Even after reading the Wikipedia page and all of the IMDB trivia for this movie, I still don't get why anyone would even come close to labeling this movie as a classic. I guess you need a certain mindset, where blood and gore can overshadow any flaw, which would make this the most flawless movie of all time, although I'm afraid that's a mindset I don't share. So, where to start?
The movie contains every horror movie cliché ever. Yeah, it's the early 80s, so there's a good chance that some of those clichés were actually invented in this movie, but that doesn't make it any better to watch today. The characters are mind-meltingly moronic; when Ash slowly walks up to a recently "killed" zombie for the twelfth time, and gets attacked by it just like the last eleven times, it gets annoying to watch. For some reason, it seems like a good idea to lock up a horribly ugly zombie that just tried to kill you into a cellar with flimsy chains and a small wooden hatch, instead of KILLING IT. It's also perfectly understandable to not be able to kill your zombie girlfriend twice in a row, after nearly being killed by her and watching her sing creepy songs with a zombie face for fifteen minutes. And of course, closing the door automatically makes the window that's right next to it impenetrable for zombies.
I guess if you're a huge fan of corny horror movies and blood, this can be entertaining. Thank god it's short, though.
In a sentence:
Terrible in every way, but considering the budget, the countless gory effects are well done.