Before Paranormal Activity 4: 10 Movies That Paved the Way

9. The Evil Dead

It's kind of indicative of horror films that whenever someone thinks they're trying to thwart evil, they're really just pissing it off. In "The Evil Dead," there are shades of "Paranormal Activity," including an unseen force that makes itself apparent, inexplicable possession, a potential satanic force at play, and the odd fascination with women. "The Evil Dead" is one of the first and best demonic films ever made about a group of teens who go off in to the woods for a getaway in a cabin and find themselves battling demonic forces of all kinds. "The Evil Dead" really did demonstrate the stark hopelessness that Oren Peli practiced in his film, and the scenes of women being dragged off and unseen terrors hearkens back to Sam Raimi in his glory days.
Contributor
Contributor

Felix Vasquez Jr. has written for over fifteen years, and is an author and movie critic who has written for various online outlets and can be seen on Rotten Tomatoes. He resides in New York, where he writes for his own online movie review website Cinema Crazed and works on his novels. He has a passion for classic rock, horror movies, and pop culture.