Instant Entertainment: Before They Were Famous Schlock Horror Edition
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<p>Today we bring you two schlocky horror gems from the early portfolios of some well-known directors: <em>Evil Dead</em> from <a href="http://gothamist.com/tags/samraimi">Sam Raimi</a> and <em>Dead Alive</em> from <a href="http://gothamist.com/tags/peterjackson">Peter Jackson</a>. While both men later found success at the box office with big-budget products (Raimi with <em>Spider Man</em> and Jackson with the <em>Lord Of The Rings</em> series), these early works were made for a lot less money and, in some ways, have a lot more fun than anything that came later. There's blood and guts a plenty in each of these films, though both have their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, making them less shocky and more schlocky. Let's take a look, shall we? </p>
Evil DeadRaimi's first feature-length film (available on Netlflix Instant), released in 1981, follows a fairly basic plotline for a horror flick: a group of attractive young coeds vacation in an isolated cabin in the woods, find a mysterious tome titled The Book of the Dead in the basement, and Bad Things start happening. What makes Evil Dead rise above the rest is a combination of things: first and foremost, the completely gonzo lead performance from Bruce Campbell (Raimi's childhood friend), followed shortly by the sheer amount of blood that's spewed and then variety of methods exercised to spew said blood: decapitations, amputations, pencil stabbings, and so many more. The film was not well-received upon its initial release, though it has since become a serious cult favorite, spawning two sequels and an Off-Broadway musical. Raimi, of course, went on to direct "Spider-Man," Drag Me To Hell, and, recently, Starz's Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
Dead AliveDead Alive (on Netflix Instant), which Bloody Disgusting ranks as one of the goriest films of all time (a high honor), was actually the last entry in what is considered Peter Jackson's "splatter period" in the late 1980s-early 1990s (other highlights include Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles). Released in 1992, the story revolved around Kiwi mama's boy Lionel and his horrifically overbearing mother, who is bitten by a rabid zombified monkey and quickly begins wreaking bloody havoc across town. The film actually sets up a fairly sweet love plot for Lionel and a young lass, before completely devolving into a blood-splattered, pus oozing, intestinal-whipping mess that culminates with an overturned lawnmower and a house full of zombies. In short, it's awesome. Jackson eventually left his splatter faze and moved on to bigger things ("The Lord Of The Rings"), though not categorically better ("King Kong").