Sam Raimi has been a revolutionary figure in film, with the unique elements of the director’s movie-making style influencing countless directors from around the world. Having perfected a goofy sense of campy humor only matched by his love for gross-out horror and compelling characters, Raimi’s films have run the gamut of genres from bold IP adaptations like Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013) to much more low-key affairs. The trick is that all of them have felt unavoidably his, and have almost all been great.
The best of Sam Raimi’s work includes some of his earliest films, as well as modern entries into his canon like Send Help (2026). From broadly appealing superhero fare to some of the bleakest horror stories you’ll ever see, here are the best Sam Raimi movies, ranked. Find them on streamers like HBO Max, Netflix, and more.
10. Spider-Man (2002)
One of Sam Raimi’s most famous films by sheer virtue of being arguably his biggest blockbuster, Spider-Man indulges in all the filmmaker’s unique quirks while still being a terrific and broadly appealing adventure. Coming out amid a slew of big hits for Marvel, like Blade (1998) and X-Men (2000), Spider-Man laid the groundwork for the cinematic superhero resurgence that would come with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Raimi uses his goofy sensibilities to great effect by adapting the tone of early Spider-Man comics and creating an occasionally campy and thoroughly entertaining experience. While the cast is still figuring itself out and lacks the immediate charm of the central trio in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), the film has a secret weapon in Willem Dafoe and J.K. Simmons, both of whom bring all their gravitas and comedic timing to all-time great incarnations of Green Goblin and J. Jonah Jameson. While it’s a delightful action film, Raimi’s filmography is so stacked that it can only crack the top ten.
9. Army of Darkness (1992)
As the third entry in the Evil Dead series, Army of Darkness is a rip-roaring and wacky good time. Played by Bruce Campbell in one of cinema’s most gloriously over-the-top performances, Ash Williams finishes his evolution from horror movie protagonist to B-movie hero in a fantasy horror adventure that feels attuned to Duck Soup (1933) just as much as the legends of King Arthur.
While it might not be the right fit for those seeking a straight-faced dramatic fantasy, Army of Darkness has a blast being what it is, deploying Raimi’s sensibilities on the genre like a shotgun blast from a time-displaced Ash’s “boom stick.” Fans of Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015) need to check out this film to see where the character established his true core.
8. A Simple Plan (1998)
One of Raimi’s more dramatic films, A Simple Plan is more of a straight thriller than anything else the filmmaker has ever done. Still, his unique directorial style bleeds through. Similar in approach to Shallow Grave (1994) or Fargo (1996), the film presents regular people with a temptation—this time in the form of a surprising fortune amid a plane crash—and forces them to confront the limits of their morality.
Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton find a real sense of depth to the characters, giving the entire experience a meaty, dramatic edge. It’s one of Raimi’s more dramatically effective films. It’s a tense thriller that isn’t necessarily as fun as his other movies, but that’s because it’s not trying to be.
7. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Although Sam Raimi was only a 2nd unit director on this Coen Brothers film, there’s so much of Raimi’s unique flair in The Hudsucker Proxy that it’s hard not to include it on this list. Raimi wrote the screenplay for the screwball comedy, which focuses on a recent business school graduate who is hired as the head of a major company only as a cover for a stock scam.
As a true collaboration of Raimi and the Coen Brothers’ filmmaking styles, there’s a lot to love about the absurd turns and fun performances. While it’s not the most in-depth film any of the directors have made, the retro Hollywood vibes, similar to what the Coen Brothers would later do in Hail, Caesar! (2016), make for a stylish, enjoyable film. Perfect for anyone who grew up with Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), The Hudsucker Proxy is a visual and stylistic delight that highlights Raimi’s talents as a collaborator.
6. Darkman (1990)
The earliest proof that Raimi had it in him to helm a big blockbuster superhero movie, Darkman is also a love letter to a kind of serial adventure character that simply doesn’t exist anymore. Something of a companion piece to this era’s gothic superhero movies like Batman (1989) and The Crow (1994), Darkman stars Liam Neeson as a scientist whose life is torn asunder when he’s attacked by a mobster. Restored by an experimental serum, Peyton Westlake goes on a mission of vengeance.
Dark and campy in equal measure, Darkman feels like a test run for the bigger movies that Raimi would go on to make later in his career. Feeling at times like the dead center between Evil Dead and Tim Burton, Darkman is a time capsule movie that’s an absolute blast from start to finish, underscoring just how fun Raimi can have with a bigger canvas.
5. Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Mean, lean, and haunting in the best kind of way, Drag Me to Hell is Raimi’s most overtly scary movie and works as an effectively bleak tale for the era it was released in. After a young banker enrages an old woman, she’s cursed to suffer for three days before being pulled into the abyss.
Raimi’s genre sensibilities are on full display here, with a harsher edge and scarier visuals befitting the clear frustration and anger that the filmmaker is working through. It’s also darkly hilarious when it wants to be and underscores Raimi’s great ability to infuse minor characters with memorable personalities. A terrific pick for horror fans that has one of Raimi’s most memorable endings ever, Drag Me to Hell distills everything great about Raimi into one movie.
4. The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Sam Raimi’s only venture into the Western genre, The Quick and the Dead, is an underrated classic that deserves to be seen by anyone who has ever loved a cowboy movie. Focusing on a dueling competition in the Old West, The Quick and the Dead is just the right level of over-the-top. Riding high on the impact of other contemporary Westerns like Unforgiven (1992), Tombstone (1993), and Maverick (1994), The Quick and the Dead takes that revisionist aesthetic and filters it through a great excuse to introduce colorful gunfighters.
Underneath it all is a surprisingly compelling story about flawed men looking for recognition, redemption, or revenge. Benefiting from a great cast, including a young Leonardo DiCaprio in a performance that proved he was going to be one of cinema’s biggest stars, The Quick and the Dead is a blast from start to finish and underscores Raimi’s tonal versatility as a director.
3. Send Help (2026)
Sam Raimi’s survivalist drama Send Help may initially seem like his riff on Castaway (2000), but it quickly proves to be something else entirely—and completely Raimi. Starring Rachel McAdams as a put-upon employee and Dylan O’Brien as her cruel boss, Send Help flips their power dynamic when they end up the only survivors of a plane crash on a remote island.
The tension and dark humor of the plot gel perfectly together, with Raimi finding lots of room for his traditional gross-out elements while still exploring a tense character thriller. Some of the best plot twists Raimi has ever deployed are in this film, underscoring his talent for creating a compelling narrative where no one is innocent but the guilty still get their just desserts.
2. Evil Dead II (1987)
Building on the success of his feature film The Evil Dead (1981), the remake/expansion that was Evil Dead II remains one of Raimi’s most influential and famous films, as well as one of the best horror comedies of all time. A delightfully madcap take on the haunted house archetype, the film’s creative visual touches and blend of creature features with wacky slapstick make for an ideal experience.
Bruce Campbell entered the pop-culture lexicon forever with his performance as Ash in this film, taking the stock character of the original and recasting him as a tragic figure, a comedic icon, and a surprisingly capable fighter. Dark when it wants to be and striking that delicate chord between hilarious and horrifying, Evil Dead II is a nearly flawless film.
1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
One of the greatest superhero movies of all time, Spider-Man 2 takes everything that worked about the first film and enhances it, all without losing Raimi’s distinct sense of style. Building on the adventures of Peter Parker but raising the stakes by introducing new personal complications amid the transformation of the kindly Otto Octavius into the dangerous Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man 2 took the superhero genre higher than ever before.
Fitting in neatly alongside other classics of the genre like The Dark Knight (2008) and Black Panther (2018), Spider-Man 2 is action-packed, scary, dramatic, and above all else fun in a way that few other films can match. It’s also the best film Sam Raimi has ever made and stands out as a blockbuster achievement of the 21st century.
