Watch the movie that became 'Evil Dead'

Remake poster, courtesy Deadites.net

Most people may not know this, but before it was Evil Dead, Sam Raimi and his usual cast of friends made a short film called Within the Woods back in 1978. This short has never been included on any release of either Evil Dead or Evil Dead 2 (or Army of Darkness for that matter, which premiered 20 years ago today), which is a shame.

I’ve always wondered why, but I’m sure there is a slew of legal reasons that are beyond me. The short was only available through bootlegs and tape traders, but now you can enjoy the entire short film right from your computer (via Dread Central). Although the quality is nothing great, I encourage you watch this piece of history while you can. It was originally shot to sell investors to fund the full length feature that would become Evil Dead.

Running as just under half an hour, this is truly a treat for anyone who loves Sam, Bruce and the Evil Dead trilogy. Interesting enough, you can see elements that were omitted in the first Evil Dead and later used in Evil Dead 2. So stop reading and watch (after the jump).

And don't forget, the Evil Dead remake (which initially received an NC-17 rating) is opening April 5.




-Andrew Peters