The legacy of movie magic left by filmmaker Sam Raimi always adds a certain flavor to his unique stories. Whether it’s another installment of the initial live action Spider-Man franchise or a foray into truly terrifying territory, his individualistic creative style always shines through. Throughout his career, he’s quickly built up his status as a critical director, writer, and producer whose one-of-a-kind vision has proved essential within the film industry. Before spinning his larger-than-life superhero stories, he staked his claim in the horror genre with deeply disturbing visuals and foreboding atmospheres, constantly conveying a sense of urgency and imminent danger.
Adding elements of horror to already otherworldly premises is where he really finds his success, bringing the obscure into familiar settings. A Rolling Stone interview with Raimi allowed him to expand upon this process: “The audience can always create something in their mind more effectively than we can show them. We just have to provide the right tools for them to build that monster.” Let’s look back at the best moments in Sam Raimi’s movies, ranked.
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8 The Surprise Ending - Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Universal Pictures
Drag Me to Hell captured 2000s horror at its peak, capitalizing on tropes and a simple setup to accomplish one of the most surprising ending scenes in modern horror history. After making the difficult choice not to lengthen old Sylvia Ganush’s mortgage, Christine Brown lives to rue her decision for the remainder of her shortened life. The lengths Christine goes to reverse the curse are as extreme as it gets, but all seems well after she exhumes Ganush’s body to return the cursed button. But of course, she gave her the incorrect envelope, which she realizes at the train station in the middle of an impending proposal. Understandably freaking out, she falls onto the tracks, which become the fiery coals of Hell itself as she’s finally swallowed up in a sickening final scene.
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7 Terror on the Train - Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Known for its iconic interactions with Doc Ock and its handful of campy moments, Spider-Man 2 stands as a decent sequel. So it’s no surprise that the villain of this film would add some flavor to an already freaky situation. Doc Ock and Spidey duke it out above New York City, resulting in a subway train falling into the fray. When Doc Ock hits the brakes, hurtling the car towards imminent disaster, Peter springs into action and things slowly screech to a painful halt. Sure, Peter pulls some funny faces here, but anyone would with the weight of the world pushing behind them. The collective kindness of strangers saves him right back, as they pull him back into safety despite the reveal of his face after his mask falls.
6 Peter Sheds the Symbiote - Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Sony Pictures Releasing & Columbia Pictures
Spider-Man 3 positions Peter Parker against some of his greatest adversaries yet, including himself. Throughout the story, the symbiote fuses with his suit, turning it jet black and encouraging the more underhanded aspects of Peter to come out. After a string of instances that emphasize its negative impact on him, he finally realizes the error of his ways after it begins to affect Mary Jane and some unfortunate bouncers. The strength of his character pushes him to find a way to remove the creature, so he reaches a bell tower atop a church where the sound and metal help him to peel off its influence. In this scene, we see him willingly choose to free himself from his personified dark side.
5 Doctor Strange Opens His Third Eye - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The long-awaited second installment in the Doctor Strange series of stories left moviegoers gasping in surprise and extremely excited for a third. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness brings audiences right into the action from the get-go. But Steven’s darkest reflection is revealed when he enters a crumbling universe and heads for its Sanctum there, coming into contact with the Darkhold. When his shadowy self reaches for it, he sprouts a third eye on his forehead, a product of the grimoire’s powers. A Vanity Fair review of the film observed that “Raimi even manages some genuine jump scares, to sate his old Evil Dead fans and to give this lumbering franchise a jolt of the visceral.”
4 Ash Messes Up His Words - Army of Darkness (1992)
Continuing the scarily successful Evil Dead franchise, Army of Darkness thrusts Ash back into medieval times. In order to get back to his correct timeline, he must locate the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, a book of the dead. Once he discovers where it is, he finds three multiples of the book, and fudges the magic words that will let it leave with him. He gets stuck on the very last word, and believing he said it correctly, he takes the book and heads out. But of course, he was wrong, and this causes the version of himself from the broken mirror to return from the grave Ash put him in previously, kicking off the climax of the story as the other Deadites join forces.
3 Ash’s Hand Betrays Him - Evil Dead II (1987)
Rosebud Releasing Corporation
Picking up the pieces from the original, Evil Dead II follows Ash and Linda’s vacation gone wrong after a demonic entity pays him another visit. After having to kill a possessed Linda, her head quite literally comes back to bite him. When Ash’s right hand gets chomped, it’s only a matter of time before it turns on the rest of him. Naturally, as it starts to writhe, he knows his painful next steps and elects to cut off his own hand using a chainsaw. But since the hand has Deadite power, this doesn’t put it down once and for all. Ash tries to kill it again, but it scuttles away, coming back to haunt him again near the end of the story.
2 Cheryl Changes - The Evil Dead (1981)
New Line Cinema
One of the creepiest movies to grace the vibrancy of the ’80s, The Evil Dead continues to scare up success as a quintessential horror classic. As Raimi’s premier dip into the professional pool of horror, this film understandably remains a necessity among fans of macabre movies. While the film is filled with unforgettable instances of terror, perhaps the most memorable is the transformation of Cheryl as she goes from friend to foe. The first of the unfortunate victims, the process is visually and emotionally painstaking as the group watches the entity possess her in a nightmarish sequence. After she’s flung around in the air, she screeches about killing the group, causing them to close her off in the cellar and audience members to cover their ankles.
1 The Upside-Down Kiss - Spider-Man (2002)
Columbia Pictures
As the most tender moment on this list, the kiss shared between Peter and Mary Jane is one of the most visually recognizable instances of Sam Raimi’s masterful direction. The first Spider-Man movie in the original franchise introduced audiences to an awkward Peter Parker struggling to get a grip on his newfound powers – and his love life. Following his rescue of M.J. from a scary situation, he circles back to give her a smooch, and the two kiss in the rain as his identity quite literally hangs in the balance. The most impressive thing about this scene isn’t just the aerodynamics of the situation, but the fact that M.J. leaves the scene none the wiser about Peter’s secret yet.
