Discover the Evil Dead Franchise – The Devil’s Death / One Crazy Night

The Evil Dead franchise is extremely important at the heart of genre cinema. Born in the 1980s, an era that cemented cinematic entertainment, Evil Dead had vital horror relevance by imprinting a lot of creativity – both aesthetic and narrative – on the battered “cabin in the woods” subgenre. . Made at the touch of a box, as director Sam Raimi’s final theatrical project, Evil Dead (1981) is one of the most professional amateur feature films in the history of the cinema.

Featuring ‘non-actors’ – all colleagues of the filmmaker – what draws attention to the film is the desire to do a lot with little, which ends up demanding more of us, giving free rein to the creativity. Evil Dead (1981) is better and scarier than many multi-million dollar productions.

Evil Dead is simple and straightforward, and if revisited today, it may cause some unintended awkwardness and laughter – even when included in the trash movie category. I admit that of the trilogy, it’s the last one I watched, precisely because it was the most difficult to access (not today, of course, but especially in the 1990s). I even had the opportunity to discover this little gem in the cinema – in a horror marathon, in which I had a triple session with A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Poltergeist – The Phenomenon (1982).

In the plot, five young men go to a cabin in the woods for the weekend. Among them, the most memorable is Ashley, a skinny young Bruce Campbell in his first “film” role. As soon as they arrive there, what was supposed to be a pleasant rest turns into a mind-blowing nightmare when they find the Book of the Dead and read it. Therefore, ancient demons are awakened on the spot and start possessing the friends one by one. Have fun watching:

As in Ridley Scott’s Alien – The Eighth Passenger (1979), Ashley or Ash, as he would become known, only reveals the protagonist at the end, for being lucky enough to stay alive – even in fits and starts. That said, what catches the eye is the inventiveness of the scenes and the contrivances used as gore by the team – with lots of clay, rubber and all kinds of goo.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Where is the death of the devil in the title and what is this One Crazy Night? Well, young man, there’s a lot you don’t know about the dark period of title translations in Brazil – many would say it extends to the present day (O Âncora and Tudo por um Furo , somebody ?). Either way, it’s Evil Dead 2, the sequel to The Devil’s Death.

And if the first Evil Dead went unnoticed for being a very small film (only known in cult wheels), six years later and with another production on the program (Dois Heróis Bem Trapalhões, 1985 – with a screenplay by the Coen brothers) , Raimi got another chance to revisit his beloved work in a sort of remake/continuation, in which he had a much larger budget, and was able to let his enthusiasm and unique shooting style flow.

A Crazy Night (1987) is a sequel that managed to top its original, adding a lot to the mix – especially humor and silliness. So much so that the late Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, two of the greatest film critics to ever set foot on this Earth, and who weren’t particularly big fans of the genre, stretched out their arms to applaud the tasty mix that Raimi created for his film. Ebert even pointed out similarities to musical classics (in the scene with the corpse dancing with its head). Yes, Raimi’s cinema is not limited to one genre and absorbs the influence of several. It’s also clear that it was my gateway to the director’s cinema and to the franchise – when it first aired on an open channel (Globo). Cable television? Well, it’s a luxury today.

A Breaking Night (1987) doesn’t need its predecessor to figure it out, since the opening minutes tell the entirety of the original, but it still made The Devil’s Death (1981) better known. This sequel is the first on steroids: more humor, more effects, better makeup, more action, more horror and more gore, which is to say better in every aspect.

The plot, as said, tells of Ash arriving at the cabin – this time inexplicably with just his girlfriend (forgetting the other 3 characters). While trying to survive the madness that ensues – which includes sneering deer heads on the wall and a possessed Addams Family-style hand – the true owners of the shack arrive, sparking “enormous confusion”. There are several anthological moments here, and it must be said that this is the high point of the director’s career (and that’s a huge compliment for the film). Madness is the watchword and the title “incredible” could not be more accurate.

I already know, yes, once again the translation is a beauty. Where’s Crazy Night 2, since it jumps straight to three? Who knows.

The third installment, Army of Darkness 3 (Army of Darkness, 1992), was not in great demand, since the ending of the predecessor came as a joke – as in the first Back to the Future (1985). But just like in the Robert Zemeckis blockbuster, the producers captured the will of the public, through the success of these respective films, and were ready to continue. A Crazy Night 3 is the film with the biggest scope and biggest budget of the trilogy, and the one that strayed farthest from the horror elements – morphed more into a medieval adventure. However, the result was below expectations.

Here, following what was shown at the end of part two, Ash travels back in time to the Middle Ages, through a portal to another dimension. But he does not come back alone, and he brings with him all kinds of demons and creatures. Oh yeah, I couldn’t forget to mention that in the previous movie, after getting his hand possessed, he rips it off with a chainsaw and puts the machine in the member’s place. Simply magnificent. Yes, our hero has a chainsaw hand! How many times have you seen this? Well, not back then.

Amidst knights, maidens and castles comes this misguided anti-hero, with guns and chainsaws, scaring the townspeople as much as the hauntings he has brought. Here we have more creativity and homages, especially to the productions of the eternal Ray Harryhausen, with its practical stop motion effects, see Jason and the Golden Fleece (1963), with the skulls forming the Evil Ash army. Here the joke definitely takes over, leaving a little aside the terror.

It’s also here that you can feel many of the influences that would carry over to the Ash vs. Evil Dead series 23 years later, like, for example, the protagonist’s villainous self-centeredness and feminist streak. Or the fact that his job at a department store was mentioned for the first time.

The Raimi-produced remake, taken in a much more sober tone and loaded with viscerality, was released in 2013. At the same time, there was talk of a sequel to the original films, even before the remake was produced. At the time of the release of Freddy vs. Jason (2003), for example, there was a strong rumor about putting Ash in the middle of the battle of the giants. Obviously, for some reason, those wishes never came to fruition. And the option was really for something more serious, and aimed at the kind of horror that young people enjoy today – lots of blood, strong and explicit scenes, and a more than disturbing atmosphere. The Uruguayan, Fede Alvarez, is the one who spoke about the direction, thanks to Youtube, the platform on which he posted his short Panic Attack, which immediately conquered Sam Raimi.

The Devil’s Death remake is interesting and of high quality, staying true to the plot. However, this divided audiences and fans, who failed to recognize the show’s playful vibe that they loved so much. The gimmick of the new film is undoubtedly Jane Levy, who plays then-heroine Mia and puts on a show in the role. A sequel to this film was promised, and even the post-credits scene tried to pique the curiosity of fans, playing like a crumb a surprise appearance by Ash, the inevitable Bruce Campbell – instigator of the crossover. Something also mentioned in the rumors.

The mix of these “universes” is yet to be released, nor is the sequel to the classic trilogy. Well, at least in the movies. Ash vs Evil Dead is the long-awaited sequel that fans have always been asking for and Raimi has been dreaming of. Yes, she is with us. To finish. It’s almost unbelievable. In fact, it’s been around since 2015, but we’ve only been able to verify that now, with its debut on Netflix – a second season debuted the following year, and a third is promised for this year. Long live Ash and the Deadites.

PS Evil Dead has even become a musical, such is its scope.

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