Editing The Evil Dead (section)

===Later response===
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|86|7.70|83|So scrappy that it feels as illicit as a book found in the woods, ''The Evil Dead'' is a stomach-churning achievement in bad taste that marks a startling debut for wunderkind Sam Raimi.|ref=yes}} ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' stated the film's "reputation was deserved", writing that the film was impressive considering its low budget and the cast's inexperience. He commented that the film successfully blended the "bizarre" combination of ''Night of the Living Dead'', ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' and ''The Three Stooges''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=7240|title=The Evil Dead|author=Empire Staff|date=September 24, 2007|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106053201/https://empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=7240|archive-date=November 6, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=January 31, 2012}}</ref> A reviewer for [[Film4]] rated ''The Evil Dead'' four-and-a-half stars out of five, musing that the film was "energetic, original and icky" and concluding that Raimi's "splat-stick debut is a tight little horror classic that deserves its cult reputation, despite the best efforts of the censors."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.film4.com/reviews/1983/the-evil-dead|title=The Evil Dead review|work=[[Film4]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830204151/http://www.film4.com/reviews/1983/the-evil-dead|archive-date=August 30, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref>

''[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]''{{'}}s Ed Gonzales compared the film to [[Dario Argento]]'s work, citing Raimi's "unnerving wide angle work" as an important factor to the film's atmosphere. He mused that Raimi possessed an "almost unreal ability to suggest the presence of intangible evil", which was what prevented the movie from being "B-movie schlock".<ref>Gonzales, Ed (March 6, 2002). [https://slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-evil-dead/112 Review: ''The Evil Dead''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202250/http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-evil-dead/112 |date=October 29, 2013 }}. ''[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]''. Retrieved on November 20, 2010.</ref> [[BBC]] critic Martyn Glanville awarded the film four stars out of five, writing that for Raimi, it served as a better debut film than [[Tobe Hooper]]'s ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' or [[Wes Craven]]'s ''[[The Last House on the Left (1972 film)|The Last House on the Left]]''. Glanville noted that other than the "ill-advised trees-that-rape scene", the film is "one of the great modern horror films, and even more impressive when one considers its modest production values."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/03/02/the_evil_dead_1982_review.shtml|title=The Evil Dead (1982)|last=Glanville|first=Martyn|date=March 5, 2001|publisher=[[BBC]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010305142803/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/03/02/the_evil_dead_1982_review.shtml|archive-date=March 5, 2001|url-status=dead|access-date=July 12, 2012}}</ref>

[[AMC (TV channel)|Filmcritic.com]]'s [[Christopher Null]] gave the film the same rating as Glanville, writing that "Raimi's biggest grossout is schlock horror done the right way" and comparing it to Romero's ''Night of the Living Dead'' in its ability to create stark atmosphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.amctv.com/movie/1983/The+Evil+Dead|title=The Evil Dead (1983)|last=Null|first=Christopher|date=January 1, 2001|website=Movies.AMCTV.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818042106/http://movies.amctv.com/movie/1983/The+Evil+Dead|archive-date=August 18, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=July 12, 2012}}</ref> ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' writer Pat Graham commented that the film featured several "clever" turns on the standard horror formula, adding that Raimi's "anything-for-an-effect enthusiasm pays off in lots of formally inventive bits."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-evil-dead/Film?oid=1736507|title=The Evil Dead|last=Graham|first=Pat|date=January 1, 2001|work=[[Chicago Reader]]|publisher=Wrapports|access-date=July 12, 2012|archive-date=November 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117092946/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-evil-dead/Film?oid=1736507|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' critic Stephen Garrett, referred to the make-up effects in the climax as "amazing", and commented that although the film was light on character development, it "blends comic fantasy" with "atmospheric horror ... to impressive effect".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timeout.com/film/reviews/64080/the_evil_dead.html|title=The Evil Dead (1981)|last=Graham|first=Pat|date=January 26, 2005|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106005731/https://timeout.com/film/reviews/64080/the_evil_dead.html|archive-date=November 6, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=July 12, 2012}}</ref> The same site later cited the film as the 41st greatest horror movie ever made.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timeout.com/london/feature/2420/100-best-horror-films-the-list/6|title=The 100 best horror films|last1=Adams|first1=Derek|last2=Calhoun|first2=Dave|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629120148/https://timeout.com/london/feature/2420/100-best-horror-films-the-list/6|archive-date=June 29, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=July 12, 2012|last3=Clarke|first3=Cath|last4=Cohen|first4=Sarah|last5=Floyd|first5=Nigel|last6=Huddleston|first6=Tom}}</ref> Phelim O'Neill of ''[[The Guardian]]'' combined ''The Evil Dead'' and its sequel ''[[Evil Dead II]]'' and listed them as the 23rd best horror film ever made, announcing that the former film "stands above its mostly forgotten peers in the 80s horror boom."<ref>O'Neill, Phelim (October 22, 2010). [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/22/evil-dead-raimi-horror The Evil Dead/Evil Dead II: No 23 best horror film of all time] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321111911/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/22/evil-dead-raimi-horror |date=March 21, 2016 }}. ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved on November 19, 2010.</ref> Don Summer, in his book ''Horror Movie Freak'', and writer Kate Egan have both cited the film as a horror classic.{{sfn|Egan|2011|p=26–28}}{{sfn|Summer|2007|p=165}}

J.C. Maçek III of ''[[PopMatters]]'' said: "What is unquestionable is that the Raimis and their pals created a monster in ''The Evil Dead''. It started as a disastrous failure to obtain a big break with a too long, too perilous shoot (note Campbell's changing hairstyle in the various scenes of the one-day plot). The film went through name changes and bannings only to survive as not only 'the ultimate experience in grueling horror' but as an oft-imitated and cashed-in-on classic, with 30 years of positive reviews to prove it."<ref name="PM"/>