Crimewave

Crimewave is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Sam Raimi, written by him and the Coen brothers, and starring Louise Lasser, Paul L. Smith, Brion James, Sheree J. Wilson, Edward R. Pressman, Bruce Campbell, and Reed Birney, with Campbell also serving as a producer. Following the commercial success of The Evil Dead (1981), Raimi and Campbell decided to collaborate on another project. Joel Coen of the Coen brothers served as one of the editors on The Evil Dead, and worked with Raimi on the screenplay. Production was difficult for several members of the crew, and the production studio, Embassy Pictures, refused to allow Raimi to edit the film. Several arguments broke out during the shoot for the film, because of continued interference by the studio. An unusual slapstick mix of film noir, black comedy and B-movie conventions, the film portrays bizarre situations involving a death row inmate. The film was a box-office flop, and has since fallen into obscurity outside of fans of Campbell and Raimi. Few critics reviewed the film, though the little amount of critical attention it received was mostly negative. Several elements of the film influenced later productions by Raimi, and the failure of Crimewave directly led to the inception of Evil Dead II (1987). The film has achieved the status of a minor cult film.