American director Sam Raimi is one of the biggest names in Hollywood history thanks to two popular properties in particular: Evil Dead and Spider-Man. Sure, he has other high-grossing projects under his belt such as Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). But film fans mostly remember Raimi for the aforementioned franchises even to this day.

Plenty of his projects have flown under the radar throughout the years, be it in the minds of critics or through the eyes of fans. The critics have never been a target audience of Raimi’s, and unless they’re in the superhero genre, his projects tend to perform modestly at the worldwide box office. Thus, a given project can either be underrated for Raimi due to its lack of name value, or its unjust hate from critics. This list renders Raimi one of the more underappreciated creatives the film industry has to offer, as these are all high-quality projects — and three were even released in consecutive years. All that said, these are seven underrated Sam Raimi movies, ranked.

7 Army of Darkness (1992)

Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness 1993
Universal Pictures

Kicking things off, Army of Darkness (1992) of course closes out the Evil Dead franchise as fan-favorite protagonist Ash Williams finds himself trapped within the Medieval period during the time of King Arthur. And for those unfamiliar with its plot: Ash must battle his way through undead forces to force his way back into the present.

With a shotgun in one hand and a chainsaw in the other, Ash does just that. The result is a stylistic fantasy horror romp that failed to double its $11 million budget when it came to ticket sales. Plus, Army of Darkness wasn’t exactly popular with pundits of the industry, as it sits with a 69% approval rating on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes. Sure, it holds decent name value today thanks to the franchise’s cult following. But considering the widespread renown of the two previous Evil Dead entries, there’s no doubt about it in the end: Army of Darkness is one of Raimi’s most underrated films to-date.

6 Crimewave (1985)

Bruce Campbell in Crimewave
Columbia Pictures

With a stylistic visual approach and sound design full of vim and vigor, Crimewave (1985) reveals itself from the start to be less of a crime drama and more of a comedy. But Raimi has always had a penchant for humor — especially during the decade at hand, as he released both Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987) throughout the 1980s. This might be the least well-known of the bunch, perhaps of his own filmography, which is understandable to an extent given its absurd tone. But it's more entertaining than critics (and some fans) may have otherwise implied throughout the years.

There are a few notable names with Crimewave: Bruce Campbell, a frequent Raimi collaborator who appears among its supporting cast, along with both Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen Brothers lent their screenwriting chops to the project, with Raimi also credited in that department. And all together, those creative forces banded together to give fans one of Raimi’s most underrated projects in Crimewave.

5 A Simple Plan (1998)

A Simple Plan 1998 Sam Raimi
Paramount Pictures 

Written by Scott B. Smith — who also wrote the original 1993 novel of the same name — this neo-noir crime thriller chronicles three blue-collar workers (played by Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brent Briscoe) who stumble upon millions of dollars in cash. A Simple Plan (1998) garnered great reviews from critics upon release, but it fell half a million dollars shy at the worldwide box office of making back its $17 million budget. Plus, it doesn't hold much name value today.

That’s despite some seriously solid scriptwriting efforts from Smith, who picked up a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards. Thornton also received a nod for Best Supporting Actor, but they both came up short in the end. The other story worth noting with regard to A Simple Plan, though, would be its experience in development hell. Filmmaker Mike Nichols was once signed on to direct the film, in fact, along with others like Ben Stiller and John Dahl. In the end, the project went to the right person, as Sam Raimi saw A Simple Plan into flawless fruition. His efforts should be more well-remembered.

4 For Love of the Game (1999)

Kevin Costner in For Love of the Game
Universal Pictures

Even before this project, Raimi was no stranger to genre films. In this very decade, he’d made one superhero film, one horror movie, one western, one neo-noir crime thriller, then this: a sports film with Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, and J.K. Simmons. That’s quite the variety, and he was more than up for the challenge of tackling disparate genres. As Costner’s protagonist Billy Chapel mentally steels himself to pitch his final game in Yankee Stadium, For Love of the Game (1999) obviously revolves around baseball. Reilly plays the catcher, while Simmons shows up as the coach.

And although the project received flak for its romantic subplot, Preston's character Jane brings an entertaining dynamic as Billy's love interest. Costner's Razzie nomination for Worst Actor seems rather unwarranted in hindsight — by no means worthy of an Oscar, but far from the worst performance that year. The film as a whole features some interesting scenes on the baseball field thanks to the brilliance of its editing, and even if sports films aren't typically your thing, the quality of this one could very well catch you off base.

3 Darkman (1990)

Liam Neeson in Darkman
Universal Pictures

Before directing Sony’s Spider-Man Trilogy throughout the 2000s, Sam Raimi made an original superhero film in Darkman (1990). He showed interest several years prior in directing a Batman movie, though that particular property wound up being made by Tim Burton. It’s a good thing, too — both directors ended up with the right projects under their respective belts.

As for Raimi: his features Liam Neeson as a scientist who, after suffering serious injuries at the hands of a mob boss, develops superhuman abilities when the treatment for his burns comes up short. He then seeks revenge on those who disfigured his face, and simultaneously balances a relationship with his girlfriend: Julie Hastings — played by Frances McDormand — who kicked everything off by going against the aforementioned mob boss. In the end, Darkman should be considered among the most underrated superhero films ever made, regardless of who directed the respective projects. This one is well-written by Raimi, well-shot by cinematographer Bill Pope, and well-acted from everyone involved. Definitely check it out, if you haven’t.

Related: Darkman: A Look Back at Sam Raimi's First Superhero Movie

2 The Gift (2000)

The Gift by Sam Raimi
Paramount Classics

A psychological thriller with Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves, Giovanni Ribisi, and Katie Holmes, there’s no telling what went wrong with The Gift (2000). A fan-favorite genre with a star-studded cast — all Sam Raimi needed to succeed was a well-written script. And, sure, there are some questionable character motivations and a slight reliance on the suspension of disbelief. But ultimately, the plot of The Gift was far more taught and thrilling than the film’s numbers of success might suggest.

It follows a widow named Annie Wilson who makes a living as a clairvoyant fortune-teller. But one day, she must use her gifts to assist in a serious situation, as she acquires knowledge of a murder case through her previously alluded to ability of extrasensory perception. It’s a supernatural thriller, so suspension of disbelief pretty much comes hand in hand with its premise. And in that regard, everyone herein performed to a convincing degree, with plenty of other qualitative elements of filmmaking to boot. Its cinematographic shot value and crucial color palettes helped render this a greatly underrated project from Raimi.

1 The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Sharon Stone in The Quick and The Dead (1995)
Sony Pictures Releasing 

The nineties were an important time for westerns. Unforgiven (1992), Tombstone (1993) Legends of the Fall (1994), Desperado (1995), and this: The Quick and the Dead (1995) by Sam Raimi. It features great acting efforts from each member of its main cast — Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe, and Leonardo DiCaprio. And their respective characters stand out with their own quirks and personal developments as Stone’s protagonist “The Lady” enters a shooting competition in the town of Redemption to execute a revenge plot on the man who killed her father: John Herod, played by Hackman.

And on top of their noteworthy performances, there’s also endlessly engaging camerawork in The Quick and the Dead, particularly during its one-on-one gunfights. Cinematographer Dante Spinotti utilizes some truly stylistic shots to great effect, like when Hackman’s character kills the hired gunfighter near the beginning of the film. Shot value such as that should speak for itself. But the script from Simon Moore is also witty through-and-through, and Raimi was the perfect guy to see it come into fruition. Critics were less than keen on the project, and it hardly made back its $35 million budget with regard to ticket sales. Plus, it hardly ever gets mentioned these days among modern westerns, and that without a doubt needs to change.

Related: Best Westerns of the 1990s, Ranked