Sam Raimi’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked

“The Quick and the Dead” (1995)

A sideways Western elevated by its experimental visual approach, and Gene Hackman’s snarling, sadistic villainy, “The Quick and the Dead” ranks tenth in Raimi’s ever-adventurous genre-straddling filmography. Set in the Old West, for Sony Pictures in the mid-1990s, this imperfect but under-appreciated Raimi effort stages a dueling gun tournament like horror spectacle. Bending frontier myth into other-wordly genre opera, Sharon Stone anchors an enduring revenge plot, while a young Leonardo DiCaprio backs up a box-office disappointment that still packs more than expected. —AF

“Darkman” (1990)

“Darkman” properly established Raimi’s philosophy of heroes. He often introduces larger-than-life forces as mutilated, unhealed victims first. Then, he draws out their power through inseparable stories of anguish and rage. Co-written by Raimi, this nerve-shredding Liam Neeson vehicle from 1990 follows a disfigured scientist who uses synthetic skin to hunt the criminals that destroyed his life. Framing heroism as a it own disguise, the result is more raw revenge than you’d expect from a filmmaker so closely associated with Peter Parker. And yet, it’s exactly what you’d want from the guy behind “The Evil Dead.” —AF

“Army of Darkness” (1993)

Like so many great horror franchises of its time, the “Evil Dead” series was clearly making shit up as it went along. You threw every idea you had into each film you made, then started from scratch when it was time to write the next one. No sane person who saw the original “Evil Dead” could have possibly predicted that it was setting up for a medieval time travel adventure, but hey, why not? “Army of Darkness” remains a polarizing title for that very reason. Originally titled “Medieval Dead,” the film follows Ash as he is somewhat inexplicably transported to the Middle Ages (with a chainsaw, fortunately) and is forced to track down the same Necronomicon that has tormented him so much in order to find his way back to the present. The charmingly silly film features plenty of the bloody deaths that fans of the franchise have come to expect, but it’s considerably campier than its predecessors. It’s a good time at the movies, even if it ultimately prevented the franchise from going in a more serious narrative direction for 20 years. —CZ

Read IndieWire’s ranking of “The Evil Dead” film series.

“Spider-Man” (2002)

Raimi’s original “Spider-Man” is the mega-genre’s point of ignition. Simple in hindsight but nevertheless historic, it’s a foundational origin story that balances enthusastic sincerity with pop-comic tactility. The casting, action, and practical effects favor innocence over irony and ground spectacle in vulnerability that feels innately Raimi, horror and all. More coming-of-age than mythic epic, the pioneering film with Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker treats responsibility as an emotional awakening and finds strength in its own earnestness. That impression is still inseparable from the genre’s most hopeful moment. —AF

“A Simple Plan” (1998)

Arguably the most under-appreciated gem of Raimi’s career, “A Simple Plan” strips the filmmaker of visual excess to reveal a chilling moral engine capable of steering a truly powerful cast — including the late Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and more. Snowbound and pitiless, this 1998 crime film treats greed as a slow poison, watching ordinary people rationalize themselves into monsters in a plot taken from the book by author Scott B. Smith. The restraint here sharpens every choice from Raimi, letting silence, landscape, and inevitable consequence do the work as he generates terror without directorial gymnastics in a masterful display of craft and discipline. —AF

“Drag Me to Hell” (2009)

After spending almost the entirety of the aughts enmeshed in the superhero movie machine and the disappointment of his third entry in the “Spider-Man” franchise, longtime Raimi-heads could be forgiven for wondering if the director had lost his deliciously nasty touch. To watch “Drag Me to Hell” in 2009 was like reuniting with an old friend and finding, to your relief, that nothing has changed between the two of you. A thrilling comedy horror that’s just the right amount of mean, Raimi’s morality thriller of a loan officer (Alison Lohman) hit with a curse that dooms her to experiencing demonic horrors for three days before being plunged into hell is like a theme park ride, a non-stop screaming delight of crazy set pieces that never lets up for a moment. If Raimi’s work often verges on the edge of camp, “Drag Me to Hell” plunges straight into it, and the result definitively reminded everyone who the king of the modern B-movie truly is. —WC

“Send Help” (2026)

Co-starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, “Send Help” is controlled delirium microwaved on high heat. It’s a wickedly lovable survival thriller that turns the mico-managed suffering of two co-workers into clean, vicious laughs that keep going — even when the bug-induced puking starts. Ghastly without being grim and morally queasy without being mean, Raimi delivers gasps and punchlines through brilliantly calibrated physical humiliation and humor. The perspective is sharp, culminating in a reveal that leaves you giddy rather than drained even decades into the horror-comedy auteur’s legendary career. —AF

Read IndieWire’s “A-“ review of “Send Help.”

“Spider-Man 2” (2004)

More than 20 years later, “Spider-Man 2” remains the superhero genre’s emotional high-water mark. Raimi treated heroism as a daily act of vocation rather than lazy box-office spectacle, here, making the cost of self-sacrifice tangible and even painful for viewers. Peter falters, longs, and resents his own goodness even as others need it — but anchored by Rosemary Harris’ grace as Aunt May and Alfred Molina’s tragic Doc Oc, the 2004 film reframed exceptional capability not as a external burden. Greatness is a challenge that’s painfully earned and chosen, even for Raimi himself. —AF

“Evil Dead” (1981)

“The Evil Dead” is the stuff of indie film legend. A 20-year-old Sam Raimi and his childhood friend Bruce Campbell took a ragtag crew into the Tennessee wilderness for a hellish shoot that ended with them burning furniture to stay warm in the cabin that they were both shooting and living in. The low budget debacle resulted in a fittingly punk film that makes up for its rough edges by filling every frame with in-your-face badassery. Raimi takes a simple premise — a group of friends visit a cabin in the woods, only to unleash a slew of demons when they stumble onto a tape recording of the Necronomicon — and drives a train through it by throwing every practical effect he could find at the audience. Even with his inexperience and budget constraints, Raimi was directing with a creativity far beyond his years — how many filmmakers have the guts to feature shots from the perspective of evil itself? For all of its flaws, “The Evil Dead” had all the bones of the franchise we’d come to love. In hindsight, it’s not remotely surprising that so much greatness eventually followed. —CZ

“Evil Dead II” (1987)

The greatest elevator pitch in film history might be “‘The Evil Dead,’ but with an actual budget.’” That’s exactly what Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell delivered with “Evil Dead II,” which represents the undead horror franchise at its absolute best. The film utilizes a similar formula as its predecessor, following Ash Williams as he takes a trip to a cabin in the woods and finds a tape recording that literally causes hell to break loose. All of the ingredients — Campbell’s charisma, Raimi’s creative camera movements, the endless gore — are still there, but the lack of logistical restrictions make for an even bloodier good time. While the indie film magic of the original movie will always be charming, it’s an absolute delight to watch Raimi bring his gory vision to life with a full chest of filmmaking toys and a few more years of experience under his belt. For that reason alone, “Evil Dead II” is the pinnacle of the series. —CZ