Ranking Sam Raimi's Movies From Best to Worst

With Sam Raimi's rambunctious, hellacious deserted land showdown Send Help arriving this weekend, it's clip to officially fertile the director's films. Needless to say, it's each cinephile's motivation imperative to enactment and spot Send Help successful theaters, but wherever volition it onshore connected our Raimi list? Where does it fertile among the Evil Deads, Spider-Mans, Simple Plans, and Darkmans?

Raimi is decidedly an creator formed and molded by the films helium loved arsenic a child, from Universal Monster movies to the Three Stooges. His energetic efforts are a blend of dynamic slapstick, camp, and roller-coaster camera work, providing POV shots representing everything from evil wood spirits to bullets to mechanical tentacles to Wild West changeable glasses.

Raimi, known besides for a physically demanding directing style, has a fondness for personally (gently) abusing his stars, whether he's throwing ungraded and mud into Bruce Campbell's look oregon tossing trash astatine Tobey Maguire -- the manager actively gets progressive disconnected surface with the pelting of his movie's protagonists. We uncertainty helium threw a fastball astatine Kevin Costner though.

We've decided to support 1985's Crimewave disconnected the list, contempt it some being co-written by the Coen brothers and besides being a schlocky cult movie successful the midst of Raimi's schlocky cult era. If this bugs the completionist successful you, past conscionable mentally driblet it down astatine Number 16.

Here are Sam Raimi's films... ranked!

15. For Love of the Game (1999)

To beryllium fair, astir Raimi fans would overmuch alternatively revisit Crimewave than 1999's For Love of the Game, which was not lone boring and inert arsenic a Raimi movie but besides dull for a Kevin Costner sports movie. Raimi took the gig, which was his highest-budgeted task astatine the time, due to the fact that of his emotion of baseball, but the extremity effect is simply a schmaltzy, forgettable communicative of a pitcher remembering his beingness and vocation during his last outing connected the field.

It should besides conscionable beryllium stated, for austerity's sake, that For Love of the Game features nary Oldsmobile Delta 88 -- Sam Raimi's car from The Evil Dead that the manager has featured, usually arsenic a cameo, successful each different movie. Yes, the Delta 88 country got cut. Even The Quick and the Dead and Oz the Great and Powerful utilized dismantled Delta 88 parts for wagons connected set. Just saying. Quite foreboding.

14. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

Wicked taking Broadway by tempest opened up much avenues for exploring L. Frank Baum's satellite of Oz, namely the backstory of the "Wizard" himself. And connected insubstantial determination was thing notably incorrect with Sam Raimi helming this Wizard of Oz prequel, with James Franco playing con-artist Oscar and Mila Kunis arsenic Theodora. But the extremity effect conscionable didn't person the Raimi magic. In the end, contempt performing decently astatine the container office, Oz the Great and Powerful conscionable felt similar a CG-heavy currency drawback with a code that ne'er gels properly. No one's charisma pops and the task conscionable screamed soulless franchise starter.

Read IGN's reappraisal of Oz the Great and Powerful here.

13. The Gift (2000)

Sam Raimi erstwhile again recovered himself successful the Billy Bob Thornton business, pursuing the acclaim of A Simple Plan (see below), with a publication co-written by Thornton pre-Sling Blade. Unfortunately, The Gift is mostly a by-the-numbers Southern Gothic enigma with an easy-to-spot twist. There's immoderate genuine Raimi flare present and determination erstwhile it comes to the portrayal of the lead's psychic powers and prophetic dreams, but different this was a dud -- though it did good astatine the container bureau acknowledgment to a large ensemble of Oscar winners/nominees similar Cate Blanchett, Greg Kinnear, and Hilary Swank. Plus it had some Keanu Reeves and Katie Holmes playing mode against type, for amended oregon worse.

The Gift was besides a benignant of a span betwixt Raimi's A Simple Plan formed (Gary Cole, Chelcie Ross) and his aboriginal Spider-Man formed (J.K. Simmons, Rosemary Harris).

12. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

This was a unsmooth 1 due to the fact that determination were specified precocious hopes for the 3rd Spider-Man film. Raimi had already made 2 awesome Spidey flicks, with the 2nd 1 being hailed arsenic the champion super-flick of each clip -- and past the teasers and trailers got everyone adjacent much hyped! But Spider-Man 3 is simply a large mess, and the fingerprints of Raimi's behind-the-scene clashes with Sony are each implicit this one. Featuring villains helium didn't privation (particularly Venom) and past having the silly Raimi-ness that worked successful the erstwhile 2 films acceptable similar an ill-shaped suit, this 3rd introduction was the pits. Now, to beryllium fair, determination are immoderate moments, peculiarly involving Sandman (his effects and fights) that work, but wide fans didn't privation to spot Peter go a fat-headed jerk (and wanted adjacent little to spot him go an emo tool). It's inactive brainsick that the aforesaid manager and stars could beryllium this acold disconnected the mark.

11. Darkman (1990)

Crimewave aside, Darkman was Sam Raimi's archetypal non-Evil Dead flick. It was a humble hit, spawning 2 direct-to-video sequels (and present possibly a decades-later bequest reboot), and it got Raimi into the Hollywood machine. A premix of large existent explosions and campy greenish screen, Darkman was Raimi's solution, and creation, erstwhile helium wasn't allowed to marque The Shadow, 1 of his favourite heroes arsenic a kid. It's a superhero communicative mixed with a Universal Monster tale, starring a fresh-faced Liam Neeson successful a relation Raimi primitively wanted for bestie Bruce Campbell (even immoderate of the lines Neeson's Peyton Westlake yells are reminiscent of Campbell's Evil Dead scenes). You've besides got aboriginal Oscar winner, and Raimi pal (through the Coen brothers), Frances McDormand trying her manus astatine a girlfriend/damsel successful distress role. Darkman, astir a scientist-turned-disfigured vigilante who tin 3D people caller faces to disguise himself, is simply a blast, and it marked large things to travel for Raimi successful the realm of comic publication (and comic-book feeling) movies.

10. Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Sam Raimi dove headlong into the MCU for 1 of the amended post-Endgame offerings, arsenic Doctor Strange battled a deranged, grief-stricken, post-WandaVision Wanda Maximoff. At times, Multiverse of Madness feels similar conscionable a plain neato Marvel movie, but past flashes of Raimi's fearfulness handiwork radiance through, peculiarly done Scarlet Witch's massacring of the Illuminati and her psycho stalking of mediocre Nexus being America Chavez. Bloodied, limping, astir possessed, Multiverse of Madness Wanda is not to beryllium f***ed with. Earning conscionable shy of a billion, this Doctor Strange sequel was not lone Raimi's archetypal movie successful 9 years (!), but it besides coiled up arsenic his top-grossing movie, beating retired each the Spideys.

Read IGN's reappraisal of Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness here.

9. The Evil Dead (1981)

The one... the only... the evil... dead! Sam Raimi's shoestring gonzo gorefest cemented him, immediately, arsenic a formidable filmmaker, and a groundbreaker successful the realm of autarkic horror. It's the definitive "cabin successful the woods" movie, creating a tumultuous template for each close-quarter scares to come. But conscionable due to the fact that it's a tiny formed and a azygous determination doesn't mean it's a slog. Raimi's camera moves, crafting a chaotic carnival thrust retired a premise that, successful little energetic hands, mightiness marque you consciousness similar you're lasting successful line, waiting for said ride. The Evil Dead is 1 of the astir important cult classics ever, and adjacent tops immoderate fans' favourite fearfulness films of each time. It's a best-case script of a clump of talented friends -- Raimi, Bruce Campbell, shaper Rob Tapert, et al. -- getting together, scraping unneurotic what they could find, and making pure, petrifying creation with shocking applicable effects.

8. The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Sharon Stone was connected apical of Tinseltown erstwhile The Quick and the Dead was made, and galore folks hide conscionable however instrumental she was successful putting this pulp Western together. She handpicked Sam Raimi to nonstop and past went to bat for hot-off-acclaimed-movies Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. For Raimi, this was his accidental to stretch, a little, with a caller genre (it's inactive chock-full of textbook Raimi camera tricks, montages featuring floating objects, etc.) and stretch, a lot, with A-listers Stone and Oscar-winner Gene Hackman. The Quick and the Dead was Raimi blooming into a manager who could enactment with established veterans and/or celebrities and it would, similar Darkman, propulsion him adjacent further into being 1 of Hollywood's Most Wanted. The movie itself is simply a fun, flamboyant revenge flick, though it ne'er rather settles connected whether Stone's "Lady" is expected to beryllium a badass desperado oregon a frightened pistillate who's ne'er killed anyone before.

7. Drag Me to Hell (2009)

After 3 Spidey movies successful a row, Raimi returned to ooey gooey Deadite signifier with the darkly comical Drag Me to Hell, which stars Alison Lohman arsenic a indebtedness serviceman who gets cursed by a psychotic aged pistillate (who archetypal tries to termination her successful her car by the way!), and has 3 days to benignant this s*** retired oregon get -- you got it! -- dragged down into hell! In betwixt transgression dramas and superhero tales, Raimi loves to fto loose, get gross, and bash nasty, nefarious things to his pb performers... um, successful the movies, to beryllium clear. Drag Me to Hell is simply a wicked, chaotic thrust with an unforgettable ending that, arguably, makes the movie. Goodnight, Mrs. Ganush, wherever you are!

Read IGN's reappraisal of Drag Me to Hell here.

6. Army of Darkness (1992)

The swashbuckling sequel to Evil Dead II (and 3rd Raimi Evil Dead flick overall) transformed Final Boy/Crash Test Dummy Ash Williams into a lovably buffoonish superhero. Saddled with 1 of the astir bizarre R-ratings ever, Army of Darkness is simply a slaptsick, Harryhausen-inspired delight that lone further endeared Raimi to the nerdy fearfulness community. Ash's petulant bravado, lone hinted astatine successful Evil Dead II, was connected afloat show here, creating a dope who brings anticipation to the Medieval masses. And nestled wrong this hilarious Deadite escapade was besides a much-needed subversion of the clip question genre, successful which the idiosyncratic whisked backmost centuries is simply a stone-cold jackass with nary tendency to blend successful oregon bash close by the era. Army of Darkness is simply a joyousness to behold, and besides stands gangly arsenic 1 of the fewer films with a reshot ending that's not lone amended than the archetypal thought but 1 of the astir crowd-pleasing sign-offs ever.

5. Spider-Man (2002)

Sam Raimi entered the large time, oregon astatine slightest a bigger time, with Spider-Man, a movie that honestly couldn't beryllium made until machine effects reached a definite benchmark. Sure, James Cameron wanted to instrumentality a thwip astatine getting the ol' web-head onto the large surface successful the '90s, but, arsenic we recovered out, Raimi needed to beryllium the 1 to bash it, bringing his full container of tricks on with him. His dynamic consciousness of enactment and question mixed perfectly with his goofy, campy whimsey for a spectacular Spidey communicative reminiscent of the Stan Lee-Steve Ditko Amazing Spider-Man tally successful the '60s. X-Men had fixed Marvel fans their archetypal large sensation of comic favorites travel to life, but determination were a fewer tweaks to the look (Matrix-style achromatic leather, for one). Spider-Man was Spider-Man. It was everything we wanted, close down to Peter trying his manus astatine pro-wrestling to gain money. And Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn was pitch-perfect. Plus, longtime Raimi collaborator Danny Elfman (Darkman, A Simple Plan, galore more) provided 1 of his champion scores. With large powerfulness came large responsibility.

4. Send Help (2026)

Sam Raimi's latest is decidedly 1 of his greatest, with Send Help providing some edge-of-your-seat thrills and grim laughs acknowledgment to a a communicative that's portion Cast Away, portion War of the Roses, and each demented. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien co-lead this fiendish fable astir a frumpy sad-sack fig cruncher and her pampered douchebag brag getting marooned connected an isalnd together, wherever she thrives and helium connives. Raimi knew McAdams was crippled aft moving with her connected Multiverse of Madness, though it inactive feels similar a astonishment to spot her successful this peculiar Raimi-verse. The 1 filled with glop, slop, and characters getting the bejesus beaten retired of them. O'Brien, too, is wonderfilly consenting to get down and dirty, adjacent astatine times channeling immoderate of Bruce Campbell's aged meathead machismo.

Read IGN's reappraisal of Send Help here.

3. A Simple Plan (1998)

The archetypal large outlier successful Sam Raimi's vocation was -- heck, inactive is! -- his astir acclaimed movie to date, winning aggregate awards and landing 2 Oscar nominations (one of which was won by Billy Bob Thornton). A Simple Plan is acold much than conscionable "Raimi's Fargo," spinning a morose yarn astir 2 brothers and a section yokel who find $4 cardinal connected a crashed backstage level successful the snowy woods. Their champion intentions (about keeping the money, caput you) spell miserably awry, astir from the get-go, and Raimi superbly devastates america with his archetypal earnest effort astatine genuine emotion, fear, and anxiety. Thornton and Bill Paxton are adjacent level arsenic a the ill-fated bros and Bridget Fonda (on the movie wherever she'd conscionable hubby Danny Elfman) is searing successful a Lady Macbeth-style performance. A Simple Plan is inactive criminally underseen, not conscionable arsenic a Raimi movie but arsenic 1 of the champion films of the '90s period.

2. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

When Spider-Man 2 hit, the satellite of superhero movies felt a seismic change. To this day, it's inactive considered by galore to beryllium the best, adjacent erstwhile Iron Man and The Dark Knight rolled astir six years aboriginal and divided the vote. Raimi took everything that worked successful the archetypal Spider-Man movie and dialed it up, adjacent giving america immoderate Evil Dead-ittude during Doc Ock's infirmary tentacle attack. Let's enactment it this way: Spider-Man 2 is truthful bully that fans instantly accepted the "Spider-Man's powers don't enactment due to the fact that Peter is afloat of anxiousness and regret" angle. That would beryllium ripped to shred these days (as everything, sadly, is ripped to shreds). Spider-Man 2 is simply a cathartic watch, gifting america with Grade-A Spidey portion besides offering an absorbing rotation connected Otto Octavius being controlled by myopic AI. The Spider-Man/Doc Ock battles consciousness similar they're leaping retired of the comic pages, with the subway combat inactive looming ample arsenic 1 of the champion super-brawls ever. Peter dealing with his determination to unrecorded a lonely vigilante beingness helped bring this rollicking romp to life, leaving conscionable capable country to acceptable up a 3rd movie that would for definite beryllium arsenic good, if not better. Little did we know.

1. Evil Dead II (1987)

This is it. The apex. The peak. Evil Dead... perfected!

Only a fistful of directors person chosen to/had the accidental to remake their ain movie, but 1 of them was Raimi favourite Alfred Hitchcock -- an auteur whom Raimi patterned not lone his camera enactment after, but besides his suited on-set style. Evil Dead II is simply a zany, splattery, righteous thrust that needs to beryllium seen by everyone. We accidental this without fearfulness of hyperbole. This is simply a devilishy camped-up Evil Dead, taking everything that worked successful the archetypal movie -- Ash and his woman observe the Necronomicon successful a secluded compartment and accidentally merchandise Deadites -- and blowing it up to the Nth degree. Heavy is the slapstick, silliness, and stunt enactment arsenic Bruce Campbell becomes the consummate demon-battling ragdoll. Evil Dead II is the champion horror-comedy ever made and the fig of filmmakers it's influenced is excessively galore to count. Even erstwhile Raimi makes movies contiguous -- whether it's an MCU introduction oregon thing similar Send Help -- we get giddy erstwhile we spot thing that harkens backmost to Evil Dead II. This iconic cult classical uses each cinematic instrumentality successful the book, adjacent inventing a fewer caller ones on the way. It's an over-the-top, brazen, self-aware "sequel" that easy stands the trial of time.

What's your favourite Raimi movie? Let's speech successful the comments, and of course, ballot successful our canvass too!