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With a visual style perfectly suited to the comic books, it’s only natural that director Sam Raimi would one day go on to direct Spider-Man and its sequels. In addition to your friendly, neighborhood webslinger, Ted’s brother has helmed films ranging from westerns to over-the-top horror. In this installment of Best Horror, we’ll be taking a closer look at the top 10 Sam Raimi movies.
10. The Gift – A supernatural thriller starring Cate Blanchett and based loosely on the experiences of Billy Bob Thornton’s mother (yes, you read that right). The all-star cast also includes Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Greg Kinnear and Giovanni Ribisi.
9. A Simple Plan – Three men find a downed airplane with several million dollars in cash. They agree to keep quiet and split the money, but greed slowly gets the best of them. Starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda.
8. The Evil Dead – The film which started it all for Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell. A group of teens head into the woods and accidentally awaken the forces of evil. You can guess what happens next.
7. Darkman – A scientist is left for dead by a ruthless mobster, but he later returns to exact his revenge. Imagine a cross between a superhero and one of the old Universal monsters, and you’ve got an idea of what Darkman is all about. Stars Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand and Larry Drake.
6. Army of Darkness – The last film in the Evil Dead trilogy finds our hero Ash (Bruce Campbell) stranded in a past filled with demons, sorcery and the dreaded Necronomicon. Luckily, he brought along a chemistry textbook and his cherished “boomstick.”
5. For Love of the Game – An aging baseball player tries to pitch a perfect game in his last trip to the mound. Meanwhile, he looks back on his life, especially his relationship with his former girlfriend. Starring Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Jena Malone and Brian Cox.
4. Spider-Man 2 – Spidey is back, and this time he’s taking on both the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. While not quite as good as the original, it’s still a visual tour-de-force thanks to the skills of Raimi.
3. Evil Dead II – Bruce Campbell is back as Ash, the demon slayer from the first Evil Dead movie. This time around, the monsters are even more brutal, costing Ash his hand and driving him to the brink of madness. But in true Raimi fashion, half the violence and scares are akin to something from a Three Stooges episode.
2. The Quick and the Dead – Sharon Stone is a mysterious gunfighter who enters a yearly quick draw contest. But before she can win, she’ll have to get past the likes of Russell Crowe, Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio. A great example of the modern western.
1. Spider-Man – The best superhero film ever made, Spider-Man is a perfect showcase of Raimi’s outlandish visual style. The upside-down kiss remains one of the more famous images in recent cinematic history.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 4:51 pm and is filed under Best Horror Directors, Best Horror Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.