Written and directed by Shinichi Fukazawa
Starring Shinichi Fukazawa, Asako Nosaka, Masaaki Kai, Masahiro Kai and Aki Tama Mai
Running time: 1 hour and 2 minutes

by Nikk Nelson

Sam Raimi changed the American horror genre forever with the release of The Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987)—the latter being essentially a remake of the original. Raimi took all of the traditional elements of horror, most notably camp, comedy and gore, and turned the volume up to eleven. In my opinion, the influence of the films transcended the horror genre, inspiring filmmakers in every corner of the artform—an influence that continued for generations. I don’t think Edgar Wright, for example, exists without Sam Raimi. Writer/director Shinichi Fukazawa and his passion project Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (2012) definitely wouldn’t exist without Sam Raimi and The Evil Dead films. Part of the Nightstream film festival’s Retro series,