Evil Dead II (1987) Reviews

• The best Evil Dead movie of all time my personal favorite

  ivo-cobra82015-10-24

  Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987) is more than a sequel to a cult classic film from The Evil Dead (1981) this film is more of a prequel to the Army of Darkness (1992) that was made 5. years later. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is my number 1 favorite film best Evil Dead movie in the franchise. It is one of my personal favorite horror movies. I love this film to death and I love it so damn much. I enjoy this film a lot, it is one of my favorite movie's in the trilogy. This is a great movie fun gory entertaining kick-ass sequel. It has action, comedy and horror mixed together that is why I love this film to death! Bruce Campbell is pure fun bad-ass Ash I absolutely love him in this sequel. I miss the 80's and that really best action gory movies un like they are today. This sequel to the original movie is the perfect balance between the horror of the original and the silliness of the third installment. It succeeds because it has fun with the "B" movie genre, never claiming to be better than it is while employing witty direction and dialogue. The scene I remember most is when blood splashes on the lightbulb, making the room glow red. The first time I watch it, this film really confused me a lot because I thought it was sequel to The Evil Dead but it had a lot of changes, which I love that. I have enjoyed a lot of this film, it is one of my second favorite movie's of the trilogy. Bruce Campbell is pure fun and it's witty. Don't get me wrong I love both of Evil Dead films, but I just prefer Army of Darkness more, because it has funny scenes and it has a happy ending, those two films doesn't have happy endings, that is why I love Army of Darkness much better. The film it is just more of the same thing. Literally. But don't take that as such a negative thing. With the success of the low-budget original under his belt, director Sam Raimi re-imagined his first draft and added many elements he just did not have either the time or the money to accomplish on the first pass. On some level, the film certainly works as a nightmare that has to be replayed by our poor reluctant hero Ash. second Evil pairing of writer-director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell doesn't pick up from where the first Evil Dead left off, it instead reinvents some of the same characters from the first film, notably Campbell's daffy hero Ash and putative girlfriend Linda (played by Denise Bixler in this film), and plops them back in the same basic plot setup as the first film, in a kind of horror-comedy Groundhog Day scenario. Once again Ash visits an isolated cabin in the woods, turns on a tape recorder that has a professor spouting verbiage from the Necronomicon, and the next thing you know, all hell has broken loose, quite literally. Raimi is a director who may not win points for finesse, but he works in a manic, breathless style that is perfectly suited for the outré black comedy of the Evil Dead franchise, and that devil may care, throw caution to the wind spirit is what has made the Evil Dead trilogy (Army of Darkness was the third film, though there's evidently a Raimi-Campbell remake of the original Evil Dead in the offing) such a cult sensation and what continues to draw audiences to the films to this day. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is an extremely gruesome affair, but it's also laugh out loud hilarious a lot of the time, with Campbell's intentionally arch delivery and wide-eyed crazed, cartoonish performance style making the most of Raimi and co-scenarist Scott Speigel's reinvention of the Evil Dead premise. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is really a sly, if sometimes sinister, comedy, one blacker than, well, death, but which delivers some consistent guffaws mixed in with the more typical "avert your eyes" blood and guts. Ash (Bruce Campbell), the sole survivor of THE EVIL DEAD, returns to the same cabin in the woods and again unleashes the forces of the dead. With his girlfriend possessed by the demons and his body parts running amok, Ash is forced to single- handedly battle the legions of the damned as the most lethal - and groovy - hero in horror movie history! Welcome to EVIL DEAD II, director Sam Raimi's infamous sequel to THE EVIL DEAD and outrageous prequel to ARMY OF DARKNESS! Evil Dead II (referred to in publicity materials as Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is a 1987 American horror comedy film directed by Sam Raimi and a parody sequel to the 1981 film The Evil Dead. The film was written by Raimi and Scott Spiegel (they wrote the screenplay during the production of another collaboration Crimewave), produced by Robert Tapert, and stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams. I love this film and Army of Darkness!!!!

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• DIABOLICAL entertainment for the wicked!

  insomniac_rod2005-08-30

  "The Exorcist" made you feel respect and fear to the Devil. Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead II" makes fun of the Devil and demon possession. Although there are some really scary scenes, there are some really twisted funny situations that would leave you wondering "what the f*** just happened?!". The movie is funny for the wrong reasons. I eventually don't laugh about when a man is breaking himself dishes on the head. I don't think it's funny when a man is repeatedly beaten up by grotesque characters. I would never imagine a man getting eaten by a demon locked under a cellar and throwing gallons of blood! "Evil Dead II" makes it look hilarious in a wicked kind of way. For example, when Linda's head tells Ash that "she is being tormented, and suffering in hell; you can feel a little scared but the next scene has a corpse without a head holding a chainsaw. There's no time for logic here, just sit and enjoy! It also has the ability to make you feel tense and I must say, scared. The combination of demon possessed people, EVIL sounds (I love the weird noise in the movie), wicked laughs and chanting ("dead by dawn!"), and intrepid camera angles are the perfect ingredients to make a sui generis Horror-Comedy movie. Watch out for the "A Farewell to Arms" joke, the whole situation with the evil hand, and the eye that gets in a woman's mouth!. Sam Raimi went too far for the good reasons. He created an unbelievable and unforgettable work that has served as inspiration for many movies in recent years. The movie is easily one of the most visually stunning Horror movies of all time, for sure. Die hard fans of gore get an eye candy for an hour and a half. Raimi created a cult movie in all the sense of the world. "Groovy!". "Dead by Dawn" will never bore you because in every scene there's a feeling of uncertainty and that makes it even more interesting. There are no rules here. The plot is as scary as you can imagine but it's held in such a way that it isn't taken very seriously. I mean, demon possession caused by the Necronomicon is something that happens in the real world. Not exactly with that book but it can happen via satanic books and rituals. Raimi takes it to a different level of humor mixed with gore. Bruce Campbell deserves a special mention. He delivers a wicked, solid, and totally believable performance. Something you haven't seen before mainly because of the strange situations he goes through. His performance could be described as a "solo". Easily, one of the best performances of any actor in a Horror movie. Also, one of the characters that suffers the most in any movie! Ash is beaten up by demons, humans, objects, etc. Even possessed creatures make fun of him. The gore here is great, glorious. You get decaps, mutilated bodies, a hand cut off, bleeding demons, etc. Blood spread all over the cabin is the common denominator. One of the goriest movies of all time. Watch "Evil Dead II" to witness one of the most creative, brave, and goriest movies of all time. It delivers something for everyone. It has action, gore, spectacular camera angles, and some action! Check out Ash V.S. possessed Henrietta. * After it, phrases like "join us!", "swallow this!", and specially "groovy!" will be part of your daily vocabulary. Recommended for every Horror fan in the world. This movie is an obligation to watch.

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• An electrifying roller coaster ride of a movie!

  gmhutchins72001-01-09

  This film, is without a shadow of a doubt, one of finest, most imaginative comedy horror films ever made. Raimi, has put all the aspects of the film together in masterful fashion. The camera work and sound effects are pulsating, and the timing is perfection. And in Bruce Campbell, the film as a lead actor who gives an exceptional performance. Campbell plays "Ash", an everyday, supermarket attendant who suddenly finds himself thrown into the unusual situation of having to defend himself against, zombies, evil spirits and even his own possessed hand, just in order to survive the night. I laughed, I gasped, and I gripped the arm of my chair throughout! If you like your comedies, black and hilarious, and your horror, gory and sensational, then look no further. Raimi has created the definitive comedy horror! Fantastic!

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• A rerun it may be but it is still an unsettling, funny and enjoyable rerun thanks again to Raimi and Campbell

  bob the moo2005-02-13

  Having lost his girlfriend to the undead, Ash is forced to face the possessed corpse of his former lover Linda and cut her up with a chainsaw to stop him becoming her victim. However the demons in the cabin are not that easy to stop and soon his hand has become possessed as well. While he battles to stop his hand killing him, a group of four young people are heading to the cabin in seek of shelter for the night, only to find themselves trapped in the same fight as Ash as barely managed to survive thus far. Despite that fact that Sam Raimi is now a "proper" director making summer blockbusters like his life depended on it, it is still heartening to see that his frenzied style is still present in his work, albeit it not dealing with such extreme material as that which made his name famous decades ago. While Evil Dead II may be a complete repeat of Evil Dead in terms of the basic narrative and content, it is still worth seeing because of Raimi's skill as director and writer of the film. In the UK Evil Dead earned notoriety for being one of the "video nasties" that the BBFC took such objection to and, in doing so, probably greatly boosted its cult appeal here, and to rerun this film is not a major problem because it does have enough energy and good qualities going for it to be worth a watch if you're into your horror. However horror fans may find it a little tame by modern standards although I still found it to be pretty scary and gory – certainly considering it was made almost 20 years ago with a budget that would barely buy you an A-listed movie star these days. The film is also pretty funny and is full of dark humour and comic moments that make it more entertaining than a gory b-movie has any right being. But here's the thing, the success of this film and indeed the whole trilogy, is mainly due to two people – Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Raimi drives everything with his unique direction that places the action somewhere between a horror and a cartoon. It has great camera work, frantic shots and a real flair for the unreal; it is very hard to describe but it can be seen it many of his films. Campbell's ongoing cult status has only been helped recently by Bubba Ho-tep but this is where it basically began and part II only sees his continue his good work as Ash becomes more of a hero than he was in the first film. He still has the cowardly quality that I loved in Ash but now has weapons and kiss-off lines to compliment his new status. As before his performance perfectly matches Raimi's direction and I can totally understand why the two have kept their close relationship decades later – they really seem to "get" each other here. Support from Berry, Hicks, DePaiva, Domeier and Bixler is just about passable for this type of b-movie stuff but really the cast is dominated by Campbell playing his best character to date. Overall this is a gory, cheap horror movie that won't appeal to everybody but to those that get it, it will be a hugely enjoyable, gory film with a great sense of humour. Director Raimi and actor Campbell truly make the film work better than the material would suggest it should and, on the basis of any of the three films, it is no wonder that this is such a timeless cult horror.

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• "Come to sweet Henrietta!"

  Backlash0072001-09-21

  Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn is the sequel to the ultimate experience in grueling terror. Evil Dead II is the definitive cult flick and perhaps my favorite horror film (top five at least). Bruce Campbell takes on the role of Ash once again in this hilariously horrific sequel to a legendary movie. Few sequels live up to the original and fewer still surpass it. This is one of those rare instances. This movie is out of this world. Sam Raimi is a genius with a camera and has gone on to create some damn fine films. He deserves every amount of success he has gained. The script is inventive, highly original, and funny as all hell. It's a mix of horror, laughs, and gore; or splatstick as Campbell calls it. Once again, Campbell's facial expressions alone are worth the price of admission. If that doesn't get you the laughing deer head will. Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn is a true horror masterpiece. A completely original concept, some screwy camera angles, and one Bruce Campbell make for an entertaining combination. If you don't like it, "I'll swallow your soul, I'll swallow your soul."

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