Sam Raimi's 1978 short film, Within The Woods, was a prototype for The Evil Dead. Raimi wanted to test the waters and see if he could stir up the interest of potential investors for future full length films. What he started was a legacy that's still going strong to this day.
This short was "presented" by Robert "Rip" Tapert, a friend of Sam and Bruce Campbell, he'd go on to produce the majority of Raimi's work, co-found Ghost House Pictures with Sam, and marry Lucy Lawless.
The film opens with that familiar POV shot of lurking through the woods and waters, it ends on the house where all the horror is set to take place.
A very young Bruce Campbell tells his girlfriend that this area use to be Indian territory. I'm watching a terrible quality version, so pics and gifs might be hard to make out, but the gist of the story is two couples go to a farmhouse and eventually some demonic shit goes down.
Bruce and his girl take a walk in the woods and explain they're on a curse Indian burial ground; Not a hell of a lot has been happening.
Bruce unearths an ancient dagger while digging out a pit for a hotdog roast.
Flames pop out of nowhere and cut to the second couple playing Monopoly and listening to Sister Sledge.
Bruce's girl wakes up alone and goes searching for him through the whistling winds of the woods.
It's night time now, still no sign of Bruce,but his girl made it back to the house. At some point, she stumbled across dead Bruce in the woods,so I guess that answers that question.
Bruce is back, baby! He stabs the second girl through the neck and wants them to "join us!"
Evil Bruce: You have violated the ancient ways and so must die!
Bruce gets stabbed before he could finish and a brawl ensues that sees him get stabbed some more and then having his head smashed in.
PTSD sets in as she rocks back and forth in the corner, her friends dead, her possessed boyfriend killed by her, pretty shitty day if you ask me.
There you have it folks, the humble beginnings of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. I'd say that this film is only for the die hardest of fans and better left read about than viewed, it was great to see where they started and I can't wait to see them going back to the franchise with the upcoming Ash vs. The Evil Dead series.
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