The 10 Best Movies Directed By Sam Raimi, According To Ranker

With the highly anticipated upcoming new release of Sam Raimi’s newest directorial effort and latest superhero movie, Marvel’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, what better time to rank the legendary action and horror filmmaker’s iconic filmography according to the thousands of cinephiles over at Ranker who cast their vote.

Sam Raimi is one of the most historic horror filmmakers still working today with early cult classic successes like the Evil Dead franchise that propelled him into the top tier of directors allowing him to go on to make influential big-budget superhero movies like Spider-Man.

10 The Gift (2000)

Sam Raimi tends to make horrors, thrillers, or superhero movies, and The Gift definitely falls in the fantasy thriller genre. The movie is about a fortune teller with extrasensory perception being asked to help find a young girl who has mysteriously disappeared.  The Gift has an absolutely amazing cast featuring Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, and Keanu Reeves as well as one of Cate Blanchett’s best roles of her career. The movie is written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson and came out just before Raimi landed the Spider-Man job.

9 The Quick And The Dead (1995)

The Quick and the Dead is a unique film for Sam Raimi as it is the only Western he’s ever made.  The movie is an action thriller about a female gunfighter returning to a frontier town where a dueling tournament is a held, which she enters in the hopes to avenge her father’s death.  The Quick And The Dead features an all-star cast including Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, Russel Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his first roles.  While the film wasn’t a hit with critics, fans often claim it as one of Sam Raimi’s best movies.

8 Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Drag Me To Hell is the most recent horror film Sam Raimi has directed and is about a loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home and is the recipient of a supernatural curse.  She desperately seeks help from a seer to save her soul as the supernatural forces push her to her limit.

The movie is one of the worst-received horror films in Raimi’s iconic filmography, but the special effects and stand-out performances from Justin Long and Alison Lohman make it a solid movie worth watching.

7 A Simple Plan (1998)

A Simple Plan is another one of the few dramatic thrillers that Sam Raimi has made and is about three blue-collar acquaintances who come across millions in lost cash and make a plan to not report it and keep it for themselves. However, it isn’t long before complications and mistrust within the group weave their way into the plan.  The film is adapted by the original novel’s author, Scott B. Smith, and stars Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Paxton, and Bridget Fonda.  A Simple Plan is an underrated fan favorite of the directors and is often cited by critics as one of the best Sam Raimi movies.

6 Army Of Darkness (1992)

Army of Darkness is the third film in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise and is much more comedic and slapstick than the previous two movies. The film is about a sardonic hardware store clerk being transported back to 1300 A.D., where he must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the dead to return home.

Army Of Darkness is written by Sam and Ivan Raimi and sees Bruce Campbell reprise his iconic role of Ash Williams as well as co-starring Marcus Gilbert and Ian Abercrombie. The film is a cult classic as fans loved the unique blend of comedy and horror.

5 Darkman (1990)

Darkman is the first superhero movie Sam Raimi ever made and went relatively under the radar. The film is about a brilliant scientist that’s left for dead and takes revenge on the people who burned him alive. Darkman is often cited as one of the best non-Marvel and DC superhero movies and has gone on to become a cult classic within the superhero genre. The movie stars Liam Neeson in the leading role as Darkman/Peyton Westlake and co-stars Frances McDormand and Larry Drake.

4 The Evil Dead (1981)

The Evil Dead is Sam Raimi’s cult classic horror film and definitely Raimi’s most iconic film in his filmography. The movie is about five friends traveling to a cabin in the woods and unknowingly releasing flesh-possessing demons.  The Evil Dead has sparked an entire franchise with multiple sequels, reboots, television shows, and video games. The film’s story has become absolutely iconic within the horror genre as countless films have spoofed it or done some sort of slight alteration to the classic story elements.

3 Spider-Man (2002)

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was a hugely influential film in the superhero movie genre, changing how those kinds of movies are both made and consumed. The film is an origin story for Spider-Man/Peter Parker that shows how the character goes from an ordinary high school student to a superhero with spider-like abilities after being bit by a radioactive spider. Spider-Man features iconic performances from Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunce, and Tobey Maguire in the leading role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker.

2 Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Spider-Man 2 is the highly successful sequel to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. The film is about Peter Parker/Spider-Man struggling to juggle his personal life and duties as a hero when he must stop a brilliant scientist named Doctor Otto Octavius. The movie sees Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunce reprise their iconic roles as well as adding Alfred Molina as the legendary Spider-Man villain. The film was a hit critically and a huge success commercially as fans absolutely loved it.

1 Evil Dead II (1987)

Evil Dead II is Sam Raimi’s cult classic sequel to the legendary horror film Evil Dead.  The sequel is much more of a comedic horror film than the original and is about the lone survivor of an attack from flesh-possessing spirits who hides out in a cabin with a group of strangers as the demons continue their attack. The film sees Bruce Campbell reprise his iconic role as Ash Williams and co-stars Dan Hicks and Sarah Berry. Evil Dead II is one of the best comedy horror films ever made and has been extremely influential on the horror genre since its release, much like the first film in the series.