We’re going to keep this list to films directed by Raimi. If we were to include the movies he’s acted in, or god forbid produced, we’d be here all night. But a few of his production credits like 30 Days of Night, both of The Grudge films, Boogeyman, The Possession, Timecop and of course the Evil Dead remake are noteworthy.
Some honorable directorial mentions include his most recent, Oz the Great and Powerful. It might not have been the epic it was billed to be, but it looked fantastic; and when you manage to haul in half a billion dollars at the box office worldwide, then you must be doing something right. Other notables are The Gift and, for you hardcore Raimi/Bruce Campbell fans, Crimewave.
Now on to our Top 9:
The Evil Dead (1981)
No sense in fooling around. We may as well start this list right off with the film that got the ball rolling for Sam Raimi, and that is, of course, The Evil Dead. More than a cult classic, The Evil Dead is a cornerstone of the horror genre. Launching the careers of Raimi and frequent collaborator Bruce Campbell (not to mention Joel Coen of the famous Coen Brothers, who was an editor on the film), The Evil Dead is the cabin in the woods film. The one that set the standard that is imitated to this day. As amusing as it is gruesome, what The Evil Dead lacked in budget, it more than made up for with personality. Seen as Raimi’s rite of passage film, The Evil Dead would go on to be so much more than just another horror flick. It spawned sequels and a remake and absolute legions of fans. If there was a Mount Rushmore of horror, The Evil Dead would be on it.
Drag Me To Hell (2005)
After doing a trio of Spider-Man movies, Raimi decided to return to his horrific roots with a dastardly film entitled Drag Me to Hell in 2005. And, even though it had been 17 years since Army of Darkness with only thrillers and no real horror movies in between, Raimi came back strong. It was hailed by audiences and critics alike, which was reflected at the box office. The movie brought in over $100 million on a $30 million budget. It also brought us one of the more memorable new horror characters in a long time. Not an oversized monster or blade-wielding psycho, not this time. The creepiest character in Drag Me to Hell was an elderly Hungarian woman named Sylvia Ganush (played marvelously by Lorna Raver), who just happened to have the ability to lay one helluva curse on you.
Darkman (1990)
If you can’t land the rights to direct a big-time superhero movie from an established icon of the comic book world, what do you do? If you’re Sam Raimi, you just create your own character and go from there! Raimi attempted a film adaptation of The Shadow but could not secure the rights. (Also, before he became Mr. Spider-Man, Raimi lobbied to take the Batman reins after Tim Burton was booted but was passed over in favor of Joel Schumacher. Nice move, Hollywood.) So, unable to move forward with an established hero, Raimi dreamed up Darkman, and a cult hero was born. This was Raimi’s first big studio Hollywood film. Played originally by Liam Neeson, Darkman (or Peyton Westlake for those with a penchant for alter-egos) set out to avenge those who wronged him, burned him alive and basically destroyed all he lived for. A heroic monster risen from the ashes. “I am everyone and no one. Everywhere. Nowhere. Call me… Darkman.”
A Simple Plan (1998)
One of the most underrated films you’ll ever stumble upon, A Simple Plan seemed to come and go ever so silently with just a $16 million take at the box office. Based on the book of the same name by Scott Smith, A Simple Plan starts out quietly enough, but when a crashed plane containing nothing but a dead pilot and a bag containing $4.4 million is found, things begin to get very exciting very quickly. The outstanding cast of Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda bring this tale of lies, greed and deceit to life; and the result is a dark film that makes the audience unable to think about anything but what they’d do in the same situation. A stellar example of things going from good to bad to oh shit, A Simple Plan is stripped down movie-making at its best. Thornton was nominated for both the Oscar and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role of slightly dim Jacob Mitchell. One of Raimi’s most brilliantly woven tales.
Army of Darkness (1992)
“This is my boomstick!” The third and final installment in the Evil Dead trilogy took everything that was great about Evil Dead 2 and went even further with it. Originally in Evil Dead 2, Raimi wanted Ash to be thrown into a time portal and be whisked back to the Middle Ages. Due to budget constraints, that angle had to be scrapped, but when it came time to dust Ash off one more time, Raimi went right for the portal, and we got Army of Darkness. In this one Campbell ramps up the smarmy cheesiness to 11, and the humor is off the charts. (Dig Raimi’s love for “The Three Stooges” in the clip below.) More physical laughs accompanied by fantastic special F/X work made Army of Darkness the perfect way to wind up the series. We see our hero, Ash, return to his normal job at S-Mart (“Shop Smart! Shop S-Mart!”), but as we know by the high-octane final scene, life will never be the same for him again. “Groovy.”
For Love of the Game (1999)
I thought maybe if I buried this one in the middle of the list I could slide it by you Dreadies. Honestly, I know this is a completely self-serving entry to the list, but there is something about this film I adore. After horror, my next true love is baseball, and although it’s cheesy and sappy and predictable, For Love of the Game managed to get me a misty in a Rudy kind of way. However, it was after that misty emotional well-up that I vowed never to watch another film that doesn’t have at least one character meet their untimely demise at the hands of some kind of beastie or baddie. Thank you, Sam Raimi, for that! And I appreciate you Dreadies’ forgiveness and allowing me to place For Love on the Game on this list of Raimi’s best.
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Raimi showed just how versatile he could be as a director upon the release of The Quick and the Dead. Because after directing Evil Dead 2, Darkman and Army of Darkness, what would be the next logical step but a western starring Sharon Stone as a female gunslinger? Somehow, the movie actually kicked ass, and Raimi could add another genre to his directorial cap. Filled with an outstanding cast in addition to Stone, which included Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, Leonardo DiCaprio starring and Lance Henriksen, Tobin Bell and Gary Sinise in smaller roles, The Quick and the Dead definitely had the acting talent to succeed. Unfortunately, due to heavy competition at the box office and any number of other reasons, it struggled to find viewers, even with Stone’s performance being praised by critics. Although it will never be hailed as the greatest Sam Raimi film, The Quick and the Dead showed the versatility of the director and his fearlessness to dive into any project at all.
Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Along came a spider. Raimi was certainly a successful director before the summer of 2002 rolled around. But after the release of Spider-Man, he became a box office superhero himself. Spider-Man became the first film to break $100 million in its opening weekend and for over four years held the record for largest opening weekend gross before being topped by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. And, aside from the hype and money haul, Spider-Man was a great film. With an amazing villain (Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin), a super hero (Tobey Maguire as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man) and superb supporting cast and cameo appearances (Kirsten Dunst, James Franco in supporting roles and cameos by Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, Stan Lee and Lucy Lawless), Spider-Man was fantastic. Spider-Man 2 returned with the cast intact and brought an even better villain to the table with Alfred Molina playing Dr. Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus). Doc Ock looked amazing when brought to life on the big screen, as if he had just stepped out of the pages of the comics. Both films grossed around $800 million each. Spider-Man 3 was the biggest earner of the trilogy at nearly $900 million, and it would have made this list, and perhaps headlined it, if only they had moved the action along a bit better and used the beloved character Venom a bit more diligently. But for superhero movies, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 are top-notch!
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
This is horror’s The Empire Strikes Back, horror’s The Godfather Part II. This is the sequel that outshined the original. And to one-up something as beloved as The Evil Dead was no easy task to accomplish. But Raimi did it. By adding slapstick comedy to the mix, Raimi brought an entirely new element to the film. This time it was Bruce Campbell who absolutely ran away with the film and solidified himself as a horror star. Campbell’s outrageous physical comedy in Evil Dead 2 was outstanding. He was doing the stuff that made Jim Carrey a star while Carrey was still doing standup at Yuk-Yuks in Toronto (reality check: by 1987 Carrey already had six films under his belt, but the writer could not resist the Yuk-Yuks reference). Loaded gore and guffaws, Evil Dead 2 is just about the best time you can have with a horror movie.
Scream Factory releases the DARKMAN COLLECTOR’S EDITION Blu-ray (review here) today, February 18th, featuring all-new interviews with Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Larry Drake, Danny Hicks, make-up effects artist Tony Gardner, production designer Randy Ser, art director Philip Dagort and much more! This definitive collector’s edition also contains a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible cover wrap with original theatrical key art.
Synopsis:
In the darkest hour, there’s a light that shines on every human being, but one…
Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand star in this explosive, action-packed thriller from director Sam Raimi. Dr. Peyton Westlake (Neeson) is on the verge of realizing a major breakthrough in synthetic skin when his laboratory is destroyed by gangsters. Having been burned beyond recognition and forever altered by an experimental medical procedure, Westlake becomes known as Darkman, assuming alternate identities in his quest for revenge and a new life with a former love (McDormand).