Throughout his prolific career as a director, writer, and producer,Sam Raimihas established a distinct cinematic language, from his first feature filmThe Evil Dead, to his most recent venture into the MCU,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. A master behind the camera, once you pick up on certain Raimi-isms, like his deft camera movement and frenetic editing, they become easiy to identify throughout his filmography. Though his last proper horror film wasDrag Me to Hellin 2009, Raimi’s clear passion for the horror genre manifests in unlikely places, like his groundbreakingSpider-Man trilogy. Raimi’s beloved Spider-Man films have recently seen a new wave of appreciation due to their theatrical re-release in the United States in celebration ofColumbia Pictures’ 100th anniversary. In many ways, Raimi’smassively successfulSpider-Mantrilogycould not be more different from his early, low-budget horror films.Still, he manages to infuse horror into every single one of them, often in unexpected ways.
Spider-Man
After being bitten by a genetically-modified spider, a shy teenager gains spider-like abilities that he uses to fight injustice as a masked superhero and face a vengeful enemy.
What Makes a Sam Raimi Movie?
Auteurs likeQuentin TarantinoandWes Andersonbring certain signature elements to their films that make them undeniablytheirs, and Raimi does the same with hisgenre-bending films. Adapted fromStan LeeandSteve Ditko’sSpider-Mancomics, Raimi’s fingerprints are all over the Spider-Man trilogy. His style of filmmaking lends itself particularly well to comic book adaptations, and a number of Raimi-isms can be found throughout the trilogy, including his unique way of moving the camera.His innovative camerawork is defined by movement, often resulting in a chaotic, disorienting viewing experience perfect for superhero movies where the titular hero swings from building to building and battles enemies within the hustle and bustle of New York City.
Raimi has such a penchant for bold camera movement that he’s even credited withinventing what’s now known as “shaky cam”with his first film,The Evil Dead, though this technique isn’t as prevalent in his Spider-Man trilogy.Raimi also frequently incorporateswhip pans, crash zooms, Dutch angles, and montagesthroughout his films to great effect.In the Spider-Mantrilogy, his fondness for slapstick comedy is enhanced byTobey Maguire’s natural awkwardness as Peter Parker. But it’s the way Raimi integrates horror into hisSpider-Manfilms that makes them so unique, and at times, genuinely scary, pushing the envelope of what a superhero movie can look and feel like.
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Movies Are Full of Horror
Sam Raimi infuses horror into each film of his Spider-Man movies, often in ways that call back to his earlier horror films, but significantly toned down in order toabide by their PG-13 rating. Where his other films frequently combine horror with comedy, in his Spider-Man trilogy, Raimi combines horror with tragedy to tell the origin stories ofsome of Spidey’s most famous enemies.Raimi starts strong with Spider-Man’s first antagonist, Norman Osborn / Green Goblin, played byWillem Dafoe, who gives a chilling performance that would feel right at home in a true horror movie.Just two years beforeSpider-Man, Dafoe earned his second Oscar nomination for his role inShadow of the Vampire, which saw him transform intoCount Orlok (aka Nosferatu). Still, Dafoe doesn’t need vampire makeup to become a formidable villain. In ourfirst introduction to Green Goblinin 2002’sSpider-Man, Norman tests Oscorp’s performance-enhancing chemical on himself, but the experiment goes horribly wrong.
Here, Raimi employs his signature crash zoom as Norman’s eyes suddenly fly open, and Green Goblin takes form. The way Dafoe’s face contorts, veins bulging with intensity as Green Goblin chokes and then kills his assistant, is awe-inspiring. He’s even more terrifying in a later scene whereNorman first encounters his evil alter ego in the mirror, totally embodying Green Goblin’s depravity by altering his body language and adopting a crazed look in his eyes, culminating with a perfectly malicious grin that has become a lasting image from Raimi’s firstSpider-Manfilm.
‘Spider-Man 3’ Re-Release Swings to Success at Domestic Box Office
Sony is re-releasing every live-action ‘Spider-Man’ movie in celebration of its 100th anniversary.
Spider-Man’sbrutal final battle with Green Goblinalso incorporates horror elements, including one moment that could have easily been lifted from a zombie movie. After suffering several blows from Green Goblin, Spider-Man gets a sudden surge of energy, launching Green Goblin into a brick wall and collapsing it on top of him.The way Green Goblin first sticks one hand out and then pulls himself from underneath the rubble is clearly meant to evokea zombie rising from the dead, or possibly a reanimated Deadite popping back up to have another go atThe Evil Dead’s Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell).Green Goblin’s subsequent death is also considerably violent and tragic at the same time, getting viscerally impaled by his own glider, his mouth filling with blood, begging Peter to not tell Harry (James Franco) the truth about his identity right before he drops dead.
‘Spider-Man 2’s Doc Ock Hospital Scene Is Pure Nightmare Fuel
Raimi uses horror to illustrate the way Spider-Man’s enemies turn to evil as a result of deadly tragedies, depicting them as both victims and perpetrators of violence. There is no better example of this thanDoctor Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) in 2004’sSpider-Man 2, whose failed fusion experiment ends up killing his own wife. Still grieving her tragic death, Doctor Octavius embraces villainy after his sentient mechanical tentacles violently murder a group of doctors. In themost terrifying set piece in any film iteration of Spider-Man, Raimi flexes his horror muscles once again, turningSpider-Man 2into a bona fide horror film for approximately three minutes.Raimi clearly channels hisEvil Deadseries for this scene, and considering the limitations of theSpider-Mantrilogy’s PG-13 rating, he impressively manages to crafta truly horrifying scenewithout showing a single drop of blood.
After Otto Octavius’ self-sustaining fusion reaction turns deadly, he is taken to a hospital to get the mechanical limbs surgically detached from his body. However, without the inhibitor chip, the tentacles take on a mind of their own. As the lead surgeon goes to cut off the first tentacle, another sneaks up behind him, grabbing and launching him across the room into a glass door. The rest of the tentacles quickly come to life and go on a murderous rampage, tossing the other doctors around like rag dolls, dragging them across the floor, and lunging at their throats in a horrifying display.This scene is loaded with Raimi-isms, with crash zooms galore and dynamic camera movement, including somemenacing POV shotsfrom the perspective of the mechanical limbs as they zero in on their next victim.
The most visceral technique Raimi uses for this scene is the crash zoom into someone’s terrified face, immediately followed by a wide shot showing what it is they’re reacting to. The sound design and lack of any background music make the scene even more disturbing, with nothing to detract from the brutal violence on screen. Instead, we’re subjected to a cacophony of screaming, breaking glass, and the clicking sound of the mechanical arms as they destroy everything in their path. Thepractical effects that went into creating Doc Ock’s tentaclesand the puppeteers who controlled them bring a sense of authenticity to the scene that makes Doc Ock an even more frightening villain.
2007’sSpider-Man 3is a movie some fans, andeven Raimi himselfwould rather forget for many reasons. Regardless, Raimi still managed to incorporate some of his horror sensibilities into the film, this time for the origin story of a villain he didn’t even want to include in the first place. Raimi originally wanted two villains inSpider-Man 3– Harry Osborn and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) – but producer and founder of Marvel StudiosAvi Arad requested he include Eddie Brock / Venom (Topher Grace)as well.
Despite its many flaws,Spider-Man 3does have some truly scary scenes featuring Venom’s alien symbiote. When a meteorite brings the extraterrestrial symbiote to Earth,it first latches onto Peter, giving us our first glimpse ofSpider-Man’s black suit. When Peter realizes the symbiote is corrupting his behavior, he flees to a nearby church tower and painfully tries to rip the suit off his body as it fights to maintain control over him. His screams echo through the church, and though he’s ultimately able to rid himself of the symbiote,it then lands on Eddie Brock, who, unbeknownst to Peter, is standing at the bottom of the church tower.As more and more of the symbiote makes its way down the tower, latching itself onto Eddie, it swiftly wraps itself around his body as he cries out in horror and confusion.It’s a disturbing scene that harkens back to thecontroversial tree attack scenefrom Raimi’s firstEvil Deadfilm and is one of the definite highlights of the messy conclusion to his Spider-Man trilogy.
Comparing his Spider-Man films to his Evil Dead films, Raimi seems to find common ground between Spider-Man villains andDeadites. InThe Evil Dead, Ash’s friends inadvertently resurrect a demonic entity that possesses them and turns them into Deadites one by one, making them both victims of circumstance and monsters Ash must destroy in order to escape with his life. Norman Osborn, Otto Octavius, and Eddie Brock are all, in some way, “possessed” as well, and like the characters inEvil Dead, are victims who transform into monsters against their will. In hisSpider-Mantrilogy, Sam Raimi opts for tragic horror instead of comedic horror, avoiding one-dimensionality in his interpretation of Spider-Man’s most notorious villains.
Sam Raimi Brought Horror Back to the MCU With ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
15 years after the release ofSpider-Man 3, Raimi returned to Marvel withDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, bringing his own flair and proclivity for the horror genre to the 2022Doctor Strangesequel.Still limited by the PG-13 rating, Raimi pulls offsome surprisingly gruesome kills, incorporating his own brand of horror into the largely bloodless violence of the MCU.After seeing a darker side ofWanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen)inWandavision,Multiverse of Madnesssees her become a full-fledged villain. Raimi even throws in a proper jump scarewhere Wanda appears to snap Charles Xavier’s (Patrick Stewart) neck— but in reality, this kill is evenmorebrutal.As one Reddit user noted, slowing the scene down reveals that Wanda actually rips Xavier’s head off. Who else but Sam Raimi would sneak something like that into an MCU movie?
ThoughDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis a significant departure from his Spider-Man trilogy, it proves just how distinct Raimi’s style really is and how he can turn a weak script into a compelling film with some of his signature Raimi-isms. By bringing his passion for horror to the superhero genre, Raimi elevates the material to create something unique, thrilling, and sometimes disturbing. According to Raimi,he’s still interested in returning to the MCU one day, and fingers crossed he does.
The rerelease of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy is finished but all three movies can be streamed on Disney+ in the U.S.
