What a horribly heinous horror hag Henrietta is. Sam Raimi's word's, not mine. The Henrietta monster isn't exactly what I would call scary, but this monster deserves a lot of recognition just for being absurdly cool. Designed by now famous make-up artist, Greg Nicotero, and performed by a very young Ted Raimi, Henrietta is the ghoulie basement dweller that has made "Evil Dead" fans howl with delight for nearly 25 years.
So what is it about this creature that makes her so appealing? Maybe there's some deranged joy in seeing a sweet and kindhearted motherly figure being distorted into an inhuman demon. Or perhaps fans of the movie love her for her tenacity and brutal undead strength and vigor. Although I suspect the real reason people adore Henrietta so much is because she's a riot. Every scene involving Henrietta is intense, humorous, and over the top, causing her scenes to coagulate into some very fine entertainment. One gets the sense that there's an extra layer of care and precision woven into each of her appearances and this fact is worn on the movie's sleeves.
When compared to the other Deadites of the film, Henrietta often comes into the scene bearing wacky sound effects, distinct and memorable quotes, grotesque stop-motion effects, and some great energy that ricochets off the other actors. Henrietta is more than a monster, she's an abomination that pleases all necessary elements that a horror buff considers important. She's hilarious, repulsive, and downright sinister and we wouldn't have her any other way.
Henrietta, I salute you!
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