The first Evil Dead film, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, about a world of demons accidentally being opened, was filmed in true renegade-style, with a crew of 13 people in the remote thicket of Tennessee.
Though the sequel would have the budget to build a cabin exterior and a set for the interior, the first film had to use the real deal, with the entire crew also using the cabin to sleep, only adding to the hardship of the very rough shoot.
https://www.ign.com/articles/things-you-didnt-know-about-evil-dead-trivia
Art by M. Becker
To add to the above:
“Living conditions were terrible, and the crew frequently argued. The cabin didn't have plumbing, so the actors went days without showering, and fell ill frequently in the freezing weather. By the end of production, they were burning furniture to stay warm.”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/trivia/
Art by Paul Mann
“At the end of principal shooting in Tennessee, the crew put together a little time capsule package and buried it inside the fire place of the cabin as a memento of the production to whomever found it.”
The cabin was accidentally burned down a year later by trespassing youths, but the fireplace remains intact.
-From IMDB and IGN
Art by Francesco Francavilla
“The original script called for all the characters to be smoking marijuana when they are first listening to the tape. The actors decided to try this for real, and the entire scene had to be later re-shot due to their uncontrollable behavior.”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083907/trivia/
Art by Dan Mumford
Ash was originally meant to have died at the end of the first film of the series. Of course the character has instead held on for a run spanning nearly 40 years, including appearances in these films, as well as a television series, video games, comic books, and surely some other media I’m forgetting.
Art by Dom Bittner
Ash almost fought Freddy and Jason… “but due to creative differences between New Line Cinema and Bruce Campbell it never happened. The story did become a six-issue comic book series though, in 2007. In fact, Ash Williams has seen a lot of awesome action in the pages of comics, battling with the likes of Marvel Zombies and Dracula, meeting Danger Girl and Re-Animator, and cavorting with Sam Raimi-creations Darkman and Xena.“ - via IGN
“For The Evil Dead's premiere screening in Detroit, Raimi, a fan of these early-era gimmicks, particularly those done by horror director William Castle, hired ambulances to park outside the theater in order to let people know that, regardless of your age, this movie just might cause a medical emergency.“ - via IGN
Art by Maria Ku
“Bruce Campbell put up his family's property in Northern Michigan as collateral so that Sam Raimi not only could finish the film, but also blow it up to 35 mm film which was required for theatrical release. Raimi was so grateful for his financial contribution, he credited him as co-producer.“ - via IMDB
“A cameraman slipped during filming, smashing his camera into Bruce Campbell's face and knocking out several of the actor's teeth.” -IMDB
“Bruce Campbell twisted his ankle on a root while running down a steep hill, and Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert decided to tease him by poking his injury with sticks, thus causing Campbell to have an obvious limp in some scenes.” - IMDB
“Most of the demon POVs that glide across the ground were shot by mounting the camera to a 2X4 while Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell ran along holding either side.” - IMDB
There is SO MUCH cool trivia related to the 1st Evil Dead. It just goes to show that the making of low budget pictures is often much more interesting than the pictures themselves. (Not in this case, perhaps, but still…) I have to move on to the other movies in the series or I simply won’t get to them.
That's 'cause they didn't have enough money to rent a Steadicam and tape it to a shopping cart or something.
@mcfate Correct. I actually heard it was a pallet, not a 2x4, but either way.
Given the option, I'd go for the pallet if it was MY camera they were running through the woods with.