The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II.

"We're gonna get you, not another peep, time to go to sleep."

In honor of seeing Evil Dead The Musical on Saturday in Massachusetts, I decided to watch the first two Evil Dead movies.  The Musical was SO GREAT.  I highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the cult classic because it is hilarious, well-done, and very bloody.  We got to sit right in the front row, of a small venue, in the splatter zone.  I got pretty covered in fake blood, it was dripping down my face.  It was fantastic!

Evil Dead is awesome.  It is an over-the-top, disgusting gore-fest, heart-pounding horror cult classic movie!  And I love it.  The second one was a little confusing for me but I still liked it.  The first one, though, that one has the original Linda.  And Linda laughing and singing is one of the creepiest things I have ever seen in my life.  Ever.  She haunts my dreams.

The original 1981 The Evil Dead stars the one, the only, Bruce Campbell!  Bruce not only stars in the first three movies but also co-produced the movies.  Now, I'll admit, I was a little confused over the hype of Bruce because at first he seems like a nothing character.  However, he somehow keeps surviving.  Even when everyone else dies and comes back to life and dies again, Bruce just keeps getting cooler.  And of course, in the sequel is when Bruce gets his trademark, bad-ass look:

Bruce Campbell plays Ashley "Ash" Williams in all of the Evil Dead movies, including an appearance in the 2013 re-make (I have not yet seen the re-make but I would love to!  I've heard it's pretty great as well.).  The oh so scary Linda is played by Betsy Baker and, judging by what I have seen online, I believe she is quite popular with hardcore fans along with Bruce.  The Evil Dead really has sparked an intense following, even today, 32 years later.

One thing that is great about these movies is the amount of blood used.  There will be a scene where blood just comes gushing out, completely soaking the character.  Then the camera cuts and suddenly all that blood is gone.  It's so great!  I enjoyed the use of props, make-up, fake blood, and effects in these movies, it was very well done in the over-the-top way it was meant to be.  The first film was to be taken seriously but it had a small budget and got pretty campy.  The sequel was purposely comedic and made fun of the first film quite a bit.  I like when directors and actors can make fun of themselves.

Now let's not forget the most important thing about these films: Sam Raimi.  Raimi directed and wrote The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness.  He also wrote, but not directed, the 2013 re-make of Evil Dead and is writing Army of Darkness 2 right now, set to release in 2016.  Raimi has also written and directed Drag Me to Hell, Spider-Man 3, and The Quick and the Dead.  Those are just the ones I've seen of his work, there's more!  He is a talented writer and director and I have enjoyed all his films that I have seen.  He has a particular style and I think it really works.

The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II are streaming right now on Netflix.  So, go check it out, there's plenty of gore to be watched!  Please enjoy creepy Linda in the clip below.

Also, here's a little preview of Evil Dead The Musical, in case you ever want to check that out, too!  It's a bloody good time!