Within the Woods ('78)

[MacReadyOrNot]

Within the Woods was the short film used to convince investors to fund the first Evil Dead film. The 32 minute short was inspired by a literature assignment Sam Raimi was assigned at MSU. The project required Sam to study the Egyptian Book of the Dead, a collection of spells and rituals used by ancient Egyptians to ensure the safe passage of the dead in the afterlife. After doing some research, he decided to write a script for a film centered on a fictional book of the dead, the Kandarian Necronomicon. As the script took shape Raimi would also borrow from the ancient Sumerian Book of the Dead, a series of scrolls about burial rites, funerary incantations and passages explaining the trip to the netherworld.

Sam, with his friends Bruce Campbell and Robert Tapert, formed a motion picture company called Renaissance Pictures to film his script. Unfortunately, they had too much script and too little cash, so Sam shaved the story down to seven pages. With a shortened script and around $1,600, Raimi and company set out to shoot this short version of Evil Dead in hopes of snagging potential investors for the longer film. Their plan was to create a thirty-minute “senseless gore flick” with the help of special effects artist Tom Sullivan...

Within the Woods was shot on Rob Tapert’s family farm during the cold winter of 1978. Bruce, of course, was given the main role and Ellen Sandweiss, a college friend, played his girlfriend of the same name. She would later star with Bruce in the first Evil Dead as Cheryl, his sister. Scott Spiegal also played a self-titled character in the film with an unknown actress by the name of Mary Valenti playing Shelly.

The plot of Within the Woods is straight and to the point with Bruce and Ellen venturing out for a romantic picnic in the woods while their friends Scotty and Shelly hang back at the family cottage. Bruce tries to scare Ellen into his arms by telling her that the spot they are picnicking on was once an Indian burial ground. Ellen refuses to believe Bruce’s tall tales and goes out to gather firewood while Bruce digs a pit for the campfire. Digging enthusiastically, Bruce mistakenly unearths a grave and finds an ancient sacrificial knife...

[T]he newly awakened Evil Force chases Ellen back to the cottage, where Scotty and Shelly are playing a rousing game of Monopoly (copyright infringement anyone?)...

Unwilling to succumb to the evil...

Ellen continues to fight until [it] is reduced to a pile of gore and body parts.

Source: Deadites Online

[MacReadyOrNot]

Very poor quality, but this precusor to Evil Dead never got restored and released on video or DVD. No official anything. Just something for investors to watch.

I hope someday this gets the proper restoration it deserves.

I love seeing the foundation for such an inventive franchise. I also love that

SPOILER: Click to show

Ash is not the lead here. Nor is he called Ash. It's Bruce. Anyway, his girlfriend, played by the same actress who would eventually play his sister in the feature version, is the protagonist here. As a longtime fan of the series, that's a welcome change.