MUIR BOOK WEDNESDAY # 7: The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004)

In many ways, the year 2004 was a magic year for me, at least professionally.

I had two books released from two publishers, and both were big successes commercially and critically. I've already featured (i.e. plugged) The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television here on the blog, in my weekly "Muir Book Wednesday" attempt at blatant self-promotion. (Hint: buy the book!).

Now, I want to feature the Applause Theatre and Cinema Books portion of that successful duo, The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi. This one was a really fun book to write, and I'm glad it's done so well.

Sometimes, when I look back at books I did in the past, I wish I could change certain aspects of them. You know, alter a line in my discourse here or there; or bring in some new facet. Yet this is one book that really bucks that trend for me (and I'm always very critical of my own work). I'm actually still gratified by how good I think it turned out. Of course, Sam Raimi is easy to write about...he's a filmmaking genius.

Anyway, here's what the critics said:

Muir, who has written extensively on pop culture, guides readers on director Sam Raimi's 20-year journey from Michigan movie brat to Hollywood Heavyweight...Muir's giddy enthusiasm for Raimi shines through...the tone is perfect. All Raimi fans will want this book on the shelf next to their homemade Necronomicons. Highly recommended...(A STARRED REVIEW)"- Michael Rogers, LIBRARY JOURNAL, 6/1/04.

"Enter prolific genre scribe John Kenneth Muir, an aficionado and unapologetically hardcore fanboy who's already authored tomes on John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven, as well as the indispensable coffee-table crusher Horror Films of the 1970s. Muir's gift for recognizing and interpreting film grammar serves him well once again, and while most of us could immediately (and correctly) identify Raimi trademarks like camera gymnastics and Three Stooges references, Muir digs even deeper to analyze themes and visual hooks that have evolved throughout films as diverse as Army of Darkness, The Gift and Spider-Man...Muir continues to prove himself as one of horror film's more gifted and passionate commentators." - John Bowen, RUE MORGUE, August 2004, page 18.

"Muir, author of Horror Films of the 1970s, admires and enjoys Raimi's highly praised work. Examining Raimi's oeuvre, from the cult classic low-budget horror film The Evil Dead (1981) through the mega-hit Spider-Man (2002), he offers lively, behind-the-scenes accounts via interviews with many of Raimi's collaborators. For example, he divulges the trade secrets of Tom Sullivan, the man responsible for the special effects in The Evil Dead, which illustrate the resourcefulness Raimi inspires in his colleagues...Muir shows how signature flourishes (e.g., his "Point of View subective shot") pop up in Raimi's fledgling works yet still thrill when used in Spider-Man. If there is a downside to the nonconformist director, Muir has yet to find it." - PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY, May 31, 2004.

"...Author Muir is a staunch Raimi fan, waxing enthusiastic about each of Raimi's films - they're given a chapter apiece...it's more than a cut-and-paste job; he's interviewed assorted cast and crew and makes excellent use of their recollections. And he writes splendidly. An insightful chapter, for example, on the Raimi film I most admire, A Simple Plan, demonstrates how much it owes to the Cain and Abel story, Macbeth, Of Mice and Men and...The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Chapter by chapter, the book builds a case for Raimi as one of our most accomplished filmmakers...GRADE: A-." - Lawrence Tucker SCI-FI MAGAZINE Page 78. July 04.

"With two sections of photographs, including 20 never-before-seen stills detailing the making of the first two Evil Dead films, not to mention an amusing Raimi lexicon...The Unseen Force is in the end a must for the director's enthusiasts. " - Jeremiah Kipp, FANGORIA #235 page 79.

"The Unseen Force is a welcome and greatly appreciated contribution to the annals of filmmaking and filmmaker histories."- MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW.

"This is, overall, an excellent book by noted film author John Kenneth Muir. It takes us behind the scenes of every Sam Raimi movie from Evil Dead up to the newly released Spider-Man 2 and is for the most part, a riveting read...The most interesting thing about the study is the depth of detail to which Muir goes using information provided by key principals (where possible) to provide a neat analysis of each movie...the amount of information revealed is fascinating...a must for lovers of Evil Dead...Great for Raimi fans and Evil Dead fans alike with a strong analytical approach to keep prospective film students happy. RATING: 4.5 CHAINSAWS (out of 5)." - WITHIN THE WOODS: The Evil Dead Appreciation Site."

Very timely...for walking film encyclopedia John Kenneth Muir to write a book that discusses every single one of Raimi's movies, from the cult classic Evil Dead on, with an almost overwhelming amount of information and interviews...The book offers detailed accounts of Raimi's creativity behind the camera that will entertain and enlighten newcomers. But film aficionados already know this about Raimi. What the book does best is illuminate a novel reason why a Raimi film is rarely less than satisfying: It's not necessarily because of his technical skill, but because he creates an environment that brings out the best in those who work with him....this book is a very good starting place. And the interview footage contains enough bits of information to even satisfy longtime fans of the director." - Zal Sethna, THE DAILY YOMIURI September 12, 2004, page 22.

And this description is from the back cover:

Re-igniting the horror genre to such a degree that Wes Craven credited him on-screen, Sam Raimi exploded on the movie scene in 1982, when he was twenty-three years old, with the independently producer horror film, The Evil Dead. Raimi went on to direct two Evil Dead sequels, his own comic book superhero in Darkman, and a post-modern Western, The Quick and The Dead. A Simple Plan and The Gift reinforced the impression of a dark intellect at work.

John Muir follows Raimi from his early start in filmmaking to his box office record-breaking work in Spider-Man - with the biggest opening weekend in history, earning more than $114 million. Raimi's influence on other filmmakers can be seen in not only the "shaky cam" shots of the Coen Brothers, but also in the early oeuvre of Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. The Unseen Force also features a look at the much anticipated Spider-Man 2.

Included here are thirty-first person accounts and interviews from a variety of eclectic sources, from the cinematographers who shot Raimi's early films to the producers, screenwriters, actors, special effects magicians, and composers who collaborated to make his films the stuff of legend.

So there you have it. You can order The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi here.