Sam Rainey talks about how Stephen King helped them enter the film industry by praising his film The Evil Dead in a review after watching it at the Cannes film market
Stephen King and Sam Raimi are perhaps two of the most well-known filmmakers in the horror genre. During one of his promotional events for his film, ‘Send Help’, Raimi had opened up about how much he loves and respects Stephen King. Not only that, but during the interview, he credited King for being one of the leading factors in why he was able to enter the film industry.
Sam Raimi credits Stephen King for his entry in the film industry
During his promotional run for his latest film, ‘Send Help’, which starred Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien in the leading roles, Raimi opened up about the respect he had for Stephen King. While talking to Cinema Blend at the time, the director shared how King is one of the main reasons behind his entry in the film industry and the horror genre.He revealed that King’s support for his film ‘The Evil Dead’, meant quite a lot to him, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert all of whom had worked on making the film a reality while they were at Michigan State University. When Raimi was asked about whether his work is influenced by King, he commented, “Forvever, gave me my chance in the business.”He then detailed the struggles he faced with ‘The Evil Dead’, sharing that “Nobody would touch ‘Evil Dead’ with a 10-foot plague pole, and then Stephen King happened to be in the theatre in Cannes, the market. He saw it and gave us a great review in the ‘Twilight Zone’ magazine.” He further added that it was a big moment for him and he was truly honoured since King is his “giantest, largest hero.”Stephen King’s influence was already well established in the market, and with his raving review of ‘The Evil Dead’, the film ended up launching into a big success, and is currently known as one of the pioneering moments in modern-day horror. King had written at the time that, “That [Sam Raimi] is a genius is yet unproven; that he has made the most ferociously original horror film of 1982 seems to me beyond doubt.” When no one else believed in his project, it was King who gave a chance to the new comer in the industry.
About ‘The Evil Dead’
The film centers around the concept of the Book of the Dead, with the first film showing 5 college students traveling to a cabin in the middle of for a vacation. When they discover the Book of the Dead along with a tape, the group unknowingly unleashes a demonic and evil force that possesses all of them one by one. When the group plays the incantation on the audiotape, it releases the spirit residing in the woods, who then 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 then directed by Lee Cronin, while the latest installment, ‘Evil Dead Burn’ (2026) was directed by Sébastien Vaniček.A prequel film, ‘Evil Dead Wrath’, is slated to release in 2028, and will be directed by Francis Galluppi. Go to Source
