Summary
- The original Evil Dead movie had a deleted scene due to the cast smoking pot for real on camera, resulting in unsuccessful takes and the scene being reshot with sober actors.
- The independent production of The Evil Dead gave Sam Raimi creative freedom, but also allowed for NSFW behavior on set that led to the scene removal.
- Despite the removal of the scene, some pot smoke can still be seen in the finished cut, as it created the desired atmosphere and a Steadicam effect that Raimi couldn't afford. #EvilDead #horror
Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead movie from 1981 has a deleted scene that needed to be removed from the horror classic for a hilariously NSFW reason. The Evil Dead stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, who travels to a cabin in the woods with his friends, discovers the Book of the Dead in the cabin’s basement, and unwittingly unleashes an army of demonic spirits. The movie launched Raimi’s filmmaking career and amassed a huge cult audience on the midnight movie circuit, eventually spawning a beloved horror franchise with two direct sequels, two spin-off movies, and a TV series starring Campbell.
The homemade charm of The Evil Dead has inspired a generation of filmmakers to pick up a camera and make their own horror movies. Since it was an independent production, the cast and crew of The Evil Dead weren’t regulated by any of the rules that traditional studio-mounted movies have to follow. This can be a great thing, because it allowed Raimi complete creative freedom to make the gonzo gore-fest he envisioned, but it can also be detrimental. NSFW behavior on the amateur set of The Evil Dead meant that a scene had to be removed from the finished film.
Evil Dead's Original Tape Scene Was Deleted Because Of Smoking Pot
The original script for The Evil Dead called for the characters to be smoking pot while they listen to the tape that awakens the demons. Campbell has since revealed (via CinemaBlend) that he and his co-stars decided to do some method acting and smoke pot for real on camera. Campbell had heard that Jack Nicholson would smoke several ts before shooting his scenes for Easy Rider (the North Star for indie filmmakers) and decided “if he can go on to become a very famous, notable actor, we can do the same thing.”
However, Campbell had never smoked pot before – and “the weed in Tennessee was pretty good” – so it hit him pretty hard. The actor confessed that they “did not really film the scene successfully,” so the takes from that day had to be thrown out and the scene was reshot with sober actors. Ash vs. Evil Dead would later reveal that Ash has experimented with many different drugs throughout his life, so it’s hilarious that Campbell smoked weed for the first time on the set of The Evil Dead.
There's Still Some Pot Smoke In Evil Dead's Finished Cut
Although the scenes featuring a stoned Campbell were cut from the final version of The Evil Dead, some puffs of pot smoke can still be seen when the characters are listening to the tape. Ironically, these plumes of smoke ended up creating the kind of atmosphere that Raimi couldn’t afford on his shoestring budget. Since he couldn’t afford a Steadicam, Raimi simply attached his camera to a plank of wood to create a Steadicam-like effect. He couldn’t afford a smoke machine, but his pot-smoking cast produced plenty of smoke.
Source: CinemaBlend
