Evil Dead II (1987)

Directed by: Sam Raimi | 85 minutes | action, comedy, horror | Actors: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie DePaiva, Ted Raimi, Denise Bixler, Richard Domeier, John Peakes, Lou Hancock, Snowy Winters, Sid Abrams, Josh Becker, Scott Spiegel, Thomas Kidd, Mitch Cantor, Jenny Griffith, William Preston Robertson, Sam Raimi

After the success of Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead’ from 1981, a sequel was inevitable. And that’s what happened with this ‘Evil Dead II’, aka ‘Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn’. Although… a sequel? In the first five minutes we see a selection of the events from ‘Evil Dead’ pass by, with the omission of more than half of the cast. And this may raise the question whether this second part of the ‘Evil Dead’ series should be regarded as a sequel or as a new beginning with a different interpretation of the events. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the opportunity has been created to treat the viewer to the necessary horror again. And given the quality of the first part of the ‘Evil Dead’ series, promising developments lie ahead.

And director Raimi firmly continues the line he set in ‘Evil Dead’ in terms of horror scenes, to such an extent that the evil spirits attacked Ash eventually comes across as one of the most haunted movie characters in horror film history. Ash is besieged by possessed corpses that have risen from the grave, by his girlfriend’s head, by his own sawn-off hand, by household items brought to life, by moving trees, he himself is also possessed by an evil spirit in the meantime and has to deal with numerous other torments. to endure. Opportunity enough for lots of bloody scenes: severed and exploding heads, sawn off limbs, not too fresh images with a chainsaw, shootings, chopping scenes with daggers and axes and many other confrontations that appeal to the imagination. Director Raimi keeps up the pace and since Ash is once again blessed with a remarkable talent for survival, the bizarre situations in which he finds himself can be enjoyed all the more often and all the more fun.

Fun? Yes, because this film was made with a different approach than its predecessor. While ‘Evil Dead’ was mainly about horror, here it is the combination of horror and humor that is the order of the day. This is already clear in the opening scene. And the non-stop humor occupies a large place in the various confrontations. Often black humor that is, because the heaviness of the various confrontations is at the expense of the mental and physical well-being of the various passing characters in this story. But it all comes across as successful and humorous. Especially since the splatter content in this film doesn’t suffer from it either. On the contrary, the frequently occurring violence is explicitly portrayed with the accompanying gore and splatter, and the blood also flows profusely, sometimes to literal fountains of blood. But the exaggeration of the events ensures that in many scenes there is as much to laugh as there is to shudder, and the exaggerated acting of the various on-trend actors also quickly indicates that it should not be taken too seriously. Nevertheless, Raimi manages to keep the whole film exciting and repeatedly to match the chilling atmosphere of ‘Evil Dead’. This is supported by the use of the necessary surrealistic images, scary sounds, sophisticated camera shots and numerous effective scares that are also so prominent in ‘Evil Dead’. Admittedly, the bone-chillingness of the 1981 film isn’t held long after it’s achieved, but given the limitations of Raimi’s humor-horror approach in this regard, its repeated equalization is an all the more brilliant achievement.

As an interpreter of Ash, we see Bruce Campbell again. In addition, we also see some other characters appear at his mountain hut, but they seem to have been added to the story to give it some new twists and to serve as slaughter cattle for the evil spirits. It is Campbell who is the star of this film and carries the entire production. He moves skillfully through the repeated slapstick-like confrontations his character gets to endure. At first mostly as a victim until he gets to the point where he seems insane, but gradually Ash turns into a cool action hero. He is afraid of less and less, takes on the necessary fights more and more energetically and also uses more and more weaponry to give his opponents the full blow. In addition to the action, Campbell also largely accounts for the humor in this film. This is because of the way he portrays Ash’s transformation, the one-liners he spits out as he goes along, and the range of facial expressions he throws at it in the various confrontations. And Campbell’s performance often and effectively makes people laugh, which is why Ash’s changed character would again be so prominent in the later ‘Army of Darkness’, the third installment in the Evil Dead series.

And the special effects? Can they also be called that successful? Not always and not quite, no. Just like in ‘Evil Dead’, the special effects, the different appearances and the transformation scenes of the ghosts that have surfaced are not always convincing. But so many years later that is not so strange. And much is compensated, or rather surpassed, by the more grotesque sight than ever presented by the spirit-possessed persons and the risen corpses. Hilarious, but at the same time devilish and terrifying. And given the humorous approach of this production, the exaggeration of it also contributes to the entertainment that this film has to offer.

And in its entirety, although with a different approach, this film is a successful successor to ‘Evil Dead’. A topper also within the horror-humor genre which, just like the other two parts in the ‘Evil Dead’ series, has rightly acquired a cult status. The film can therefore be regarded as a must for fans of Raimi and Campbell, as well as for horror fans and lovers of black humor.