A race to answer this I bet

[Evan3]

Forgive my ignorance... but I am confused as to what the Evil Dead trilogy is supposed to go.

I have only seen the Evil Dead ( I will see the others later) and I loved it, furthermore, I thought (my girlfriend thought more so) that it was scary.

I have recently learned not only is Army of Darkness a mockery of the first film (which I had always known, but so is Evil Dead 2. I also heard Evil Dead 1 was a dud at the box office and is a bad horror movie.

What is the real story and whyu would Sam Raimi do this to Evil Dead??

[Brother Ragnarok]

Raimi and all involved hold the Evil Dead trilogy dear and don't lampoon it at all.  Evil Dead 2 is a sequel/remake of the first one with a bigger budget because Evil Dead did better than expected and they made enough to do it again with some real funding.  It's lighter on the serious horror and heavier on the "Looney Toons possessed by Satan" type slapstick, but it still rocks.  Army of Darkness was made with a real studio budget and is less an indie film than the big boys wanting to cash in on someone's good idea, but it picks up right where Evil Dead 2 left off.  It's all about the one-liners and the slapstick violence, but in no way does it lampoon or make fun of the other films in the series.  It's just an evolution, and a damn fine one I must say.

Brother R

[Mr_Vindictive]

Evan,

Although I almost loathe Evil Dead 2 (didn't do anything for me), I absolutely love Army Of Darkness.  Doesn't have much to do with the first two except for the fact that it has the Necrinomicon and Bruce and it takes off where the second one stopped.

It has some great bits and lines.  Especially when Ash has to find the evil version of himself.  Great stuff.  

I say shell out some cash and buy all three flicks asap.  Evil Dead is the best in the series, natch, but the other two are worth owning.  Just don't expect to be blown away by Dead By Dawn.

[The Burgomaster]

I wouldn't say that EVIL DEAD was a dud at the box office. I don't know how much money it made, but it was a low-budget film that only got a limited distribution, and appealed to a very limited audience. It must have made a profit because it was made on such a low budget. You can't compare it to major theatrical releases . . . it is in a completely different category.

I saw it during its original theatrical run, and the theater was pretty crowded.

As for it being a "bad" horror movie . . . ABSOLUTELY NOT! It is MUCH better than just about every big-budget horror film that has come along in the past 20 years. I think that it is imaginative and scary (while maintaining a sense of humor, which is a tough balance). I give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

[SkullNinja]

<<>>

According to the IMDB, Evil Dead cost 150k and grossed 2.4m. That's 16X the investment and we aren't even talking television, cable and video/dvd revenue. Hollywood wishes they could get returns like this. Evil Dead a dud? Nope.

Sam was going for something different with ED. Lets face it, most of the horror that Hollywood churns isn't actually scary. Some of it is just a lot of special effects and perhaps interesting to watch (Thriteen Ghosts and House on Haunted Hill, the remakes, come to mind), but not actually scary. ED is scary and creepy.

I wouldn't say that any of the three are mockeries. Tongue-in-cheek, but not outright parody.

[Mr_Vindictive]

You saw ED during it's theatrical run!?

If only you could see the envy coming off of me!

LOL

[Rob Phillips]

Evil Dead

Released in US January 1, 1983
Total US Gross $2,400,000

Evil Dead II

Released in US March 13, 1987
Total US Gross $5,923,044

Army of Darkness

Released in US February 19, 1993
Total US Gross $10,526,905
US Distributor Universal


Source
http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/indexA.html

Rob

[Drezzy]

An ode to EVIL DEAD's horror ability:

A few months ago, I was over a friend's house. There was about 12 people in total, 3 guys. All three of us loved the Evil Dead Trilogy, and idolize Raimi and Bruce. One of us had the original on DVD in his car. He popped out FEARDOTCOM (which I had to explain to one of the girls that THE RING was not a rip-off, nor a remake, of), and put in EVIL DEAD.

During the movie, when Ash has to go down into the cellar to look for something (I forget what, but I do believe it to be the Necronomicon), he falls down the steps. By this point in the movie, the girls jumped and screamed, frightened. Why? Suspense.

That is what EVIL DEAD has over almost every horror movie since: excellent suspense.