Classic. A must see. This would be my second favorite Raimi movie. I love everything about it. It's epic, fun, gross, and has those really good Ash one-liner's that really defined his character. This is also when Raimi really defined his visual flare. The poster is also classic and one of the last of the great horror movie posters--it seems like after this movie everybody opted for the photographic montage.
Lou: By far the best of the Evil Dead films. If you're only going to see one of them this is the one to see. The heavy dose of humor in the script helps to keep it lighthearted and fun while not giving up completely on the weird horror elements.
Sal: I agree, it's the best of the bunch and the first Raimi film I saw at the movies. I love everything about this movie from the poster to the very last frame in the S-Mart ending, the better of the two endings, IMO. Raimi is so on in this one, and he and Campbell really threw everything they had at it. It's insane, their ultimate collaboration, and probably one they easily felt they could hang their hat on the series with. Of course, Army being as good a romp as it was caused fans to clamor for more ever since. Probably in my Top 20 all-time.
After Army of Darkness, Raimi ventured into TV production helping create and bring to the small screen shows like Hercules, Xena, Jack of All Trades, Spartacus, and more! He has also produced many a movie including 30 Days of Night and The Grudge. He's also co-written The Hudsucker Proxy with the Coens and The Man With the Screaming Brain with his pal Bruce Campbell. Still, though, his calling card has been his directorial efforts...
THE QUICK AND THE DEAD (1995)
From IMDB: Ellen, an unknown female gunslinger rides into a small, dingy and depressing prairie town with a secret as to her reason for showing up. Shortly after her arrival, a local preacher, Cort, is thrown through the saloon doors while townsfolk are signing up for a gun competition. The pot is a huge sum of money and the only rule: that you follow the rules of the man that set up the contest, Herod. Herod is also the owner, leader, and "ruler" of the town. Seems he's arranged this little gun-show-off so that the preacher (who use to be an outlaw and rode with Herod) will have to fight again. Cort refuses to ever use a gun to kill again and Herod, acknowledging Cort as one of the best, is determined to alter this line of thinking...even if it gets someone killed...
Sal: It's not surprising to me that Raimi would move on to a western next. After all, his style is sort of reminiscent of certain Spaghetti Westerns, and this movie felt like it was in that vein. I really liked this one, too. The gunslinger tournament story just lent itself so well to producing many memorable characters, and it had them in spades. And those characters are played by a litany of great to interesting actors from Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe to Sharon Stone and Lance Henrikson. Nice twists keep everything lively to the end, and Raimi's camera work works so well in enhancing the drama. One of the better Westerns of the last 20 years for sure.
Lou: This is a solid western with a great cast. Sharon Stone stars as a woman looking for revenge against an older gunman played by Gene Hackman. Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe also give strong performances. It's an underrated movie that is worth hunting down.
Steve: This never really did it for me. For starters, I guess I can't really stand Sharon Stone.
A SIMPLE PLAN (1998)
From IMDB: Two brothers, one a mild-mannered hardware store manager, the other an unemployed slob and a friend stumble onto $4.4 million cash in stolen money. The new-found booty leads Hank, the store manager (with help from his cunning wife), to great lengths to keep the money a secret from local authorities. The three men begin to doubt each others trust, which leads to shocking results of lies and deceit.
Lou: This one's a bit on the slow side. It's also somewhat predictable, but the performances by Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton are good. It's not necessarily one to really seek out, but not one to completely dismiss.
Sal: I agree on its pace, but I think this was a fairly solid pot boiler and something completely different for Raimi. The acting is what drives this one for sure, though, with the folks already mentioned and also Bridget Fonda as Paxton's wife (who may be the evilest one of the bunch!). I've often heard about the greatness of this movie, but while it's definitely not that, I thought it was pretty OK.
FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME (1999)
From IMDB: Baseball great Billy Chapel, 40, wants nothing more than to reconnect with his one-time lover, Jane Aubrey. On the morning he's to pitch the last game of the season, she tells him she's leaving that evening for a job in London; he also learns that the Detroit Tigers' new owners plan to trade him. As he pitches that night, he must decide whether to accept the trade or quit the game he loves, and between innings, he recalls meeting Jane, their first date, happy times, miscommunication, and what may be a final break. Meanwhile, with Vin Scully announcing, one Yankee batter after another fails to reach first base. Can Billy pitch a perfect game, and if so, what does it matter if he loses Jane?
Sal: I just saw this movie to be able to wrap up this retrospective, and I must say, I was impressed. If A Simple Plan was completely different, then this one is waaaaaay different! It's a romantic baseball drama starring Kevin Costner, yup, he went there, but you know what? He did it well. Costner is usually on his A-Game when making baseball movies, and this one is no different. And like the title implies, it's not only a romantic movie in the strict sense, but mostly it's a romance of the "Love of the Game". I really liked the framing sequence of Costner's Chapel character pitching through what may be a perfect game, with many reminders flashing him back to what has happened in the last five years or since he has met the love of his life. Sure, it's sappy, but it really did have a heart, and overall I just dug it. Glad I got to see it before this went up!
THE GIFT (2000)
From IMDB: Annie Wilson is a young widow with three children. She has a "gift" and to make ends meet she reads cards and tells people their future. When the daughter of the area's most prominent citizen disappears, Annie is called upon by the woman's anxious father and fiancé to assist the police. She manages to lead them to the lake where the girl's body is to be found and the police arrest Donnie Barksdale, known to both Annie and the police as an extremely violent man. Annie continues to receive clues even after Barksdale's arrest that leads her to believe someone else is responsible. In her final confrontation with the killer, she gets assistance from an unexpected source.
Sal: I decided to go give this one a check because it had a supernatural vibe, the first in a while for Raimi. I wasn't disappointed. I got that plus a lot more. This was a severely toned down supernatural Raimi, though, more like his last two films than the ones that preceded those, but I realized right away that he had come a long a way as a film maker: from a cool, quirky one to a damn solid one. The performances in this movie are outstanding, a testament to Raimi's direction, no more so than Keanu Reeves. He's insanely scary!!! Also fantastic is the performance of Giovanni Ribisi. This is another one that keeps you guessing, and the payoff is quite interesting.
Steve: I think this is a great looking film, love the atmosphere. The casting is dead on, and I think Keanu Reeves is actually acting in this one! You can find better films, sure, but The Gift is a solid movie in Raimi's arsenal.
SPIDER-MAN (2002)
From IMDB: On a school field trip, Peter Parker (Maguire) is bitten by a genetically modified spider. He wakes up the next morning with incredible powers. After witnessing the death of his uncle (Robertson), Parkers decides to put his new skills to use in order to rid the city of evil, but someone else has other plans. The Green Goblin (Dafoe) sees Spider-Man as a threat and must dispose of him. Even if it means the Goblin has to target Parker's Aunt (Harris) and the girl he secretly pines for (Dunst).
Sal: Wow, so when this was announced I think fandom exploded. I mean there was no more perfect choice to bring Spidey to screen than Raimi. Army of Darkness and Darkman proved he could do superheroes, and he blasted this movie out of the park! Tobey Maquire was thumbs up as Peter Parker and you couldn't ask for a better villain than Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. He not only got the characters right, but he got the essence of NYC, always a big part in the comics, right. I loved this as both a huge Spider-man fan and a life-long New Yorker.
Steve: Loved it. Raimi pulled off the impossible. It's fast moving, fun, and filled with action.
Lou: To me this is one of the best superhero movies ever made. Toby Maguire gives the perfect performance as Peter Parker and the Willem Defoe pulls off the evil Norman Osborne very well. It's an origin story that doesn't get bogged down exposition and holds up to repeated viewings.
SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004)
From IMDB: Peter Parker is an unhappy man: after two years of fighting crime as Spider-Man, his life has begun to fall apart. The girl he loves is engaged to someone else, his grades are slipping, he cannot keep any of his jobs, and on top of it, the newspaper Daily Bugle is attacking him viciously, claiming that Spider-Man is a criminal. He reaches the breaking point and gives up the crime fighter's life, once and for all. But after a failed fusion experiment, eccentric and obsessive scientist Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed into super villain Doctor Octopus, Doc Ock for short, having four long tentacles as extra hands. Peter guesses it might just be time for Spider-Man to return, but would he act upon it?
Steve: He did it again, and this time he did it better. I consider this the 'Empire' of the series. I loved the darker imagery and more elaborate action. Raimi captured the feel of a comic in celluloid and gave a laughable villain a modern day make-over.
Lou: Also on the top of my all-time greatest superhero movies list. Alfred Molina plays Dr. Octopus perfectly. The action is intense without being completely over-the-top. The characters are developed well and remain sympathetic. Definitely worth watching again and again.
Sal: Weirdly and oppositely, by the end of this movie, I sort of lost interest and haven't revisited since. It had some great sequences and I definitely don't think it was a bad movie, but I just dug the first one more. Alfred Molina as Doc Ock was inspired casting, though!
SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007)
From IMDB: Peter Parker has finally managed to piece together the once-broken parts of his life, maintaining a balance between his relationship with Mary-Jane and his responsibility as Spider-Man. But more challenges arise for our young hero. Peter's old friend Harry Obsourne has set out for revenge against Peter; taking up the mantle of his late father's persona as The New Goblin, and Peter must also capture Uncle Ben's real killer, Flint Marko, who has been transformed into his toughest foe yet, the Sandman. All hope seems lost when suddenly Peter's suit turns jet-black and greatly amplifies his powers. But it also begins to greatly amplify the much darker qualities of Peter's personality that he begins to lose himself to. Peter has to reach deep inside himself to free the compassionate hero he used to be if he is to ever conquer the darkness within and face not only his greatest enemies, but also...himself.
Sal: If part two lost my interest at the end, by the end of the third installment I had completely lost faith in this series. Two many characters, too many subplots, and Tobey Maguire does his best Saturday Night Fever. 'Nuff Said.
Steve: Sam, what the hell where you thinking? I guess you got paid realllll nicely, cause this one's a stinker.
Lou: The most disappointing of the Spider-Man movies. While not truly terrible like the later Batman films, it suffers from similar problems with too many villains and not enough believable character development to keep the film interesting. If you decide to skip it it you won't be missing much.
DRAG ME TO HELL (2009)
From IMDB: Christine Brown is a loans officer at a bank but is worried about her lot in life. She's in competition with a competent colleague for an assistant manager position and isn't too sure about her status with a boyfriend. Worried that her boss will think less of her if she shows weakness, she refuses a time extension on a loan to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush, who now faces foreclosure and the loss of her house. In retaliation, the old woman place a curse on her which, she subsequently learns, will result in her being taken to hell in a few days time. With the help of a psychic, she tries to rid herself of the demon, but faces several hurdles in the attempt.
Steve: Okay, I can forgive Raimi for Spider-Man 3 because he finally threw us horror fans a bone to chew on. An excellent return to his horror roots, I really enjoyed this movie. I don't think it was anything great or inventive, but it showed us that PG-13 horror movies don't have to suck. It's a fun romp and perfect for a group setting. It does have a number of effective creepy scenes, and a few really gross ones too. A great pick for Halloween.
Sal: Or any other day for that matter! Man, what a ride Raimi gave us with this one, huh? This might, quite possibly, be his greatest flick yet! Combining everything he has learned in his 30 years of film making and going back to horror to give us this gem, it's like Raimi Horror 101. It's scary as heck and completely ridiculous all at the same time. The horror actually makes you laugh, it's that good. There are scenes in this movie that I could watch again and again starting with the parking garage scene, whooo boy! So going back to how we opened this retro, if you asked me to give you just one movie that sums up what Sam Raimi is all about, this is the one, folks. This is the one!
And with that, we await where ever Mr. Raimi goes next. There have been all sorts of rumors from Worlds of Warcraft to a Wizard of Oz sequel that would star Robert Downey Jr. as the wizard himself. I like the latter idea better, and would love to see Raimi tackle the Wonderful World of Oz! But, hey, Sam...before Bruce gets too old, how about another Evil Dead?! ;)
We hope you enjoyed our Sam Raimi retrospective. You can get back to your trick or treating and bobbing for apples now. But remember, you must say the words Clatto Verata Nicto exactly right, OK? Happy Halloween!
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