The Evil Dead is now recognized as one of the most iconic and beloved horror franchises in the genre. When it was initially released, though, director Sam Raimi absolutely hated the name.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, Raimi reflected back on the original Evil Dead, a film that he said was initially called The Book of the Dead. According to Raimi, though, an agent sat down producer Robert G. Tapert, star Bruce Campbell, and himself and said they were changing the name due to how much it’d cost to advertise.
“The original title of the [original] movie was The Book Of The Dead,” said Raimi. “But film-sales agent Irvin Shapiro sat Rob, Bruce and I down and said, ‘We’re changing the title, boys. Advertising space in the newspaper is paid for by the inch, kid. We’re not going to have a five-word title.”
Raimi then revealed that the word “Dead’ could stay in the title, but would have to be replaced by one other word, either “101%” or “Evil.” According to the filmmaker, he thought both were stupid and joked about how something can’t be evil and dead at the same time.
“Dead can stay. You can have one other word. You can call it 101% Dead, or Evil Dead,” Raimi recalled. “I thought, ‘But those are the worst two titles I’ve ever heard in my life! Evil Dead sucks! How can something be evil and dead?’ I just thought it was so stupid.”
Thankfully for Raimi, fans were fine with the name, and the film itself. After releasing in 1981 as The Evil Dead, the film would go on to become one of the biggest cult films of all time and was cited as one of the best horror films ever. That film spawned a long-lasting franchise, which will continue in 2023 with the release of Evil Dead Rise.
