The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi

by John Kenneth Muir

THE UNSEEN THE FILMS OF SAM RAIMI

Genres: Film, Biography, Nonfiction

370 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2004

About the author

John Kenneth Muir (born 1969) is an American literary critic. He has written as of 2023 thirty two books, many in the fields of film and television, with a particular accent on the horror and science fiction genres. He has been described as one of the horror genre's "most widely read critics", and as an "accomplished film journalist". He is the creator of the 2023 audio drama Enter the House Between, as well as the new novellas based on the series.

Reviews

[The Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of 58 people to have read this, a real Raimihead.

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Raimi made his name in movies when he made The Evil Dead, a small budget, independently made horror film that became a seminal work in 1980s horror. His career moved in fits and starts. He is visually inventive with a style that is distinctive. His genius for visual storytelling can be seen in the Evil Dead sequels, his early and original superhero movie Darkman, and the oddball western The Quick and the Dead. Having burned out a bit on style, he shifted gears to more character-driven films like A Simple Plan and The Gift, where the directing doesn't overwhelm the story. He had a return to visual creativity when he was selected to direct the 2002 Spider-Man, a massive box office hit that was well-regarded critically for a superhero film.

Author John Muir gives a comprehensive review of Raimi's films, with plenty of original interviews from cast, producers, and crew members to fill in the details on the films. Muir starts by discussing Raimi's early life and work with Super 8 cameras, including college projects that gave him an early experience of audience feedback and what works (and doesn't) for creating an entertaining movie. Each subsequent chapter focuses on one movie and goes fairly in-depth about the production, the critical reception, and the author's own thoughts about the film. The book (published in 2004) ends with a preview of Spider-Man 2 (which came out in 2004).

Oddly, he has no interviews with Raimi himself, relying on previously published interviews in magazines and trade papers. Other major figures like Raimi's usual co-producer Rob Tappert or go-to actor Bruce Campbell are also only present through secondary sources. The book is still rich with detail on the films.

Muir expresses his love for Raimi's character quite thoroughly. Raimi is famous for wearing a jacket and tie as a director, taking the job very seriously as did great directors before him like Alfred Hitchcock. Raimi is also well-liked as a director, able to get the shots and performances he wants through gentleness and enthusiasm rather than dominance and anger. He's also open to good ideas from others that enhance the storytelling. Actors have sought him out for their projects and generally are very positive about working with him.

Muir also loves the films themselves, sometimes bending over backwards to praise even the lesser films. His critical analysis is on the mark with movies like Evil Dead II or A Simple Plan, but he struggles to find praiseworthy aspects to Crimewave or The Quick and the Dead, falling back on academic distinctions to create positive opinions about every movie.

The book is a fascinating look at Raimi as a movie director, giving insight into his character, his creativity, and his struggles with low budgets and with Hollywood nonsense. It is occasionally uncritically positive about the movies, making it a little less convincing overall. Still, for fans of Raimi's work, it is a great read.

Recommended.

[G. Salter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the interviews work better than others (very hard to appreciate someone describing how they built props and makeup without pictures to accompany it), and perhaps by design it doesn't focus on Campbell, Tapert or Raimi's perspectives (that was covered pretty extensively in The Evil Dead Companion). Like the Evil Dead Companion, the fact this came out before Spider-Man 2 hampers it a bit - you have the feeling the story's ending just before it got good.
Still, Muir's overview of the films and his essays on each film's merits are very insightful. His essays on Darkman and Spider-Man (a couple of years before Iron Man 2 got the Marvel Cinematic Universe really into gear and changed everything) are especially interesting.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been on a huge books about film and film makers kick recently and this book has been in my library for over a decade. I got it as a gift and it just sat on my shelf in obscurity until I started down my books on film path. Sam Raimi and his story is undoubtedly fun and the picture Muir paints of Sam is what I've heard and seen about him so there was no surprise there. What was most fun about the book was the look at each film and how it frames Raimi's career, his ups and downs as a director, and how each film played out. My only complaint is that the book was written so long ago, I didn't want it to stop!

[Mark Dubovec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, engaging, and detailed look at the career of director Sam Raimi as of 2004 (Spider-Man 2 wasn't out yet), "The Unseen Force" includes both biographical details of Raimi, examinations of all his movies up to that point and their production histories, and quotes from many of his collaborators explaining what it was like to work with him. Recommended for Raimi fans and those interested in filmmaking.

[Ryan Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy read finally finished it today.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eccezionale!

[Vince Fontaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

After this read I'm convinced Sam Raimi is overrated. I like some of his films, but for the most part his projects leave me feeling cold, and come on Author, let's face it :For Love of the Game is utter crap!

[Michael LaPointe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, if rather short, look at the work of Sam Raimi. Well worth reading for genre fans.