MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | SAM RAIMI'S THE EVIL DEAD

Finally rounding off October and Halloween, my last horror script review this month is the infamous THE EVIL DEAD.

Plot in a nutshell; five college kids head up to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of partying and camaraderie. But the cabin has its own secrets, including a ritual knife, the Book of the Dead and a tape recorder that summons an evil entity from their worst nightmares…

We’re in legend territory here. One of the big movies to be banned in the 70s and gain itself the fantastically notorious title “video nasty” in the VHS era, it found new life in the DVD era and has since become one of the most popular franchises in horror history.

There is a reason this film is so infamous. And every single one of those reason stems from the beautifully original and intensely tight script that the film comes from. Sam Raimi has written a 70 page masterclass in gory horror and tension building. The characters are all believable and their rising desperation at a terrifying situation (that has complete control of them) simply does not stop. They are children caught in the maelstrom of something they don’t understand and it terrifies them to their core. And you feel this on every page. The stage directions, whilst bulky in places, support and convey the actions of the plot admirably. There are moments where the characters “begin” a lot of actions, which starts to grind after a while. But this is a minor gripe in an otherwise effortless read.

We feel the purity of these characters most of all. They are young kids going for a weekend break. There is no partying, sexual innuendo, 2D irony based 20somethings here. These guys cook and do art and talk and play pranks and frankly make us care about them ten times more than many other characters since within this genre. And it is SO good to see it. So good. A strong reminder as to why reading other peoples scripts can bring so much enlightenment and remind us why we read the classics.

So, what did I learn from THE EVIL DEAD?

I’m going to say that I will refer to this script quite often ongoing, especially with regards to several teen horrors that I have written myself, as I love the feel of these characters. But that is more a recommendation.

The real treat here is in the ADs. As much copied as it was groundbreaking at the time, the POV shot of the demon flying through the forest at the start of the film and then ongoing through the rest of the script is written here simply and clearly. The shorthand is established early on page 1, and easily dipped into later on. We know what is happening when the script goes POV. We recognise and can follow it with no issue. So if writing a POV sequence is your requirement, THE EVIL DEAD is your puppy.

Such a simple plot and yet written in such an effective manner, another essential read for any horror writer or scriptwriter looking for tips on building tension steadily and yet efficiently. Classic.

Link to the script:

https://thescriptsavant.com/movies/Evil_Dead.pdf