When Rachel McAdams brutally killed a CGI pig, everything became clear. Sam Raimi is back. Not that the famous director of Evil Dead, Spider-Man, again Doctor Strange in Various Madnesses he really went anywhere. He has been making films regularly for the better part of 40 years. But a real Raimi movie has laughs, heart, action, and action in such a perfect balance that only Sam Raimi can do.
McAdams’ turn comes in his latest film, Send Help, in theaters on January 30. So, to commemorate the occasion, we decided to list Raimi’s movies. Almost all of them are here, except for one we’ve never seen, his first directorial debut Crimewaveand his Kevin Costner baseball movie, For the Love of the Gamewhich is not a type. Where did everything else go? Let’s find out.
14. Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Oz the Great and Powerful it’s not a bad movie, but it’s not good either. It’s kind of the origin story of The Wizard of Oz with James Franco as the wizard, and while the film made money, it was so often dismissed that Raimi didn’t direct another feature for nearly 10 years after its release. Not a bright moment.
13. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
After the genius that was there spider-man 2, expectations could not have been higher for what would have been Sam Raimi’s final game Spider Man the movie. Unfortunately, the movie never quite comes together, with too many bad moments, too many new villains, and enough of the emotions that made the previous two films work so well.
12. The Quick and the Dead (1995)
It’s not really a movie we cover on io9, but because it’s Raimi, we’ll consider it. The western is about a woman, played by Sharon Stone, who enters a pageant in hopes of getting revenge on the evil sheriff, played by Gene Hackman. The cast is amazing (Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio are also along for the ride), but he plays too much of a middle-of-the-road Western. Not enough Raimi for Raimi’s list.
11. A gift (2000)
When I first saw gift, I really miss it, I really enjoy it. Cool location, great cast, great Sam Raimi—what’s not to love? However, unlike some of Raimi’s movies, it’s never been one that I’ve had the urge to revisit. Maybe if I did, it would move up the list, but as it is, here’s where I put it. In full disclosure I could be horribly wrong.
10. Doctor Strange in Various Madnesses (2022)
In his first entry into the official Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sam Raimi took Doctor Strange into new, triple-edged territory. Everything you love about Raimi movies is in this, but because it’s aware of the MCU’s rules and standards, even when it works, it’s never as innovative or shocking as the best Raimi films. A solid effort that’s really fun, but far from one of his best.
9. Darkman (1990)
Don’t hate me. I can imagine that many people reading this article have considered He is black being one of Raimi’s best films. And, depending on scope and innovation, it may be. Liam Neeson plays the hero created by Raimi, who, for some reason, never connected with me. The film works; it’s good, but it never comes together like Raimi’s other movies. I’m sure many will disagree.
8. Send Help (2026)
Yes, the new Raimi ranks this at the top of the list. It’s a true return to form for Raimi, who brings his signature horror comedy to the story of a CEO (Dylan O’Brien) and his employee (Rachel McAdams) who are imprisoned together on an island. It’s a simple base to wild, outrageous places, and we loved every second of it. But Raimi has made so many classics over the years, he happens to fall in the middle of the pack.
7. Drag me to Hell (2009)
Blame the marketing for this situation. When Drag me to Hell came out, the trailers showed a shot of the main character, played by Alison Lohman, being dragged to hell. Which made sense. That’s the title of the movie. But in the course of the wonderful, terrifying, surprising film, we are led to believe that the actor overcomes this terrible curse. Is the trailer a lie? No. Instead, it featured the final, big reveal of the entire film. And knowing that will just be done Drag me to Hell work less well than all that is above you.
6. A Simple Plan (1998)
A Simple Plan it works because it’s so simple. A group of friends receive a large sum of money and are not sure if they can trust each other. It has amazing performances across the board, including an Oscar nominee by Billy Bob Thornton, as well as great tension and twists. I put it here because, while it’s great, it’s a very straightforward film compared to some of Raimi’s older ones.
5. The Army of Darkness (1992)
Of all the movies on this list, this is probably my favorite The Army of Darkness many. He is very funny, over the top, and knows everything he does. For me, the Raimi and Bruce Campbell movie, and each artist is top notch. But, compared to Raimi’s other works, the fact that it goes too far with comedy rather than having that unique balance lets it down a bit. But we love it so much anyway.
4. Spider Man (2002)
Unless you were there in 2002, it’s hard to put into words what it was like to see Sam Raimi bring Spider-Man to life. Oh sure. People like Tim Burton and Bryan Singer have made great superhero movies before, though Spider Man raised the whole genre with its fun tone and clever exploration of the dichotomy within Peter Parker. The film also helped shoot Raimi into a new directorial stratosphere.
3. The Bad Dead (1981)
The film that put Raimi on the map remains one of his best. It’s all in The Bad Dead pulses with love. The passion of a group of young filmmakers making something small and wonderful, combining comedy and horror in new and exciting ways. Bruce Campbell is a revelation, as usual, and the horror ends much earlier than the repetition later.
2. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Empire strikes back, aliens, again Shortcut 2—there is a small, exclusive list of sequels that are better than their predecessors, and we think that Spider-Man 2 it should be on that list. With Raimi’s Peter Parker now fully invested in being Spider-Man, the entire film comes together into something incredibly special. Doc Ock as a villain comes along, as do big emotional beats throughout. Overall, it is easily one of the best superhero movies.
1. Evil Dead II (1987)
There is something about Raimi and two parts. It’s almost as if he has to do the first one to see all the ways the next one can be even better. It happens with Spider Man, and it happens here, with Evil Dead II. What is the opposite Evil Dead II that it’s ridiculously similar to the first one, but it just dials goofyball and moves a little better and has a much better alchemy than the first best. The modern art of chaos.
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