138-545: Samuel M. Raimi ( / ˈ r eɪ m i / RAY -mee ; born October 23, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for directing the first three films in the Evil Dead franchise (1981-present) and the Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007). He also directed the superhero movie Darkman (1990), the revisionist western The Quick and the Dead (1995),
276-480: A Conservative Jewish family. He is a son of merchants Celia Barbara (née Abrams) and Leonard Ronald Raimi. His ancestors were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Hungary. His younger brother Ted is an actor, and his older brother Ivan is a screenwriter and physician. His older sister, Andrea Raimi Rubin, is a court reporter. Another older brother, Sander, died at 15 in an accidental drowning in Israel ; Raimi has said that
414-467: A Joseph Goebbels -type propaganda minister. Moe, Larry, and director Jules White considered You Nazty Spy! their best film. Yet, these efforts indulged in a deliberately formless, non-sequitur style of verbal humor that was not the Stooges' forte, according to Okuda and Watz. Other wartime entries have their moments, such as They Stooge to Conga (considered the most violent Stooge short), Higher Than
552-442: A Super 8 camera. However, due to technical difficulties, it was decided to move it up to 16 mm format, as they wanted to film the project in the style of the many low-budget films at the time that had come out in the 1970s. Since they had little experience in the film industry, the three felt they should buy business suits and briefcases as a means to convince investors that they "had all the answers." A man named Andy Grainger, who
690-461: A cerebral hemorrhage . Film actor Joe Palma stood in (shot from behind to obscure his face) to complete four Shemp-era shorts under contract. The procedure of disguising one actor as another outside of stunt shots became known as the " fake Shemp ". Columbia contract player Joe Besser joined as the third Stooge for two years (1956–1957), departing in 1958 to nurse his ill wife after Columbia terminated its shorts division. The studio then released all
828-503: A crew cut and later a completely shaven head, thus becoming "Curly Joe". Howard, Fine, and DeRita found themselves in great demand for personal appearances and guest shots on television. DeRita made his first nationwide appearance with the Stooges on Sunday, January 11, 1959, on the Steve Allen variety show on NBC ; the Stooges re-created their "Stand-In" sketch, with Moe and Larry making a western movie and Curly Joe (who did not speak) as
966-591: A reboot and a loose continuation of the series directed by Fede Álvarez , who co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues . It was produced by Raimi, Campbell and Tapert, featuring a new protagonist in Mia Allen ( Jane Levy ). A television series, Ash vs. Evil Dead , premiered on cable network Starz in 2015, lasted for three seasons, and ended in 2018, with Campbell announcing an animated revival to be in active development in July 2022. It starred Bruce Campbell as Ash and
1104-447: A July 26, 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly , Campbell confirmed the series was still in development. Saying: “I'll do Ash's voice all day long, because my voice hasn't aged as much as I have." A prototype short film, Within the Woods , was produced by Raimi on a micro-budget to market his concept and acquire funding from producers and studios for a feature-length film. The short was
1242-474: A Kite , Back from the Front (all 1943), Gents Without Cents (1944) and the anti-Japanese The Yoke's on Me (also 1944). However, taken in bulk, the wartime films are considered less funny than what preceded them. No Dough Boys (1944) is often considered the best of these farces. The team, made up as Japanese soldiers for a photo shoot, is mistaken for genuine saboteurs by a Nazi ringleader ( Vernon Dent ,
1380-421: A classic in its own right. Hoi Polloi (1935) adapted the premise of Pygmalion , with a stuffy professor making a bet that he can transform the uncultured trio into refined gentlemen; the plotline worked so well that it was reused twice, as Half-Wits Holiday (1947) and Pies and Guys (1958). Three Little Beers (1935) featured the Stooges running amok on a golf course to win prize money. Disorder in
1518-554: A clause in his contract specifically prohibiting him from being hit beyond an infrequent tap, though this restriction was later lifted. "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back," Besser recalled. Despite Besser's prolific film and stage career, Stooge entries featuring him have often been considered the team's weakest. During his tenure, the films were assailed as questionable models for youth, and in response began to resemble television sitcoms. Sitcoms, however, were available for free on television, quickly making
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#17328474476001656-407: A comedian already under contract to the studio. They agreed on Joe Besser, who appeared in the final 16 Stooge shorts at Columbia. Besser had been starring in his own short-subject comedies for the studio since 1949 and appeared in supporting roles in a variety of movies, making his persona sufficiently well known. Besser had observed how one side of Larry Fine's face appeared "calloused", so he had
1794-516: A few fair entries, such as Hold That Lion! (1947), Hokus Pokus (1949), Scrambled Brains (1951), A Missed Fortune , and Corny Casanovas (both 1952). Another benefit from the Shemp era was that Larry was given more time on screen. Throughout most of the Curly era, Larry was relegated to a background role, but by the time that Shemp rejoined the Stooges, Larry was allotted equal time, even becoming
1932-449: A full recovery, but Curly never appeared in a film again except for a single cameo appearance in the third film after Shemp returned to the trio, Hold That Lion! (1947). It was the only film that contained all four of the original Stooges (the three Howard brothers and Larry) on screen simultaneously. According to Jules White, this came about when Curly visited the set one day, and White had him do this bit for fun. Curly's cameo appearance
2070-445: A high note. I didn't want to just make another one that pretty much worked. I had a really high standard in my mind. And I didn't think I could get that script to the level that I was hoping for by that start date." He, along with Marc Webb , were both brought on as creative consultants for Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: No Way Home , directed by Jon Watts . Raimi frequently collaborates with Joel and Ethan Coen , beginning when Joel
2208-572: A job at Columbia." By this time, Moe Howard and Larry Fine were carrying the short-subject series as a two-man team, with Shemp Howard seen entirely in older footage. Larry suggested that he and Moe could continue working as "The Two Stooges." Columbia flatly refused, having promoted the team as "The Three Stooges" for decades, and Moe was forced to recruit a third Stooge. Several comedians were considered, including burlesque comic and former Ted Healy stooge Paul "Mousie" Garner, and noted African-American comedian Mantan Moreland , but Columbia insisted on
2346-486: A lead role so far), taking Ash back in time to England in 1300 AD. The movie has horror attributes, but is based mainly on slapstick and action. Evil Dead is the title of a film that serves as a soft reboot and a continuation of the Evil Dead franchise. Unlike the first three films, this one does not feature the character of Ash Williams in a major role (Ash only appears briefly in a post-credits scene ) and instead follows
2484-494: A meager success. Despite this, the release proceeded to spawn the entire franchise. In January 1978, Bruce Campbell was a college dropout who had just quit his job as a taxicab driver . Sam Raimi was studying literature at Michigan State University with Robert Tapert , who was finishing his economics degree. While putting the finishing touches on It's Murder! , Tapert suggested doing a feature-length film to Raimi. Raimi felt it impossible, stating that they could never acquire
2622-515: A mini-series adaptation of Army of Darkness adapted and illustrated by John Bolton . A trade paperback of this series was released by Dynamite Entertainment on September 25, 2006. In 2008, Dark Horse revisited the franchise with a four issue adaptation of The Evil Dead written by Mark Verheiden and once again illustrated by John Bolton. In 2004, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the license to publish titles based on Army of Darkness and, in conjunction with Devil's Due Publishing , released
2760-453: A more gentlemanly appearance; while both Moe and Jules White approved of the idea, they used it sparingly. Their other films—remakes of older comedies—required the familiar Stooge haircuts to match the older footage. In general, the remakes among the Besser shorts had the traditional Stooges knockabout, such as 1958's Pies and Guys (a scene-for-scene remake of Half-Wits Holiday , which itself
2898-517: A movie camera home one day. He began to make Super 8 movies with his friend Bruce Campbell , whom he met in 1975. In college, he teamed up with his brother's roommate Robert Tapert and Campbell to shoot Within the Woods (1978), a 32-minute horror film which raised $ 375,000, as well as his debut feature film It's Murder! . During that time, he also shot the seven-minute short film Clockwork (1978), starring Scott Spiegel (who had appeared in Within
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#17328474476003036-407: A movie, but was unable to secure the rights, so he created his own super-hero, Darkman (1990). The film was his first major studio picture , and was commercially successful, spawning two sequels. Through it he was still able to secure funding for Evil Dead III , which was retitled Army of Darkness and largely steered away from horror towards fantasy and comedy elements. Army of Darkness ,
3174-402: A new agreement with his former Stooges in 1932, with Moe now acting as business manager, and they were booked in a production of Jacob J. Shubert 's The Passing Show of 1932 . During rehearsals, Healy received a more lucrative offer and found a loophole in his contract allowing him to leave the production. Shemp, fed up with Healy's abrasiveness, bad temper, and heavy drinking, decided to quit
3312-482: A new film in the franchise "every couple" years, as opposed to the most recent activity of once every decade. In February 2024, it was announced that a spin-off film is currently in development. Sébastien Vaniček will serve as director from a script he co-wrote with Florent Bernard . Selected by Raimi to helm the new installment in the series, the film's plot is currently under wraps. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert will serve as producers, with Ghost House Pictures producing
3450-686: A new production of the show, also starring Ryan Ward, at the Diesel Playhouse. The new production started its running May 1, 2007, and has been announced to end on September 8, 2007, which won the Dora Audience Choice Award and praised by the Toronto Star . In 2017, the English comedian Rob Kemp created and performed the stage show The Elvis Dead , a retelling of Evil Dead II in the style of Elvis Presley . In Italy , The Evil Dead
3588-532: A new protagonist named Mia Allen. The film is considered a continuation of the franchise, and plans to feature both Ash and Mia in future installments have been discussed. In October 2019, Raimi announced at the New York Comic Con that a new film was officially green-lit and in development. Robert G. Tapert was set to produce, while Raimi and Campbell served as executive producers only, all under their Ghost House Pictures banner. In June 2020, Lee Cronin
3726-530: A personal-appearance tour. In the meantime, Besser's wife suffered a minor heart attack and he preferred to stay local, leading him to withdraw from the act. After Besser's departure, Moe and Larry began looking for potential replacements. Larry suggested former Ted Healy stooge Paul "Mousie" Garner, but based on his tryout performance, Moe later remarked that he was "completely unacceptable." Weeks later, Larry came across burlesque performer Joe DeRita , who had starred in his own series of shorts at Columbia back in
3864-657: A playable character, along with Kelly and Pablo from the Ash vs. Evil Dead television series, in Deploy and Destroy , a competitive multiplayer FPS available for iOS and Android, and also as a non-playable character in Telltale Games ' game Poker Night 2 . He also appears as a playable character in the asymmetrical horror game Dead by Daylight and as an outfit in Fortnite Battle Royale . In 1992, Dark Horse Comics produced
4002-485: A possible future inspired by the book The Next 100 Years by George Friedman . On February 16, 2017, it was reported that Raimi will be directing a thriller about the Bermuda Triangle for Skydance Media , with the script being written by Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard. By January 29, 2018, Raimi was set to direct the first in the movie adaptations of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle series, The Name of
4140-481: A prototype, had impressed the filmmakers. For a marketing strategy, a screening was arranged at their former high school, with a positive response. Filming was first commissioned for the summer of 1979 in Michigan. In order to organize the budget, Sam Raimi , Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell bought a few "how to make an independent film" guide publications. The budget was originally to be $ 150,000, while shooting with
4278-454: A replacement, so Moe suggested his younger brother Jerry Howard. Healy reportedly took one look at Jerry, who had long chestnut-red hair and a handlebar mustache , and remarked that Jerry did not look like he was funny. Jerry left the room and returned a few minutes later with his head shaved (although his mustache remained for a time), saying: "Boy, do I look girly." Healy heard "Curly", and the name stuck. Other accounts have been given for how
Sam Raimi - Misplaced Pages Continue
4416-400: A result, Shemp resumed being a Stooge full-time for nearly a decade. Curly remained ill until his death of a cerebral hemorrhage from additional strokes on January 18, 1952. Shemp appeared with the Stooges in 76 shorts and a low-budget Western comedy feature titled Gold Raiders (1951) in which the screen time was evenly divided with cowboy hero George O'Brien . Shemp's return improved
4554-405: A routine from Harold Lloyd 's The Freshman (1925), in which Curly's loosely stitched suit begins to fall apart at the seams while he is on the dance floor. The Stooges made occasional supporting appearances in feature films. Most of the Stooges' peers had either made the transition from shorts to feature films ( Laurel and Hardy , The Ritz Brothers ) or starred in their own feature films from
4692-445: A second volume in 2007. The second series lasted twenty-seven issues before coming to an end. Over the years, there have also been several one-shot specials as well as crossovers with a wide variety of characters such as, Marvel Zombies , Darkman , Freddy Krueger , Jason Voorhees , Xena , Danger Girl and even Barack Obama . The series was then rebooted in 2013 and started over from the last scene in titular film because Ash misspoke
4830-469: A starring feature, and then we wouldn't know whether it would be funny enough to click." Film critics have cited Curly as the most popular member of the team. His childlike mannerisms, natural comedic charm, and uncouth, juvenile humor made him a hit with audiences, particularly women and children. However, Curly having to shave his head for the act led him to feel unappealing to women. To mask his insecurities, he ate and drank to excess and caroused whenever
4968-438: A starring role, while also expressing hope for future developments also featuring Mia Allen from Evil Dead (2013). Later that month, Campbell stated that after positive experiences as a producer on Evil Dead Rise , he would consider reprising his lead role in a future film if Raimi were to return as director, reversing his previous "retirement" from the role following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead . By April of
5106-477: A supporting cast that includes Dana DeLorenzo , Ray Santiago , Lucy Lawless and Jill Marie Jones . The series is executive produced by Campbell, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert . It premiered on Starz on October 31, 2015. Ash vs Evil Dead proved to be a critically well-received show, earning a 98% from Rotten Tomatoes. Four days before its premiere, the show was picked up for a second ten-episode season. The series lasted for three seasons (30 episodes) before it
5244-878: A syndicated TV series called Legend of the Seeker , based on Terry Goodkind 's best-selling The Sword of Truth fantasy series. He also executive produced the Starz original television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand , Spartacus: Gods of the Arena , Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned . He directed the pilot episode of Ash vs Evil Dead for Starz. Since 1993, Raimi has been married to Gillian Greene, daughter of Canadian actor Lorne Greene . They have five children; their three eldest, daughter Emma Rose and sons Lorne and Henry, appeared as extras in Drag Me to Hell and during
5382-417: A term contract for $ 7,500 per film (equal to $ 170,821 today), to be divided among the trio. Within their first year at Columbia, theater bookings for the Stooges films took off. Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn was able to use the Stooges as leverage, as the demand for their films was so great that he eventually refused to supply exhibitors with the trio's shorts unless they also agreed to book some of
5520-503: A tour of the theater circuit. Healy attempted to stop the new act with legal action, claiming that they were using his copyrighted material. Accounts exist of Healy threatening to bomb theaters if Howard, Fine, and Howard ever performed there, which worried Shemp so much that he almost left the act; reportedly, only a pay raise kept him on board. Healy tried to save his act by hiring replacement stooges, but they were inexperienced and not as well-received as their predecessors. Healy reached
5658-542: A week. Curly also entered a disastrous third marriage in October 1945, leading to a separation in January 1946 and divorce in July 1946, at great cost to his already fragile health. Upon the Stooges' return to Los Angeles in late November 1945, Curly was a shell of his former self. They had two months to rest before reporting back to Columbia in late January 1946, but Curly's condition was irreversible. They had only 24 days of work over
Sam Raimi - Misplaced Pages Continue
5796-514: Is an American comedy horror franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of five feature films and a television series. The series originally revolves around the grimoire the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis , an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a group of cabin inhabitants in a wooded area in Tennessee . The protagonist, Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams ( Bruce Campbell ), appears in
5934-464: Is currently in space fighting the evil. In 2015, Space Goat Productions acquired the license to publish titles based on Evil Dead 2 . The company has released, or was planning on releasing, the following titles: The official board game was funded through Kickstarter in 2018, but Space Goat Productions never produced the game, nor refunded money to the investors. They ceased all communications with customers and investors that year and refused to discuss
6072-575: The Army of Darkness: Ashes 2 Ashes mini-series. A second mini-series, Army of Darkness: Shop till You Drop Dead followed in 2005. Later that year, Dynamite separated itself from Devil's Due and began focusing entirely on self-published titles featuring the Army of Darkness franchise. This included an ongoing series that began in 2005 and saw Ash battling other horror icon such as Herbert West and Dracula . The series lasted thirteen issues before being rebooted with
6210-490: The 1940s, and thought he would be a good fit. The early days of television provided movie studios a place to unload a backlog of short films that they thought no longer marketable, and the Stooge films seemed perfect for the burgeoning genre. ABC had even expressed interest as far back as 1949, purchasing exclusive rights to 30 of the trio's shorts and commissioning a pilot for a potential series, Jerks of All Trades . However,
6348-492: The 1960s as popular kids' fare, until Larry's paralyzing stroke in the midst of filming a pilot for a Three Stooges TV series in January 1970. He died in January 1975 after a further series of strokes. Unsuccessful attempts were made in 1970 and 1975 to revive the act with longtime supporting actor Emil Sitka in Fine's role, but they were each cut short—the first by a movie deal falling through and Moe's wife persuading him to retire,
6486-555: The Court (1936) features the team as star witnesses in a murder trial. Violent Is the Word for Curly (1938) was a quality Chase-directed short that featured the musical interlude " Swingin' the Alphabet ". In A Plumbing We Will Go (1940)—one of the team's quintessential comedies—the Stooges are cast as plumbers who nearly destroy a socialite's mansion, causing water to exit every appliance in
6624-481: The Curly character actually came about. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) signed Healy and his stooges to a movie contract in 1933. They appeared in feature films and short subjects together, individually, or with various combinations of actors. The trio was featured in a series of musical comedy shorts, beginning with Nertsery Rhymes . It was one of a few shorts to be made with an early two-color Technicolor process. These also included one featuring Curly without Healy or
6762-547: The Dead , The Cabin in the Woods , Bubba Ho-Tep , Dead Alive , Dead Snow , and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil . The Cabin in the Woods features many references to the film and even features Deadites and the possessed trees, although this is considered more a reference than a direct sequel. The 2012 Swedish language film Wither serves as an unofficial remake of The Evil Dead , starring Patrik Almkvist as Albin Wiliams ( Ash Williams ) In 2020, Steve Villenevue premiered
6900-718: The Dead ", serves as a crossover with the franchise, featuring Ted Raimi (portraying himself, who previously portrayed the Deadite Henrietta Knowby and Chet Kaminski in Evil Dead II and Ash vs. Evil Dead respectively) as he accidentally uses the Necronomicon to summon Deadites at a television station. Awards Pictures, a company that attempted to begin a new line of movies in the series in 2004, announced plans in May 2012 to film an Evil Dead 4 , one that has nothing to do with
7038-511: The Game (1999) (starring Kevin Costner ). Raimi achieved great critical and commercial success with the blockbuster Spider-Man (2002), which was adapted from the comic book series of the same name . The movie grossed over US$ 800 million worldwide, spawning two sequels: Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 , both directed by Raimi and each grossing approximately $ 800 million. After the completion of
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#17328474476007176-485: The Great and Powerful. In addition to film, Raimi has worked in television, producing such series as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess , both featuring his younger brother Ted Raimi and long-time friend Bruce Campbell , American Gothic , Cleopatra 2525 , M.A.N.T.I.S. , 13: Fear Is Real , Young Hercules , and Jack of All Trades . In 2008, Raimi executive produced
7314-463: The Matador? , Sock-a-Bye Baby (all 1942), I Can Hardly Wait and A Gem of a Jam (both 1943) are considered to be lesser-quality works than previous films. Spook Louder (1943), a remake of Mack Sennett 's The Great Pie Mystery (1931), is sometimes considered one of their weakest shorts because of its repetitious and rehashed jokes. Three Smart Saps (1942), was an improvement, reworking
7452-566: The Shemp era contrast sharply with those from the Curly era, largely owing to the individual directing styles of Edward Bernds and Jules White. From 1947 to 1952, Bernds hit a string of successes, including Fright Night (1947), The Hot Scots , Mummy's Dummies , Crime on Their Hands (all 1948), Three Arabian Nuts (1951), and Gents in a Jam (1952). Three of the team's finest efforts were directed by Bernds: Brideless Groom (1947), Who Done It? (1949), and Punchy Cowpunchers (Bernds's own favorite, 1950). White also contributed
7590-444: The Stooge shorts were the most popular of all. The Stooges' release schedule was eight short subjects per year, filmed within a 40-week period; for the remaining 12 weeks, they were free to pursue other employment, time that was either spent with their families or touring the country with their live act. The Stooges appeared in 190 film shorts and five features while at Columbia, outlasting every one of their contemporaries employed in
7728-563: The Stooges made personal appearances, which was around seven months of each year. His weight ballooned in the 1940s, and his blood pressure became dangerously high. Curly's wild lifestyle and constant drinking eventually caught up with him in 1945, and his performances suffered. During a five-month hiatus from August 1945 through January 1946, the trio committed themselves to making a feature film at Monogram, followed by two months of live appearances in New York City, with performances seven days
7866-539: The Stooges were at Columbia; the team never once asked for or received a salary increase. After they stopped making the shorts in December 1957, Moe learned of Cohn's tactics, what a valuable commodity the Stooges had been for the studio, and how many millions more the act could have earned. Columbia offered theater owners an entire program of two-reel comedies (15–25 titles annually) featuring such stars as Buster Keaton , Andy Clyde , Charley Chase , and Hugh Herbert , but
8004-410: The Stooges working entirely by themselves for the only time in their Columbia career. The musical Sweet and Hot (1958) deserves some credit for straying from the norm. The American science-fiction craze also led to three entries focusing on space travel: Space Ship Sappy , Outer Space Jitters (both 1957), and Flying Saucer Daffy (1958). Jules White finally closed the comedy-shorts unit at
8142-503: The Stooges' primary foil). The highlight of the film features the Stooges engaging in nonsensical gymnastics for a skeptical group of enemy agents expecting renowned acrobats. Wartime also brought on rising production costs that resulted in fewer elaborate gags and outdoor sequences, Del Lord's stock in trade; as a result, the quality of the team's films, particularly those directed by Lord, began to slip after 1942. According to Okuda and Watz, entries such as Loco Boy Makes Good , What's
8280-422: The Stooges' remaining Columbia comedies. Not long after, the quality of the team's output markedly declined, with producer-director White now assuming complete control over production. DVD Talk critic Stuart Galbraith IV commented that "the Stooges' shorts became increasingly mechanical...and frequently substituted violent sight gags for story and characterization." Production was also significantly faster, with
8418-546: The Sweet Pie and Pie (both 1941). With the onset of World War II , the Stooges released several entries that poked fun at the rising Axis powers. You Nazty Spy! (1940) and its sequel I'll Never Heil Again (1941) lampooned Hitler and the Nazis at a time when America was still neutral. Moe was cast as "Moe Hailstone", an Adolf Hitler -like character, with Curly playing a Hermann Göring character, replete with medals, and Larry
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#17328474476008556-602: The Wind , with Rothfuss and Lin-Manuel Miranda serving as executive producers. On February 5, 2020, it was announced that Raimi was in talks with Marvel Studios to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness , and Raimi confirmed his involvement in April 2020. This marked Raimi's return to the superhero film genre after more than 15 years following Spider-Man 3 in 2007 and his first feature film directorial effort since 2013's Oz
8694-419: The Woods ) and Cheryl Guttridge. Through family, friends, and a network of investors, Raimi was able to finance production of the highly successful horror film The Evil Dead (1981), which became a cult hit and effectively launched Raimi's career. He began work on his third film Crimewave (1985), which he co-wrote with the then-unknown Coen brothers , shortly after. Intended as a live-action comic book,
8832-576: The act and toured in his own comedy revue for several months. Shemp had been working for the Vitaphone studio in Brooklyn , New York since 1931. He first appeared in movie comedies playing small roles and bits in the Roscoe Arbuckle shorts, and gradually worked his way up to star comedian. Shemp stayed with Vitaphone through 1937. With Shemp gone, Healy and the two remaining stooges (Moe and Larry) needed
8970-415: The act's run (with only three active at any given time); Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz) and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg) were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run, while the "third stooge" was played in turn by Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz), Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz), Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser , and "Curly Joe" DeRita (born Joseph Wardell). The act began in
9108-498: The camera in The Stand as a dimwitted hitman, John Carpenter 's Body Bags as a murdered gas station attendant, and Indian Summer in what is perhaps his biggest role as a bumbling assistant to Alan Arkin . The film was written by his childhood friend, writer-director Mike Binder , and shot at the camp that they both attended when they were younger. Raimi also produced the entire English-language The Grudge franchise , based on
9246-410: The character of Ash influenced 1990s first-person shooter video games such as Doom , Duke Nukem 3D and Blood . Duke Nukem quotes so many lines from Ash that Bruce Campbell stated that he was angered by not being paid for them. Evil Dead was cited as an inspiration for the original Doom . Bruce Campbell directed and starred in a film titled My Name Is Bruce . It does not continue
9384-503: The character very much and we're trying to work on a story that'll do justice to the character." Raimi, along with Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert , produced the remake of Raimi's The Evil Dead . First-time feature filmmaker Fede Álvarez wrote and directed, and Diablo Cody was also brought in to revise/rewrite the script. Raimi confirmed plans to write Evil Dead 4 with his brother; it was later specified that this film would be Army of Darkness 2 . Álvarez revealed that Raimi would direct
9522-638: The comedian to develop his own Stooge character. Jules White, however, persisted in employing the "living cartoon" style of comedy that reigned during the Curly era, forcing either Shemp or Moe to perform lackluster imitations of gags and mannerisms that originated from Curly. Most acutely, it created the "Curly vs. Shemp" debate that overshadowed the act upon Curly's departure. The Stooges lost some of their charm and inherent appeal to children after Curly retired, but some excellent films were produced with Shemp, an accomplished solo comedian who often performed best when allowed to improvise on his own. The films from
9660-510: The cook in the final print. Moe asked his older brother Shemp to take Curly's place, but Shemp was hesitant to rejoin the Stooges, as he was enjoying a successful solo career. He realized, however, that not rejoining the Stooges would mean the end of Moe and Larry's film careers. Shemp wanted assurances that rejoining them would be only temporary and that he could leave the Stooges once Curly recovered. However, Curly's health continued to deteriorate, and it became clear that he could not return. As
9798-505: The documentary Hail to the Deadites , which focuses on the franchise's fandom and legacy. It features interviews from people involved with the film, such as Bruce Campbell, as well as with fans. Moreover, Death Whisperer and Death Whisperer 2 , two Thai supernatural horror films in 2023 and 2024, director Taweewat Wantha admitted that he used the haunting style of the ghosts in Evil Dead as inspiration. The Evil Dead films and
9936-449: The early 1920s as part of a vaudeville comedy act billed as "Ted Healy and His Stooges", consisting originally of Ted Healy and Moe Howard. Over time, they were joined by Moe's brother, Shemp Howard, and then Larry Fine. The four appeared in one feature film, Soup to Nuts , before Shemp left to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by Moe's younger brother, Jerome "Curly" Howard, in 1932. Two years later, after appearing in several movies,
10074-441: The end of 1957. His final Stooge comedy was Flying Saucer Daffy , filmed December 19–20, 1957. Within the week, the Stooges were fired from Columbia Pictures after 24 years of employment. No formal goodbyes or congratulatory celebrations occurred in recognition of their work and of the money that their comedies had earned for the studio. Moe visited Columbia several weeks after the dismissal to say goodbye to several executives, but
10212-589: The film was unsuccessful, partly due to unwanted studio intervention. Raimi then returned to the horror genre with the seminal Evil Dead II (which added slapstick humor to the over the top horror, showcasing his love of the Three Stooges ). With his brother Ivan Raimi (and crediting himself as Celia Abrams), Sam Raimi also wrote Easy Wheels (1989), which parodied the Outlaw biker film genre. A long-time comic book buff, he then attempted to adapt " The Shadow " into
10350-563: The film, followed by Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies , and Nell Fisher in June, and Mia Challis in July. Cronin stated the production was halfway completed by July 2021, and filming concluded on October 27, 2021. The filmmaker stated that the project used over 6,500 liters of fake blood during production. Evil Dead Rise was theatrically released on April 21, 2023. In March 2023, Sam Raimi expressed interest in developing multiple sequels with Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams in
10488-576: The final battle in Spider-Man 3 . Lorne also contributed as one of many second unit directors on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness . In 1995, Raimi donated $ 450 to the campaign of then- Republican Senator Arlen Specter . In 2002, he donated $ 1,000 to Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer . During the 2004 election cycle , Raimi donated $ 900 to Republican President George W. Bush . Producer only Executive producer only Short films Executive producer only Evil Dead Evil Dead
10626-417: The final movie in the Evil Dead trilogy, commercially underperformed, yet on video became a cult classic. In the 1990s, Raimi moved into other genres, directing such films as the western The Quick and the Dead (starring Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman ), the critically acclaimed crime thriller A Simple Plan (1998) (starring Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton ), and the romantic drama For Love of
10764-476: The focus of several films, in particular Fuelin' Around (1949) and He Cooked His Goose (1952). The Shemp years also marked a major milestone: the Stooges' first appearance on television. In 1948, they guest-starred on Milton Berle 's popular Texaco Star Theater and Morey Amsterdam 's The Morey Amsterdam Show . By 1949, the team filmed a pilot for ABC-TV for their own weekly television series, titled Jerks of All Trades . Columbia Pictures blocked
10902-444: The former four-day filming schedules now tightened to two or three days. In another cost-cutting measure, White created a "new" Stooge short by borrowing footage from old ones, setting it in a slightly different storyline and filming a few new scenes, often with the same actors in the same costumes. White was initially very subtle when recycling older footage; he would reuse only a single sequence of old film, re-edited so cleverly that it
11040-462: The franchise has received generally positive reviews from critics, with the original trilogy developing a cult following , and has grossed a collective $ 300 million worldwide. Filmed in 1979 and released in 1981, this is the first film in the series. It introduces the series' protagonist Ash, the Book of the Dead, and the Deadites. Released in 1987, this film is a sequel to the original, continuing where
11178-514: The funding. Campbell declared: "I could always move back home." Tapert feared a career in fisheries / wildlife , while Raimi was afraid that he would have to go back to work at his dad's home furnishing store. These were the practical reasons that convinced the three to put forth a feature-length film. The three were big fans of the comedy genre, but they decided not to produce a comedy as they felt "a feature-length yuck fest just didn't compute". A well-noted scene from It's Murder moved Raimi to write
11316-450: The game with media. In the documentary The Untold Saga of The Evil Dead , Rob Tapert states that New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures wanted to do Ash vs. Freddy vs. Jason : "We thought about it for one second but we knew we would have totally trashed the franchise in doing that, in that there would be no reason to reunite Bruce and Sam for Evil Dead 4 whatever that would be nor would there be any reason to go back and reinvent
11454-448: The group sometime between 1925 and 1928. In the act, lead comedian Healy would attempt to sing or tell jokes while his noisy assistants would keep interrupting him, causing Healy to retaliate with verbal and physical abuse. In 1930, Ted Healy and His Stooges (plus comedian Fred Sanborn ) appeared in Soup to Nuts , their first Hollywood feature film, released by Fox Film Corporation . The film
11592-650: The home, including an early television set. This was remade twice, as Vagabond Loafers and Scheming Schemers . Other entries of the era are considered among the team's finest work, including Uncivil Warriors (1935), A Pain in the Pullman and False Alarms (both 1936), Grips, Grunts and Groans , The Sitter Downers , Dizzy Doctors (all 1937), Tassels in the Air (1938), We Want Our Mummy (1939), Nutty but Nice (1940), and An Ache in Every Stake and In
11730-474: The last film ended (a recap of the previous film is shown in the beginning). This entry shows the horrors of Ash's continuing battle with the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis and the Deadites. It also introduces elements of slapstick humor that came to define the series. Filmed in 1991 and released in spring of 1993 in the United States, this is the third film in the franchise (and the last featuring Ash Williams taking
11868-424: The market for comedy shorts had all but ceased. As a result, Jules White told Columbia president Harry Cohn that he was shutting down the two-reel-comedy department. White canceled all of his comedy-shorts series in 1956, but Cohn insisted on keeping the Stooge comedies coming. In his own way, Cohn was sentimental about the team; Larry Fine recalled that Cohn once told the Stooges, "As long as I'm president, you've got
12006-545: The market in April 1959. By September 1959, all 190 Stooge shorts were airing regularly. With so many films available for broadcast, daily television airings provided heavy exposure aimed squarely at children. Parents who had grown up seeing the same films in the theaters began to watch alongside their children. After the Curly-era shorts were found to be the most popular, Moe suggested that DeRita shave his head to accentuate his slight resemblance to Curly Howard. He adopted first
12144-519: The neo-noir crime thriller A Simple Plan (1998), the supernatural thriller The Gift (2000), the supernatural horror Drag Me to Hell (2009), the Disney fantasy Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), and the Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). His films are known for their highly dynamic visual style, inspired by comic books and slapstick comedy. He founded
12282-435: The next three months, but eight weeks of time off could not help the situation. In those last six shorts, ranging from Monkey Businessmen (1946) through Half-Wits Holiday (1947), Curly was seriously ill, struggling to get through even the most basic scenes. During the final day of filming Half-Wits Holiday (1947) on May 6, 1946, Curly suffered a debilitating stroke on the set, ending his 14-year career. They hoped for
12420-452: The onset ( Marx Brothers , Abbott and Costello ). However, Moe believed that the team's slapstick style worked better in short form. In 1935, Columbia proposed to star them in their own full-length feature, but Moe rejected the idea, saying, "It's a hard job inventing, rewriting, or stealing gags for our two-reel comedies for Columbia Pictures without having to make a seven-reeler (feature film). We can make short films out of material needed for
12558-456: The original Evil Dead with a hot new filmmaker". Two comic book series were produced based on this concept, titled Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash and Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors . The production team of George Reinblatt , Christopher Bond and Frank Cipolla created an Off Broadway show titled Evil Dead: The Musical , based on the film series. Its New York run was directed by Bond and Hinton Battle , who also choreographed
12696-618: The original Japanese films. According to Entertainment Weekly , Raimi had expressed an interest in directing a film version of The Hobbit , the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In 2008, Guillermo del Toro was selected as the director, with Peter Jackson as the executive producer. Raimi may direct By Any Means Necessary , the next film based on the "Jack Ryan" CIA character created by Tom Clancy for Paramount Pictures . Disney also approached him to direct W.I.T.C.H. : The Movie , based on
12834-556: The original films. Sam Raimi sued Awards Pictures in an attempt to stop them from making the film, because he planned to someday film one himself. In August 2012, U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer entered a default judgment that "permanently enjoined" Awards Pictures from using the names Evil Dead , Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon , Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon: Part 2 or Evil Dead: Consequences "as or as part of
12972-401: The original trilogy including The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992), all written and directed by Raimi, produced by Robert G. Tapert and starring Campbell. The franchise has since expanded into other formats, including a television series , video games, comic books and a musical . The film franchise was resurrected in 2013 with Evil Dead , both
13110-454: The other Stooges, Roast Beef and Movies (1934), and the recently rediscovered Technicolor short Hello Pop! . Jail Birds of Paradise (1934) was also shot in Technicolor, but as of 2022, no print has been found. The short films were built around recycled Technicolor film footage of production numbers cut from MGM musicals, such as Children of Pleasure , Lord Byron of Broadway , and
13248-411: The planned sequel. On December 11, 2006, the website SuperHero Hype reported that director Sam Raimi and Michael Uslan would co-produce a new film version of The Shadow for Columbia Pictures . On October 16, 2007, Raimi stated that: "I don't have any news on The Shadow at this time, except that the company that I have with Josh Donen, my producing partner, we've got the rights to The Shadow . I love
13386-581: The popular comic. Blizzard Entertainment announced on July 22, 2009, that Raimi would be directing a film adaptation of the Warcraft video game series, but at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con , it was revealed that he would not be the director. On September 23, 2009, he became the producer for the British supernatural thriller Refuge , which is directed by Corin Hardy and published by Mandate Pictures . He will produce
13524-468: The production company Renaissance Pictures in 1979 and Ghost House Pictures in 2002. Raimi has also produced several successful television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess and Ash vs Evil Dead starring long time friend and collaborator Bruce Campbell reprising his role in the Evil Dead franchise. Raimi was born in Royal Oak, Michigan , to
13662-443: The project. In April 2024, it was announced that a spin-off film is currently in development. Francis Galluppi will serve as writer and director. Selected by Raimi to helm the new installment in the series, the film's plot is currently under wraps. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert will serve as producers, with Ghost House Pictures producing the project. The series stars Bruce Campbell reprising his role as an older Ash Williams with
13800-506: The quality of the films, as the previous few had been marred by Curly's sluggish performances. Entries such as Out West (1947), Squareheads of the Round Table (1948), and Punchy Cowpunchers (1950) proved that Shemp could hold his own. New director Edward Bernds , who joined the team in 1945 when Curly was failing, sensed that routines and plotlines that worked well with Curly as the comic focus did not fit Shemp's persona, and allowed
13938-486: The remake of the Danish thriller The Substitute , which will be directed by Scott Derrickson under his new label Spooky Pictures. Raimi produced with his company Ghost House Pictures the British thriller flick Burst 3D , directed by Neil Marshall . Raimi directed Oz the Great and Powerful , which was released on March 8, 2013, by Walt Disney Pictures and grossed $ 493 million worldwide. He said he would not be directing
14076-425: The same year, writer/director Lee Cronin stated that he has ideas for a series of future Evil Dead installments serving as direct sequels to Evil Dead Rise , that he hopes to see realized. That same month, Campbell announced that Sam and Ivan Raimi were co-writing a bible to outline the future of the franchise; stating that films that follow will adhere to the overall outline, with current plans including releasing
14214-437: The second by Moe's death. The Three Stooges began in 1922 as part of a raucous vaudeville act called "Ted Healy and His Stooges". The act was also known as "Ted Healy and His Southern Gentlemen" and "Ted Healy and His Racketeers". Moe Howard joined Healy's act in 1922, and his brother Shemp Howard came aboard a few months later. After several shifts and changes in the Stooges membership, violinist-comedian Larry Fine also joined
14352-465: The sequel to Army of Darkness . However, in a 2014 interview, Bruce Campbell announced that Army of Darkness 2 is not happening, saying "It's all internet b.s. There's no reality whatsoever. These random comments slip out of either my mouth, or Sam Raimi's mouth, next thing you know, we're making a sequel." On February 26, 2016, it was confirmed that Raimi is attached to direct the upcoming film World War 3 for Warner Bros. The film will be based on
14490-755: The series from going into production, but allowed the Stooges to make television guest appearances. The team went on to appear on Camel Comedy Caravan (also known as The Ed Wynn Show ), The Kate Smith Hour , The Colgate Comedy Hour , The Frank Sinatra Show , and The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre , among others. In 1952, the Stooges lost some key players at Columbia Pictures. The studio decided to downsize its short-subject division, resulting in producer Hugh McCollum being discharged and director Edward Bernds resigning out of loyalty to McCollum, and having had creative differences with Jules White. Screenwriter Elwood Ullman , who had worked closely with Bernds, also resigned. Bernds's departure left only White to direct
14628-464: The short film Clockwork . The three felt the result was very effective and represented a new direction that their films could take, that of a semi-successful horror film. This would later lead to research of low-budget horror films at the local drive-in theater. The many films that they watched were the "two films for two dollars," allowing them the chance to document the behavior of what would become their target audience. Campbell said: "The message
14766-934: The short film an artifact of a bygone era. Besser was a talented comic, and was quite popular as "Stinky" on The Abbott and Costello Show , but his whining mannerisms and resistance to slapstick punishment did not match the films' established format of continuous physical comedy. His presence, though, did create verbal friction between Moe and Larry, improving their mutually insulting banter. The Besser Stooge shorts were of inconsistent quality, alternating between fresh, original material and tired rehashes. Fully half of these shorts contained all-new scripts, experimenting with science-fiction, fantasy, and musical-comedy formats. The other eight scripts were remakes, based on earlier Stooge comedies. Budgets were lower than ever, and Moe and Larry's advanced ages prohibited them from performing much of their trademark physical comedy. Besser had suggested that Moe and Larry comb their hair back to give them
14904-504: The short-film genre. Del Lord directed more than three dozen Stooge films, Jules White directed dozens more, and his brother Jack White directed several under the pseudonym "Preston Black". Silent-comedy star Charley Chase also shared directorial responsibilities with Lord and White. The Stooge films made between 1935 and 1941 captured the team at their peak, according to film historians Ted Okuda and Edward Watz, authors of The Columbia Comedy Shorts ; nearly every film produced became
15042-432: The shorts via Screen Gems , Columbia's television studio and distribution unit. Screen Gems then syndicated the shorts to television, whereupon the Stooges became one of the most popular comedy acts of the early 1960s. Comic actor Joe DeRita became "Curly Joe" in 1958, replacing Besser for a new series of full-length theatrical films. With intense television exposure in the United States, the act regained momentum throughout
15180-537: The show. Ryan Ward played the part of Ash. Tying in with the midnight movie plot of a group of friends visiting a wooded cabin and unleashing untold evil, performances did not start until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Previews began October 1 and the show opened November 1 at the New World Stages . It was announced on January 31, 2007, that Evil Dead: The Musical' s New York production at New World Stages would close on February 17, 2007. Toronto producers announced
15318-452: The story of Army of Darkness but is a fictionalized portrayal of Bruce living his everyday life, in which he is erroneously believed to be as heroic as the Ash character and is hired to fight an ancient spirit. The film was released to a limited number of theaters on October 26, 2008, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 10, 2009. A 2021 episode of Creepshow , " Public Television of
15456-422: The studio's mediocre B movies . Cohn also saw to it that the Stooges remained unaware of their popularity. During their 23 years at Columbia, the Stooges were never completely aware of their drawing power. Their contracts with the studio included an open option that had to be renewed yearly, and Cohn would tell them that the short subjects were in decline, which was not a complete fabrication (Cohn's yearly mantra
15594-464: The success of television revivals for such names as Laurel and Hardy , Woody Woodpecker , Popeye , Tom and Jerry , and the Our Gang series in the late 1950s led Columbia to cash in again on the Stooges. In September 1958, Columbia's television subsidiary Screen Gems offered a package consisting of 78 Stooge shorts (primarily from the Curly era), which were well received. An additional 40 shorts hit
15732-401: The team's contract expired with MGM, and the Stooges' professional association with Healy came to an end. According to Moe Howard's autobiography, the split was precipitated by Healy's alcoholism and abrasiveness. Their final film with Healy was MGM's Hollywood Party (1934). Healy and the Stooges went on to separate successes, with Healy dying under mysterious circumstances in 1937. In 1934,
15870-424: The third Spider-Man film, he planned on producing two more sequels (although Sony Pictures planned three sequels) but could not find a satisfactory script. In 2022, reflecting on Spider-Man 3 , Raimi told Rolling Stone : "It was a very painful experience for me. I wanted to make a Spider-Man movie to redeem myself for that. [The aborted] Spider-Man 4 — that was really what that was about. I wanted to go out on
16008-458: The title of a motion picture, television program, video game, play, book or any other form of entertainment provided or to be provided through any media." Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures . Their hallmark styles were physical , farce , and slapstick comedy. Six total Stooges appeared over
16146-567: The trauma knitted the remaining family closer together and "colored everything he's done for the rest of his life". Raimi also mentioned that Sander first introduced him to Spider-Man , igniting his love for comics. Raimi graduated from Groves High School and later went on to attend Michigan State University and later Università Bocconi in Milan , Italy, where he studied English but left after three semesters to film The Evil Dead . Raimi became fascinated with making films when his father brought
16284-431: The trio left Healy and signed on to appear in their own short-subject comedies for Columbia Pictures, now billed as "The Three Stooges". From 1934 to 1946, Moe, Larry, and Curly produced over 90 short films for Columbia. Curly suffered a debilitating stroke in May 1946. Shemp returned, reconstituting the original lineup, until his death of a heart attack on November 22, 1955, three years and ten months after Curly's death of
16422-523: The trio—now officially named "The Three Stooges"—contracted with Columbia Pictures for a series of two-reel comedy short subjects. Moe wrote in his autobiography that they each received $ 600 per week (equal to $ 13,666 today) on a one-year contract with a renewable option; in the Ted Okuda –Edward Watz book The Columbia Comedy Shorts , the Stooges are said to have received $ 1,000 among them for their first Columbia effort, Woman Haters (1934), and then signed
16560-451: The unfinished March of Time (all 1930). The studio concluded the series with standard, black-and-white two-reel subjects: Beer and Pretzels (1933) Plane Nuts (1933), and The Big Idea (1934). Healy and company also appeared in several MGM feature films as comic relief, including: Healy and the Stooges also appeared together in Myrt and Marge for Universal Pictures . In 1934,
16698-501: The words S-Mart was sent back in time to the Medieval times where the wiseman has been possessed, Ash fights through many battles with the same characters from the film. At the end of this series Ash proposes to Sheila, in the next series "Ash gets hitched" they get married but Ash gets sent forward in time when he accidentally speaks a phrase that opens up a vortex. He wants to get back to Sheila but runs into many situations causing delays, he
16836-419: Was "the market for comedy shorts is dying out, fellas"). The Stooges thought that their days were numbered and would sweat it out each year, with Cohn renewing their contract at the last moment. This deception kept the insecure Stooges unaware of their true value, resulting in them having second thoughts about asking for a better contract without a yearly option. Cohn's scare tactics worked for all 23 years that
16974-521: Was Levitt-Pickman Films, who most recently was famous for Groove Tube , starring a very young Chevy Chase . The filmmakers took a train at $ 40 each, as they knew none of their cars could make an entire round trip. One of Campbell's old girlfriends named Andrea allowed them to stay at her apartment. Andrea's cat fell asleep on Raimi's face without even disturbing him; Raimi, who is allergic to cats, had his eyes swollen shut. There have been multiple Evil Dead video games : Ash Williams also appears as
17112-510: Was a friend of Tapert and owner of a series of movie theaters, was the first primary investor. He stated: "Fellas, no matter what, just keep the blood running." As a tribute to him, there's a scene in the finished film where an old film projector whirs to life and "projects" blood running down the screen. Most importantly, Grainger provided the name of a distributor in New York City whom they could approach for possible distribution. The company
17250-450: Was a reworking of the earlier Hoi Polloi ), Guns a Poppin (1957), Rusty Romeos (1957), and Triple Crossed (1959). In contrast, Hoofs and Goofs and Horsing Around , both featuring a trained horse, and Muscle Up a Little Closer (all 1957) mostly resembled the sitcoms of the era. A Merry Mix Up (1957) cast the Stooges as three sets of triplets, and Oil's Well That Ends Well (1958) had no supporting cast at all, with
17388-419: Was canceled by Starz in April 2018. Following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead , Bruce Campbell announced he was officially retired from portraying the character of Ash, although he would continue to voice the character in animation. Subsequently, on July 25, 2022, Campbell announced that an animated revival of Ash vs Evil Dead was in active development, with Campbell returning as the voice of Ash. In
17526-455: Was chosen as a director with a script he wrote. Raimi chose the filmmaker from a list of potential directors to continue the franchise. Officially titled Evil Dead Rise , the project was announced to be developed by New Line Cinema and released on HBO Max . Principal photography commenced on June 6, 2021, in New Zealand . In May 2021, Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan had been cast in
17664-497: Was combined with new footage of Columbia supporting player Joe Palma doubling for him (see Fake Shemp ). These last four films were Rumpus in the Harem , Hot Stuff , Scheming Schemers , and Commotion on the Ocean (all released in 1956). Columbia was the last studio still producing live-action two-reel comedies; Warner Bros. ended its one-reel Joe McDoakes series in 1956, and
17802-399: Was executive produced by Campbell, Raimi and Tapert. A fifth film in the franchise, titled Evil Dead Rise , was theatrically released on April 21, 2023, with Lee Cronin serving as writer and director, Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan starring as sisters Ellie and Beth Bixler, Tapert serving as a producer, and Raimi and Campbell both acting as executive producers. Each film of
17940-401: Was most impressed with Necronomicon , or simply The Book of the Dead . From these rough concepts, he concocted a short story where a group of four friends unwittingly dig up an Indian burial ground and unleash horrific spirits and demons. In the spring of 1978, filming of Within the Woods started over a three-day weekend, on a budget of $ 1,600. Within the Woods , as well as serving as
18078-462: Was not a critical success, but the Stooges' performances were singled out as memorable, leading Fox to offer the trio a contract, minus Healy. This enraged Healy, who told studio executives the Stooges were his employees, whereupon the offer was withdrawn. Howard, Fine, and Howard learned of the offer and subsequent withdrawal, and left Healy to form their own act (billed as "Howard, Fine & Howard" or "Three Lost Souls"). The act quickly took off with
18216-464: Was not easy to detect. The later shorts were cheaper and the recycling more obvious, with as much as 75% of the running time consisting of old footage. White came to rely so much on older material that he could film the "new" shorts in a single day. New footage filmed to link older material suffered from White's heavy-handed directing style and penchant for telling his actors how to act. Shemp, in particular, disliked working with White after 1952, when White
18354-548: Was one of the editors of Evil Dead . The Coens co-wrote Crimewave and The Hudsucker Proxy with Raimi in the mid-1980s (though Hudsucker was not produced for almost a decade). Raimi made cameo appearances in Miller's Crossing , The Hudsucker Proxy , and with Joel Coen in Spies Like Us . The Coen brothers gave Raimi advice on shooting in snow for A Simple Plan , based on their experiences with Fargo . He worked in front of
18492-502: Was recycled in the remake Booty and the Beast , released in 1953. In 1949, Curly filmed a brief scene for Malice in the Palace (1949) as the restaurant's cook, but it was not used. Jules White's copy of the script contained the dialogue for this missing scene, and a production still of Curly does exist, appearing on both the film's original one-sheet and lobby card. Larry played the role of
18630-418: Was refused entry without the current year's studio pass. He later stated that it was a crushing blow to his pride. The studio had enough completed Stooge films to be released over the next 18 months, though not in the order in which they were produced. The final Stooge release, Sappy Bull Fighters , did not reach theaters until June 4, 1959. With no active contract in place, Moe and Larry discussed plans for
18768-779: Was released under the title La Casa ( "The House" ) and Evil Dead II became La Casa II . These were followed by three unrelated movies: Umberto Lenzi 's La Casa 3 (a.k.a. Ghosthouse ) (1988), Fabrizio Laurenti's La Casa 4 (a.k.a. Witchery ) (1988) and Claudio Fragasso 's La Casa 5 (a.k.a. Beyond Darkness ) (1990). This is similar to what has happened in George A. Romero 's Living Dead series starting with Zombi 2 . House II: The Second Story (1987) and The Horror Show (1989) were retitled La Casa 6 and La Casa 7 , respectively, in their Italian releases. Evil Dead influenced numerous directors, such as Peter Jackson and Edgar Wright , and inspired films such as Shaun of
18906-467: Was the Stooges' only director. Three years after Curly's death, Shemp Howard died of a heart attack at age 60 on November 22, 1955, during a taxi ride home with a friend after attending a boxing match. Moe was stunned and contemplated disbanding the Stooges. Columbia, though, had promised exhibitors eight Stooge shorts for the year but only four had been completed, forcing producer Jules White to manufacture four more shorts "with Shemp". Old footage of Shemp
19044-546: Was very clear: Keep the pace fast and furious, and once the horror starts, never let up. 'The gorier the merrier' became our prime directive." The films they watched included Massacre at Central High and Revenge of the Cheerleaders . The idea to do a "prototype" was commissioned, to prove not only to themselves, but also to potential investors, that they were capable of doing a full-length horror film. The same year, at Michigan State, Raimi had been studying H. P. Lovecraft and
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