If you’re a diehard Sam Raimi fan like me, you’ve been waiting eagerly for Sam’s return to the genre with Send Help, in theaters tonight. And based on the trailers, it seems to be everything we Raimi horror fans want to see— insanely bloody practical effects, edge of your seat terror, and, of course, a Bruce Campbell cameo.
So grab your Necronomicon and buckle up, because I’m about to take you down memory lane with my “Top 10 Craziest Sam Raimi Movie Moments“! [Reader Beware! Spoilers Ahead!]
10 – A Simple Plan (1998)
A departure from Raimi’s cult horror, this dramatic thriller focuses more on wrong turns in human drama and violence rather than typical Raimi supernatural scares, but stick with me here, because A Simple Plan still packs a punch.
The film follows brothers Hank (Bill Paxton) and Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton), who discover a crashed plane holding a bag full of cash and a dead pilot full of secrets. Sudden ‘what would you do’ scenarios spiral out of control.
The craziest moment would be the twist at the end, where FBI Agents reveal they’ve logged a handful of random bill serial codes, making the money worthless and all of the cover-up murders pointless. But it’s like the film’s tagline says, “Sometimes good people do evil things.”
9 – Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Though Raimi’s Doctor Strange received mixed reviews for a rushed, overstuffed plot—typical of Marvel films—I will always prefer a horror director at the helm who can truly capture the duality of dark themes, á la Tim Burton, Zach Snyder, or James Gunn, to name a few.
That being said, the craziest moment has to be the climax fight with the reanimated puppet corpse of Doctor Strange. The flying demons and Cumberbatch’s physicality felt like a full-fledged horror film I wasn’t expecting. Heck, I’ll take an entire film devoted to Zombie Strange!
8 – Within the Woods (1978)
Essentially, Raimi shot Within the Woods as a short piece for potential investors–later to be fleshed out as The Evil Dead.
Swapping out traditional ‘breakfast table’ exposition for a total “ick” close-up of a roach on raw hot dogs sets the stakes pretty high. But my favorite crazy moment is our first encounter with Bruce Campbell as a “Deadite” with a shocking jump-scare– gut-wrenchingly gross!
All the elements of what we would later know as classic Evil Dead universe tropes are here, with early concepts for demon POV camera angles, creative sound design, and unique synth mashed up with classic horror film score motifs— a must-watch for any Raimi fan. Available on YouTube.
7 – Spider-Man (2002)
Raimi’s Spider-Man is the first film adaptation of the comic book. With equal parts coming-of-age story beats that hit on first loves, the film follows Peter Parker (Toby Maguire) as he struggles to manage school, bullies, raging hormones, and a changing body from a spider bite and new, incredible “spidey” powers.
The craziest moment is when Parker takes the blame for Dr. Osborn’s death to shield his best friend Harry (James Franco) from the truth that his father is actually Green Goblin. Yow!!
Revisiting Spider-Man reminded me why I love these early 2000s superhero films, which were cinematic and prioritized great storytelling.
6 – The Evil Dead (1981)
Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) and his friends travel to a remote cabin for a relaxed weekend away. They stumble across an ancient book, the Necronomicon–when read aloud the text has the power to reawaken the dead—which kind of puts a damper on their plans when the friends inadvertently open Hell’s gates releasing the malevolent Kandarian Demon and must fight for their lives before becoming one of the evil dead themselves.
Ash’s spiral into madness and, of course, the chainsaw hand—but the craziest moments for me are when possessed Cheryl stabs Linda’s ankle with a pencil and is tossed in the cellar. What an iconic film moment filled with wicked one-liners and visceral, gritty effects— it makes my ankles hurt just thinking about it!
5 – Crimewave (1985)
Raimi’s forgotten bizarre film noir Crimewave is one of my favorite forgotten horror gems. Penned by The Cohen Brothers, the film follows nerdy Vic (Reed Birney), who’s framed for murder and on death row for “killing” his boss.
We get a lot of whacked-out moments like wild cartoonish car chases, a fun dance number—but my favorites are The Exterminator Contact Killers.
Each contact kill is loonier than the last, but the best one might be when Hitman Arther starts throwing his voice around like Beetlejuice at the altar. Like, CRAZY!!
4 – Drag Me To Hell (2009)
It’s wild to think Raimi’s gruesome cautionary tale Drag Me To Hell only got a mild PG-13 rating–but don’t let that fool you. The story focuses on Christine (Alison Lohman), a bank loan officer who’s on the cusp of a promotion. Told to be tough, she denies a desperately needed loan for an elderly Romanian woman (Lorna Raver). In retaliation, the woman places a curse on Christine.
The parking lot scene hit the nail—or should I say, “staples in the head” for me. Deserted creepy parking lot? Check! Flash of Raimi’s Oldsmobile Delta cameo? Groovy! Old lady hacking up phlegm? Yeah, ok! I’m still gagging over the hilariously disgusting cat fight when Mrs. Ganush’s dentures fall out, and she starts sucking face with Christine. Beyond crazy!
3 – The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Ever want to see Raimi’s version of a Western? Well, look no further. Some think The Quick and the Dead is a departure from typical Raimi, but I found it to be everything I’d expected—stylized, musically driven editing, over-the-top violence, and a moving plot.
This revenge story follows The Lady (Sharon Stone), a gunfighter who visits an old-west town called Redemption, controlled by John Herod (Gene Hackman). The craziest moment for me was when The Kid (Leonardo DiCaprio) is tragically shot by Herod (Gene Hackman), whom he believes to be his father.
The scene is poignant as The Kid dies, reaching out for his father’s approval and is rejected—emphasizing the brutal reality that even a son’s last wish is ignored.
2 – Army of Darkness (1992)
Yes, I’m mentioning more Evil Dead–can’t a girl have hobbies? This story follows our antihero Ash, who gets transported back to medieval times and has to get his hands—or should I say hand—on the Necronomicon so he can be transported back into his time.
We get everything with this one—wild medieval mayhem, the iconic “Wilhelm scream”, and extended Ray Harryhausen-type stop-motion!
Speaking of Raimi’s homage to Harryhausen, the craziest part for me is when Ash is fighting miniature Ashes and then produces an Evil Ash. Incredible slapstick juxtaposed by gooey, vomit-inducing horror. There’s just something so unsettling about a skeleton with eyeballs –“Hail to the King, Baby!”
1 – Darkman (1990)
My number one spot goes to Sam Raimi’s underappreciated Darkman. Some say it’s his early toe-dip into comic book/superhero lore– but in actuality, Darkman pays homage to Universal’s classic horror films of the 1930s. I’m looking at you, Invisible Man!
Dr. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) has figured out a formula for synthetic skin. Of course, he’s brutally attacked by mobsters, his lab explodes, and he’s horribly disfigured. Then his doctors, trying to help, take away his agonizing sense of pain. And this somehow imbues him with seemingly super-human strength.
This film has tons of crazy moments, like Darkman dressing up as mob boss Durant (Larry Drake), only to have his synthetic face start bubbling just as he runs into Durant. But the actual craziest is when Darkman has an off-the-wall anger outburst against a shady carnival barker. Besides Neeson really “chewing the scenery” (as we say in theater), the visual imagery goes “full Raimi” with wild zooms, Dutch angles, and hell, the whole creative camera kitchen sink.
Darkman is the quintessential antihero in this absurdist, blackcomedy that blends elements of horror, satire, and wild effects that feel like a mix between Dick Tracy and RoboCop—and I love every moment of it.
Yes…CRAZY!!
Categorized: Lists
About the Author
