Raimi achieved great critical and commercial success with the blockbuster Spider-Man (2002), which was adapted from the comic book series of the same name. In the 1990s, Raimi moved into other genres, directing such films as the western The Quick and the Dead (starring Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman), the critically acclaimed crime thriller A Simple Plan (1998) (starring Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton), and the romantic drama For Love of the Game (1999) (starring Kevin Costner).
Army of Darkness, the final movie in the Evil Dead trilogy, commercially underperformed, yet on video became a cult classic. Through it he was still able to secure funding for Evil Dead III, which was retitled Army of Darkness and turned away almost totally from horror towards fantasy and comedy elements. The film was his first major studio picture, and was commercially successful, spawning two sequels. A long-time comic book buff, he then attempted to adapt " The Shadow" into a movie, but was unable to secure the rights, so he created his own super-hero, Darkman (1990). With his brother Ivan Raimi (and crediting himself as Celia Abrams), Sam Raimi also wrote Easy Wheels (1989), which parodied the Outlaw biker film genre. Raimi then returned to the horror genre with the seminal Evil Dead II (which added slapstick humor to the over the top horror, showcasing his love of the Three Stooges). Intended as a live-action comic book, the film was unsuccessful, partly due to unwanted studio intervention. He began work on his third film Crimewave (1985), which he co-wrote with the then unknown Coen brothers, shortly after. Through family, friends, and a network of investors, Raimi was able to finance production of the highly successful horror film The Evil Dead (1981) which became a cult hit and effectively launched Raimi's career. During that time, he also shot the seven-minute short film Clockwork (1978), starring Scott Spiegel (who had appeared in Within the Woods) and Cheryl Guttridge. In college, he teamed up with his brother's roommate Robert Tapert and Campbell to shoot Within the Woods (1978), a 32-minute horror film which raised $375,000, as well as his debut feature film It's Murder!. He began to make Super 8 movies with his friend Bruce Campbell, whom he met in 1975. Raimi became fascinated with making films when his father brought a movie camera home one day. Raimi graduated from Groves High School and later went on to attend Michigan State University, where he studied English but left after three semesters to film The Evil Dead. Another older brother, Sander, died at 15 in an accidental drowning Raimi has said that the trauma knitted the remaining family closer together and "colored everything he's done for the rest of his life." Raimi also mentioned that Sander first introduced him to Spider-Man, igniting his love for comics. His older sister, Andrea Raimi Rubin, is a court reporter. His younger brother Ted is an actor, and his older brother Ivan is a screenwriter and physician. His ancestors were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Hungary. He is a son of merchants Celia Barbara (née Abrams) and Leonard Ronald Raimi. Raimi was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, to a Conservative Jewish family. His latest film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, was released on May 6, 2022, becoming his highest grossing film at the box office. He founded the production company Renaissance Pictures in 1979 and Ghost House Pictures in 2002. Raimi has also produced several successful television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess. His films are known for their highly-dynamic visual style, inspired by comic books and slapstick comedy. He also directed the 1990 superhero film Darkman, the 1995 revisionist western The Quick and the Dead, the 1998 neo-noir crime-thriller A Simple Plan, the 2000 supernatural thriller film The Gift, the 2009 supernatural horror film Drag Me to Hell, and the 2013 Disney fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful. He is known for directing the Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007) and the Evil Dead franchise (1981–present). Raimi ( / ˈ r eɪ m i/ RAY-mee born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker and actor.