Many filmmakers have partnerships, friendships, and longstanding arrangements of mutual respect for each other. Sometimes things get a little uglier. In this case, Evil Dead/Spiderman director Sam Raimi has a long standing rivalry with famous horror director Wes Craven.
It all began with a single background gag. In Craven's 1977 The Hills Have Eyes, a torn Jaws poster appears in the background, a fact many(Including Sam Raimi) have speculated to mean that Jaws' style of horror pales in comparison to what happens in The Hills Have Eyes.
In the background in Raimi's legendary 1981 film, The Evil Dead, a torn poster of The Hills Have Eyes can be found in the background, a taunt which surprisingly did not go unnoticed.
Just 3 years later, the iconic Nightmare on Elm Street was released. While fighting off sleep to escape the menacing Freddy Kruger, the protagonist Nancy can be seen watching Evil Dead.
If there's one thing to be known about Sam Raimi, it's his complete lack of willingness to back down. A short time later, Evil Dead 2 rolled around. One scene featured the hero, Ash J. Williams, running into the work shed to escape his girlfriend's possessed severed head.(Yeah, it's that kind of movie) Sharp eyed viewers can spot a very familiar glove hanging just above the work shed door.
Who will strike next? Has this background feud been forgotten completely? Or has it been going on unnoticed for years?
I honestly don't know, but I will continue to watch with baited breath for the next strike in the Raimi Craven conflict.
I did not know this. But find it interesting as I love all those films mentioned. I'll have to watch Evil Dead 2 again and look for that familiar glove.
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