9 Awesome Movies That Started Out As Short Films
2. The Evil Dead (AKA Within The Woods)
Sam Raimi and his actor buddy Bruce Campbell grew up together and spent a good chunk of their youth making short movies. They decided to go for broke and make a feature, and decided to make it a horror movie because that would be the easiest to sell.
They financed a short to prove to investors they had the talent and thus came their prototype version of The Evil Dead, titled Within The Woods. The plot has a group of teens head to a remote cabin, but since it’s located on an Indian burial the weekend quickly goes to hell.
Campbell’s character becomes possessed and starts killing the group one at a time, leaving it up to his girlfriend to stop him. Even for a scrappy no-budget effort, the short is clearly a Sam Raimi movie, featuring his trademark sweeping camera and slapstick comedy.
Many ideas from the short found their way into The Evil Dead, like a demon munching off its hand, the POV of an unseen force in the woods and the demon spouting “Join us.” Unfortunately the only version available online is terrible quality, but any self-respecting fan of the series should watch it at least once.