Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Horror masterpiece is gory but silly; violence, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Evil Dead
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 21 parent reviews
Based on 69 kid reviews
Kids say that this horror film is an over-the-top blend of gore and dark humor, featuring graphic violence, a controversial tree scene, and brief nudity that may be uncomfortable for younger viewers. While many find the special effects comically outdated, the excessive bloodshed has earned it a reputation as a cult classic, with age-appropriate recommendations mostly suggesting caution for those under 13 or 15 years old.
- gore fest
- unintentional humor
- tree scene
- mature content
- age recommendations
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Five college friends, Scott (Richard DeManincor), Shelly (Theresa Tilly), Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss), Linda (Betsy Baker), and Ash (Bruce Campbell) drive to a remote cabin for a fun weekend of partying in THE EVIL DEAD. They begin to notice strange things happening, and Ash and Scott discover a weird book and a tape recorder in the basement. They learn that the book is the "book of the dead" (bound in human flesh and written in blood). A voice on the tape recorder reads an incantation that unleashes an evil force. This force wreaks untold havoc and eventually possesses the bodies of four of the friends, leaving only Ash to defend himself. Can he last until morning, and will he be safe even then?
Is It Any Good?
This low-budget wonder shows a major director, Sam Raimi, emerging fully-formed, pouring imagination and energy into every frame of his feature debut. No other genre movie at the time moved quite as well as this one, with creepy, wide-angle shots, crazy movement within the frame, razor-precise editing, and an eerie, nightmare-inducing sound design. It also upped the ante on movie gore, cheerfully throwing in gallons of gushing, spewing blood, twitching, severed body parts, chainsaws, axes, shotguns; and he stopped the show with a truly horrifying sequence of a woman raped by a tree.
Aside from that sequence, The Evil Dead has a deadpan silliness that was new to the otherwise dark, foreboding horror genre. It's equal parts Three Stooges and Night of the Living Dead. It made a cult star out of Bruce Campbell, whose stoic, yet rubbery face and body seemed to follow the unique rhythms of the movie itself. It's streamlined, ageless, and undiluted, unquestionably a drive-in masterpiece. It's just not for kids!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Evil Dead's extreme gore and violence. How did it affect you? Were you upset? Laughing? Squirming?
Were these characters punished for their bad behavior, or were they just the victims of bad luck?
Ash manages to survive throughout the story. Something seems to have awakened within him to help him, even though he had to destroy his "friends." Can he be classified as a hero or a role model? Why or why not?
This is classified as a horror movie, but is it scary?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 15, 1983
- On DVD or streaming : December 1, 2009
- Cast : Betsy Baker , Bruce Campbell , Ellen Sandweiss
- Director : Sam Raimi
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Anchor Bay Entertainment
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy ( Monsters )
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : substantial graphic horror violence and gore
- Last updated : October 23, 2025
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