The Big Picture

• Stephen King's review of Evil Dead at Cannes Film Festival helped secure the film's distribution and launch the franchise into mainstream success.
• King's intervention was essential for the making of Evil Dead 2, as he convinced producer Dino De Laurentiis to fund the sequel.
• The Evil Dead franchise's popularity and success can be attributed in part to Stephen King's support, proving his influence in the horror genre.

There have been five Evil Dead films and a three-season series over the last four decades, with the fandom for Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) and the Deadites spreading from one generation to the next. Campbell starred in the first three movies, along with Starz's Ash vs Evil Dead television series, before handing over the reins to a new group of actors for 2013's Evil Dead reboot and this year's Evil Dead Rise.

The Evil Dead franchise is one of horror's most popular, with the heroic Ash right up there with other icons like the villainous Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. None of it may have happened, however, if not for the help of another horror icon, a real life one in the name of Stephen King. When director Sam Raimi and company needed a miracle not once but twice, King was there to save the day. If he hadn't been so willing to help out, the franchise might not even exist.

The 'Evil Dead' Franchise's Place in Horror History

Going into the 1980s, horror was taking over cinemas thanks to the slasher film boom. John Carpenter's Halloween in 1978 set off a craze of hulking men in masks chasing teenagers through the woods and wherever else. Michael Myers and Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees were king. Later, in 1984, Freddy Krueger would join them with A Nightmare on Elm Street. While horror had all these popular bad guys though, it lacked a hero to become a pop culture craze. Sure, someone like Jamie Lee Curtis was a great final girl as Laurie Strode in Halloween, but Michael Myers was still where our attention went. Sigourney Weaver was a badass as Ellen Ripley in Alien and Aliens, but we were still drawn to those xenomorphs.

Then, in 1981, came a new kind of horror film, one that felt similar to what was blowing up at the multiplex, but which was vastly different. The Evil Dead may have had a group of friends being stalked and killed off in a cabin in the woods, but some silent hulk in a mask wasn't the culprit. Instead, it was a demonic force awakened. This meant that The Evil Dead could go further. They weren't restrained to the tropes of some stalk-and-slash flick. They could get wild, letting the evil Deadites do whatever crazy thing that could be conjured up. And to fight them was a man named Ash Williams. Bruce Williams played Ash with a wild charm. Ash was a badass who didn't want to be, but he was still just as cool with his crazed mannerisms and one-liners. More than the scares and the gore, Ash Williams became the story. Horror in the '80s had its hero in him. That popularity would lead to Evil Dead 2 in 1987 and Army of Darkness in 1992.

A Stephen King Review of 'Evil Dead' Helped the Film Gain Attention

The Evil Dead franchise might be mainstream now, and Sam Raimi might be the man behind blockbuster entries of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, but four decades ago, no one knew who he was. The Evil Dead was actually his first film ever. The same goes for Bruce Campbell. In 1981, he was a friend of Raimi's. Just about the only credits to Campbell's name were the short film he made with him. Their first feature film was born from one of those short films. Raimi was a man who fought hard to get The Evil Dead noticed. After making it, he took it everywhere, looking for someone to distribute it. He lucked out in a man named Irvin Shapiro. Shapiro was the man who created the beloved Cannes Film Festival, and he allowed Raimi to screen The Evil Dead there. A very famous man in attendance the night it was shown changed the fate of Raimi and Campbell, along with their passion project, forever.

Stephen King is a household name now, but even 40 years ago almost everyone knew who he was thanks to popular novels like Carrie and The Shining, as well as their well received film adaptations. He was in the audience the night The Evil Dead was screened at Cannes. The purpose of showing any movie at Cannes is the hope to find potential buyers. Now, that's not where King could help. He was an author, not a movie exec. He could help, however, through his massive popularity.

As Raimi told IGN in 2015, "During one of these marketing screenings at the Cannes Film Festival, where there were different distributors watching the films trying to make their judgments as to what they'll buy that year, Stephen King was in the audience, and we heard, 'Oh, he was really screaming and shouting during the movie.'" Raimi loved Stephen King, so Shapiro told him to ask him for a quote. Raimi called him up, as King was represented by Irvin Shapiro too, and did just that. Stephen King didn't want to give a quote though. "He said, 'I won't do that, but I will write a review. If there's something in the review that you want to use as a quote, you can.'" King wrote a review that was then published in Twilight Zone Magazine. "It was very generous of him, and we were able to use the very positive quote that he gave us. Without that, the movie may have been lost, but with Stephen King's endorsement, we were able to make our first sales."

Stephen King Stepped in to Make Sure 'Evil Dead 2' Got Made

The Evil Dead wasn't a huge blockbuster, but it did well enough and found more fans on home video. A few years later, Raimi and Campbell were ready to make a sequel. Evil Dead 2 pretty much follows the same plot as the first film. It's a reboot of sorts, with Ash and his friends in the woods and The Deadites attacking after someone accidentally summons them with the Necronomicon. The first film was loved, but the second might be even better, with its enhanced effects and production values and a plot that leaned heavier into the zaniness. Sam Raimi made a fantastic followup, but before it ever happened, there was still the same issue as before. Who was going to buy Evil Dead 2? How were they going to get it out to the public? They found a horror hero once again in Stephen King.

In 1986, King decided to become a film director himself, making his one and only feature, Maximum Overdrive. On the set of the movie, he had a fateful interaction that would save The Evil Dead a second time. In an interview with Consequence, Bruce Campbell said of Stephen King, "He’s responsible for two of The Evil Dead movies, not just one." A crew member on Evil Dead 2 had to be let go, so she went down to North Carolina to work on Maximum Overdrive, which was being produced by Hollywood heavyweight Dino De Laurentiis. It was there that she had a conversation with King. "Stephen was like, 'What are you up to?' And she was like, 'I just came from working with these guys trying to get money for Evil Dead 2.' He goes, 'Evil Dead 2? They can’t get the money for that?' She goes 'No.' He calls Dino De Laurentiis and goes, 'You should make this movie.' I think we had a deal … we met with Dino and I think we had a deal in about half an hour, and a basic understanding."

Stephen King is a horror icon not just from his novels, but the movies based on his work. To this day, he's still as popular as ever thanks to the likes of It and Doctor Sleep. He's not just responsible for creating horror masterpieces though, he's also responsible for saving a few as well.

The Evil Dead is currently available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.

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