Stephen King and Sam Raimi they are probably two of the most famous filmmakers in the horror genre. During one of his promotional events for his film, ‘Send Help’, Raimi spoke about his love and respect for Stephen King. Not only that, but during the interview, he credited King for being one of the leading actors and why he was able to get into films.
Sam Raimi credits Stephen King for joining the film industry
During his promotional tour for his latest film, ‘Send Help’, which stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien in the lead roles, Raimi spoke about his respect for Stephen King. Speaking to Cinema Blend at the time, the director shared how King was one of the main reasons behind his entry into the film and the horror genre.He revealed that King’s support for his film ‘The Evil Dead’ meant a lot to him, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert who all worked on the film while at Michigan State University. When Raimi was asked if his work was influenced by King, he said, “Forever, he gave me my chance in this job.”Then he explained in detail the problems he faced with ‘The Evil Dead’, sharing that “No one can touch ‘Evil Dead’ with a 10-foot plague tree, and then Stephen King was in the theater in Cannes, the market. He saw it and gave us a great review in the magazine ‘Twilight Zone’. He also said that it was a big moment for him and he was honored because King is “his biggest hero.”Stephen King’s influence had already been established in the market, and with his good review of ‘The Evil Dead’, the film was able to create a great success, and is currently considered one of the pioneers of modern times. King had written at the time, “That [Sam Raimi] he is wise but unproven; that he has made the first horror film of 1982 seems to me beyond doubt. While no one believed in his project, it was the King who gave a chance to the newcomer in the industry.
About ‘The Evil Dead’
The film explores the concept of The Book of the Dead, with the first film showing 5 college students going to a cabin during the holidays. When they find the Book of the Dead along with the tape, the group unknowingly releases the demon and the evil power that is holding them all one by one. As the group plays the music on the audio tape, it unleashes a spirit that lives in the forest, which seeks them out and turns them into violent monsters known as Deadites. There are a total of 6 movies in the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise. The first three: ‘The Evil Dead’ (1981), ‘Evil Dead II’ (1987), and ‘Army of Darkness’ (1992), were all directed by Sam Raimi. The next film, ‘Evil Dead’ (2013) was directed by Fede Álvarez. ‘Evil Dead Rise’ (2023) was directed by Lee Cronin, while the latest installment, ‘Evil Dead Burn’ (2026) was directed by Sébastien Vaniček.The sequel, ‘Evil Dead Wrath’, is expected to be released in 2028, and will be directed by Francis Galluppi.