Sam Raimi

Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi (born October 23, 1959) is an American film director, producer, and writer. He is best known for directing the classic cult-horror film The Evil Dead and the blockbuster Spider-Man films.

Film

He was introduced to film-making by school-friend Bruce Campbell, who had a hobby of making films with a Super 8mm camera. At college, he teamed up with his room-mate Robert Tapert and Campbell to raise money for a low-budget horror film. The Evil Dead (1983) became a major hit and he began work on his second film Crimewave (1985), intended as a live-action comic book - the film was not successful. Raimi returned to the horror genre with the seminal Evil Dead II (which toned down the savageness of the original in favour of slapstick, showcasing his love of the Three Stooges). A long-time comic book buff, he attempted to adapt "The Shadow" into a movie, but was unable to secure the rights. So he created his own super-hero, Darkman (1990). The film was was his first major studio picture, and was only moderately successful, but he was still able to secure funding for Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness, which turned away almost totally from horror in favour of fantasy and comedy elements.

Related Topics:
Bruce Campbell - Super 8mm - Robert Tapert - Horror film - The Evil Dead - Crimewave - Comic book - Evil Dead II - Slapstick - Three Stooges - The Shadow - Darkman - Army of Darkness - Fantasy - Comedy

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In the 1990s Raimi moved into other genres, directing such films as A Simple Plan (1998) (starring Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton) and For Love of the Game (1999) (starring Kevin Costner).

Related Topics:
A Simple Plan - Bill Paxton - Billy Bob Thornton - For Love of the Game - Kevin Costner

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Raimi achieved great commercial success with the blockbuster Spider-Man (2002), which was adapted from the comic book series of the same name. The movie has grossed over $800 million USD worldwide, and has spawned a sequel.

Related Topics:
Blockbuster - Spider-Man - Comic book - USD

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Raimi is currently working on Spider-Man 3 and rumours have been circulating about a possible Evil Dead IV.

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