Horror-addicts and cinema snobs can all claim one thing together: the original “Evil Dead” movie is a cult classic.
The classic story follows five college students and their cabin vacation going awry because of a demon lurking in the woods. The plot is standard horror movie trope, but it’s an amazing movie with that slightly cheesy 1980s feel, not to mention it was filmed in campus’s backyard, a mere hour away in Morristown, Tennessee. Have a sense of adventure? You can go visit the charred ruins after you finish this article.
“The Evil Dead” is a 1981 classic horror film. Everyone can recognize the scene of a partially decomposed, possessed girl trying to break out from a trapdoor in the floor, but did you know that the actual filming of the movie was a little less than normal?
On the first day of shooting, multiple crew members got lost in the surrounding woods after filming, and the location of the cabin was so remote that when there were medical emergencies on set, it took quite a long time for medics to get there, let alone find them, but the crew claims it was because their team was mostly inexperienced movie-makers, and not due to some ancient Sumerian curse on the woods.
Due to the fact that it was filmed in 1979, some special effects were used, but it was also very low budget. The shotgun used in the film fired real ammunition, something you can’t get away with today without copious paperwork. Not only were they handling live firearms, they were also dealing with rural Tennesseans and the wildlife that inhabits the woods, who didn’t always like the hustle and bustle of movie sets. The director of the film, Sam Raimi, was also alleged to have been chased by a bull at one point.
Unfortunately, the cabin burnt down after the movie was finished, which is a little weird, but the owners don’t think anything of it. Visiting the site can be difficult, and it is technically trespassing. So, if anyone wants to go visit, please stay on the main road, or ask the owners nicely to go look at the remains. It’s not much to see though. It’s simply the remains of the fireplace and where they had to dig out the “basement” because the original building did not have one.
Potentially getting possessed not your thing? An hour away too far to drive? No worries! “The Evil Dead” is available to stream on HBO Max and Amazon Video, so settle in, grab some snacks, light those jack-o-lanterns and get spooky.
