Michigan native Sam Raimi established himself as a distinctive filmmaker with his Evil Dead movies long before he tackled superheroes like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Raimi isn't afraid of displaying on-screen gore, nor is he afraid to blur the lines between horror and comedy.
That being said, Raimi's career before directing the Spider-Man trilogy from the 2000s isn't just defined by scary movies. Raimi dabbles in westerns, sports dramas, and heist stories - with mixed results at times. Still, Raimi's early career is a testament to creepy, yet comedic, storytelling that would remain the touchstone of his style as a blockbuster moviemaker.
Crimewave (1985) - 5.7
Raimi co-wrote this horror comedy with none other than the Coen brothers. Surreal and at times nonsensical, Crimewave tells the story of a businessman who hires two "exterminators" to take out his conniving business partner - who plans to sell their security company to a third party.
Crimewave takes a darkly comedic turn when the hired assassins kill the wrong man, which leads to one slapstick murder after another. Noted for its disastrous production, Crimewave bombed in theatres and almost ruined Raimi's career.
It's Murder! (1977) - 5.8
It's Murder! is Raimi's debut feature-length movie, which he shot on Super 8 film while still a college student in Michigan. It marks the first of many future collaborations with Bruce Campbell, who is most famous for playing Ash in the Evil Dead movies.
As its title suggests, It's Murder! is a zany caper about a detective trying to solve the murder of a man whose family is implicated in the crime. It also stars another one of Raimi's regular collaborators: Scott Spiegel, who is now a prominent screenwriter.
Darkman (1990) - 6.4
Darkman is a superhero of Raimi's own invention, a troubled figure who pays homage to Universal Classic Monsters. Raimi's movie Darkman stars Liam Neeson as the titular character, a brilliant scientist named Dr. Peyton Westlake who is terribly disfigured by a powerful mob boss when his laboratory is blown up.
As Dr. Westlake tries to recover from his burns, failed experiments to regenerate his skin instead grant him superhuman powers that also leave Dr. Westlake unhinged. This neo-noir, gruesome superhero movie earned Raimi a lot of respect in Hollywood.
The Quick And The Dead (1995) - 6.4
A deadly duel is at the center of The Quick and the Dead, a revisionist '90s Western set in a fictional town called Redemption. Sharon Stone plays The Lady, who shows up in Redemption who hopes to avenge her father's death by winning a quick-draw duel against the town's ruthless leader: Gene Hackman's character John Herod.
The supporting cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. This gender-bending take on the Old West earned mixed to positive reviews from critics - many of whom see it as Raimi's attempt to pay tribute to old Italian spaghetti Westerns.
For Love Of The Game (1999) - 6.6
A clear departure for Raimi, For the Love of the Game is a sports drama helmed by Kevin Costner. Costner plays Billy Preston, an aging pitcher for the Detroit Tigers trying to end his career with a perfect game performance at Yankee Stadium.
Kelly Preston and John C. Reilly co-star in this big-budget venture, which turned out to be a box office disappointment. Many critics believe the romantic elements of For the Love of the Game take away from the overarching themes of perseverance and endurance.
The Gift (2000) - 6.6
Raimi directed The Gift based on a screenplay co-written by Billy Bob Thornton. The movie stars Cate Blanchett as a woman with psychic abilities who helps police officers track down a missing woman - who the psychic believes was kidnapped and chained by her abusive husband.
This supernatural whodunit co-stars Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes, and Greg Kinnear. The Gift's A-list talent saves it from its very predictable narrative evolution.
A Simple Plan (1998) - 7.5
A psychological thriller at heart, A Simple Plan follows a group of people in rural Minnesota who stumble upon a crashed plane containing over four million dollars. Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Paxton, and Bridget Fonda play characters who hope to keep the money and go to great lengths to keep their possession of it a secret.
As it goes with films of this nature, the characters soon turn on each other and give themselves over to paranoid, desperate thoughts and actions. Considered a very underrated '90s drama, A Simple Plan brings together noir vibes and Midwestern aesthetics.
Army Of Darkness (1992) - 7.5
The third installment of Raimi's Evil Dead finds the victorious Ash Williams as he travels to 1300 A.D. to fight a bunch of undead nuisances yet again with his chainsaw hand. Ash's mission is to retrieve the Necronomicon and eventually return home to the present.
While in the Middle Ages, Ash falls for a woman named Sheila - adding another layer of camp to this hammy horror movie. Thanks to Campbell's kooky performance, Army of Darkness remains a cult classic like its predecessors.
The Evil Dead (1981) - 7.5
After It's Murder!, Raimi and Campbell decided to work together on a low-budget, gory horror movie. Little did they know their efforts would turn into one of the most beloved horror-comedy franchises in history.
Evil Dead tells the story of college kids who stumble upon a demonic book and recording in the basement of the cabin they're staying in for spring break. They make the grave mistake of playing around with these objects, which unleashes a supernatural force from the forest surrounding them that turns many of them into "deadites."
Evil Dead II (1987) - 7.8
For some, Evil Dead II surpasses the offbeat brilliance of its predecessor. With a bigger budget and wider distribution, Raimi is able to bring even more laughs, jump scares, and occult subplots into his Evil Dead sequel.
In Evil Dead II, Ash Williams yet again makes the mistake of playing around with the Necronomicon, which awakens evil powers and causes Ash to face off against a new round of enemies. Indulgent and over-the-top, Evil Dead II is also replete with impressive special effects.