Editorials
The ‘Evil Dead’ Films Ranked From Best To Worst!!!
I wanted to start Evil Dead Month off with a bang and I figured there’d be no better way to do that than to lay my cards out on the table and rank the films in my order of preference. And I’ll say it – I fully expect some of you to hate me after this, because I make one choice that I’m sure 99% of you won’t be down with.
But it all comes from a place of love. You see, I legitimately love this series and this includes the “weaker” installments as well. When I first saw Army Of Darkness in theaters, I had no idea that it was part of a franchise (let alone the one whose Evil Dead 2 print ad scared the hell out of me whenever I opened the paper in grade school). I just went because the TV ads looked cool, and I suppose I should thank the guy at the box office now – because there’s no way my friends and I looked old enough to get in.
Needless to say we loved Army, put two and two together that it was a sequel, and rented Evil Dead 2. That was a revelation. It was like the movies we were trying to make in our backyards, full of energy, weird camera shots and an idiosyncratic tone all its own. The only difference? Evil Dead 2 was amazing and our movies were terrible! Still, I remember the high that I got from watching it. That film connected with me on a level that few films had up until that pint.
So, with that bit of history and context, head inside for my Evil Dead Rankings!!!
4: ARMY OF DARKNESS
I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Army Of Darkness, but I have to admit that I find it to be the weakest of these films. Not that it’s bad, mind you. It isn’t. In fact, for the first couple of reels it’s downright great. It starts off every bit as funny and exciting as some of the best parts of Evil Dead 2 and it handles the wider scope with aplomb. But it always starts to deflate for me at the 27 minute mark, around the time Ash enters the mill. I can’t stand the “little Ashes” for some reason, and even though the idea of a “bad Ash” is interesting in a thematic sense, it’s not explored deeply enough to justify extending this sequence to the 6 or 7 minute mark.
While Army Of Darkness regains its footing towards the end with its massive battle, it never fully learns how to make the medieval setting engage Ash in an interesting way beyond its initial “fish out of water” conceit. Again, I’m not slamming the movie. I’m just saying that what starts out as an “A+” effort eventually ends up as more of a “B-“.
3: DRAG ME TO HELL – HONORARY FRANCHISE MEMBER
Ok, this is where I lose a lot of you guys. You may even hate me for it – but hear me out first. I pretty much consider Drag Me To Hell to be an Evil Dead film. Sure it doesn’t have Ash (nether does the remake, of course) nor does it take place in a cabin (or in a rural environment for that matter). Oh, and it’s PG-13, which automatically makes it suck, right? Not so. This is one of the best horror movies of the last 10 years and it’s certainly one of the most fun. It manages to capture so much of the Evil Dead tone and spirit that it deserves its place as an honorary member of the franchise. Sure, it might not be as fun to watch poor Alison Lohman be tortured as it is to see Bruce Campbell get put through the ringer, but it’s close!
I’d feel guilty about further explaining my feelings on this without quoting Devin Faraci – who made the point first in his review, “You can stop asking Sam Raimi when he’s going to make Evil Dead 4. He’s already done it… once you see a psychic’s assistant get possessed and do that familiar Deadite dance, you’ll know that this film takes place in the same universe where the Necronomicon Ex Mortiis can open the portal between the living and the dead or send a hapless hero back in time. And that universe is the madness inside Sam Raimi’s imagination.”
I agree with every word of that. How about you?
2: THE EVIL DEAD
While it’s not as comedic by any stretch, much of what works in The Evil Dead made its way into Evil Dead 2. It has the same charm, stemming largely from the fact that it’s constructed by a bunch of early 20-somethings who just wanted to make something. A lot of the most inspired music comes from people who didn’t read the instruction manuals for their instruments, and the same could be said for what happened here. Raimi wasn’t a film student, but an English major with an itch. He’d been shooting Super 8 films since childhood and here you get the playful sense of someone operating on gut instinct. While this film’s ability to scare has diminished somewhat with age, it’s never less than a blast to watch.
1: EVIL DEAD 2
The one that made the biggest impression on me as a youth still holds up today. Not only is it a remarkable film but, more often than not, it’s what people have in mind when they refer to the Evil Dead franchise. It has an inspired sense of lunacy that threatens to careen off the rails at any moment, and yet it’s 100% cinematic. While it’s largely a comedy, it has plenty of gore and even manages to raise the stakes for its supporting characters – you actually feel for the likes of Bobby Joe. After making Crimewave, Sam Raimi returned to the franchise with chops to spare. And, of course, there’s Bruce Campbell giving one of the most physically inspired (and surely exhausting) performances in the history of horror.
What about you? How would you rank the Evil Dead films?
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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