The Evil Dead is an independent American feature film of the horror genre, dealing with themes of possession and the undead. It was written and directed by Sam Raimi and released through Raimi's production company Renaissance Pictures. The film opened to limited theatrical release at the Redford Theater in Detroit, Michigan on October 15th, 1981. It circulated through the film festival market for the next two years before receiving a wider U.S. release on April 15th, 1983. The Evil Dead stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, Ellen Sandweiss as Cheryl Williams, Hal Delrich as Scott, Betsy Baker as Linda and Sarah York as Shelly. The premise of the film involves five college students who take a Spring Break vacation at a cabin in the woods of Tennessee. They discover a recording from the previous tenant, which includes an incantation that releases an ancient Kandarian demon. Malevolent forces overtake the group and one by one by they are killed and their bodies become possessed as one the "Evil Dead".
