The Evil Dead films aren’t just a testament to the power of indie film but also quite possibly some of the best horror movies of all time–see our ranking of all the gory flicks in the franchise. The story of how Sam Raimi and his friends, including star Bruce Campbell, brought the low-budget movie to life is now legendary, but how many fans know that the director initially hated the movie’s now iconic title? That’s right, back in the day, Raimi had a very different idea for the name of his film, and in a recent interview, he explained why he thought the name was “stupid.” And, honestly, his reasoning makes total sense.
In a joint interview with Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin, Raimi told Empire Magazine that the original title for his directorial debut was “The Book Of The Dead” until sales agent Irvin Shapiro stepped in. Raimi says Shapiro told him and his filmmaking pals that they needed a shorter and snappier title that would work for advertising purposes. According to the Spider-Man director, the sales agent had two suggestions, and neither impressed him, he said:
The original title of the [original] movie was ‘The Book Of The Dead.’ But film-sales agent Irvin Shapiro sat Rob, Bruce and I down and said, ‘We’re changing the title, boys. Advertising space in the newspaper is paid for by the inch, kid. We’re not going to have a five-word title. ‘Dead’ can stay. You can have one other word. You can call it ‘101% Dead’ or ‘Evil Dead.' I thought, ‘But those are the worst two titles I’ve ever heard in my life! ‘Evil Dead’ sucks! How can something be evil and dead?’ I just thought it was so stupid.
At first glance, Raimi makes a pretty great point. It is hard to be evil if you're also dead. Of course, this doesn't take into account zombies, a staple of horror movies. Perhaps the filmmaking team was a bit too close to the situation.
Despite his initial reservations, Raimi ultimately chose, in his view, the lesser of two evils and settled with Evil Dead. The director continued:
‘101% Dead’? I thought, ‘I’ll die first.’ So I chose the lesser of the two horrible titles. But now I’ve started to like it. It’s pretty good.
It’s hard to blame Raimi for prickling at the title changes. One can imagine, being a young and idealistic filmmaker (like he was at the time), having to change your film’s title, especially one you don’t think makes a lot of sense, was likely a pretty hard pill to swallow just so that it would be cheaper to advertise in a newspaper.
However, as it turns out, this title has become synonymous with some of the most iconic and entertaining horror movies of all time, including Raimi’s original trilogy, the more recent reboot by Fede Álvarez, and the fresh take by Cronin in the much anticipated upcoming horror movie, Evil Dead Rise. While there are many reasons why the series is one of the greatest horror franchises of all time, I think it could be argued that part of the franchise's success lies in that short and snappy name that tells audiences just about all they need to know about the movie before watching it.
It’s a good thing the filmmakers compromised on Evil Dead because it is pretty hard to imagine the series of films having the same impact with a different name. Combining those two simple yet evocative words has become a horror genre staple and continues to excite filmgoers to this day.
The latest in the series, Evil Dead Rise, is a departure from past installments. Lee Cronin’s take on the property ditches the cabins and woods for a more domestic and urban setting with a story focusing on family. Based on the gnarly red band trailer, the movie promises to be a worthy and gruesome addition to the series longtime fans have grown to love.
While Evil Dead Rise is ditching the woods, it's keeping the title tradition that began with Raimis’ ‘81 classic alive and well. You can catch it when it begins haunting a theater near you starting April 21. Until then, make sure to check out our schedule of 2023 new movie releases to plan your next trip to the cinema.
