Raimi convinced a local theater manager to screen the film alongside The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which sparked minor interest.

Initially a meagre success, the film screened well to test audiences and inspired a larger budget remake directed by Raimi, called The Evil Dead (1981).

Two romantic couples, consisting of four teenagers, decide to spend a weekend together located in a remote cabin found in the woods.

Ellen and her boyfriend Bruce enter the woods to have a picnic lunch whilst the other couple, Scotty and Shelly, remain at the cabin, playing Monopoly to pass the time.

Shelly heads out to search for the missing men, but a possessed Bruce assaults and strangles her, eventually stabbing her in the neck and killing her with the dagger that he found, moaning "join us."

Something attempts to enter the room where Ellen is hiding, and she blindly lashes out with a knife - mistakenly stabbing Scotty who had just returned to the cabin.

Ellen is then attacked by the possessed Bruce, but manages to trap him outside, stabbing his hand several times in the process.

[1][2] During the early parts of Raimi's career, he directed films that were mostly classified as comedies, such as Booby Bartenders, Shemp Eats the Moon and The Great Bogus Monkey Pignut Swindle.

[5] Raimi gained an appeal in B movie cinema, which led him to want to pursue the production of a more ambitious film for his next project.

[5] In order to flesh out of the idea, Raimi came up with a concept where a group of teenagers went into the woods and were attacked by demonic spirits, summoned by the disturbance of an Indian burial ground.

The film was primarily shot at a farm house belonging to one of Raimi's friends located in Marshall, Michigan.

This decision stemmed from the notion that most horror films at the time involved female leads, who were more enjoyable to watch terrorized.

[9] Tom Sullivan was one of the primary make-up supervisors on set, and he found it difficult working presentable effects out of such low budgets.

[12] When Campbell eventually had the effect removed, he was alarmed to notice that his face had actually "changed shape" because of how long the make-up had been applied, though it returned to normal after an extended amount of time.

[12] Though production was difficult for many of the actors involved, especially Campbell, the film was eventually completed within acceptable budget limits.

He intended to blow the footage up after filming to the industry standard of 35mm in order to save money, though Campbell noted that the idea was without precedent.

[15] The main idea behind shooting the film was to make a trailer to show to future investors, but even that was proving to be difficult.

The same theater played The Rocky Horror Picture Show every single week and was open to more unusual cinema.

The premiere of the film received a positive reception by the audience, and the cast and crew was paid just over $10, all of which was donated to the American Cancer Society.

[17] Raimi approached several investors, "begging" for money, and eventually acquired nearly $90,000 of the funds needed and set out to make the movie anyway.

[16] Within the Woods was later retooled by Raimi with a vastly higher production value and a full-length running time as the 1981 film The Evil Dead.

[21] Another movie in the series, Evil Dead Rise, was released in 2023, with Raimi and Campbell serving as executive producers.