Review of Evil Dead II (1987) by Nesbitt10 — 12 Oct 2013

Maximum visceral impact is what "Evil Dead 2" is all about-- and it delivers. The brilliance of "Evil Dead 2" is found in its psychotic blend of over-the-top gore, and it's fantastic sense of humor. Not a sequel so much as an elaborate do-over, "Evil Dead 2" amps up the ghastly laughs to generally thrilling results. As in the first film, director Sam Raimi lets out all the stops and plays on almost every cinematic trick in the book. Although the movie is obviously indebted to any number of sources, the film has an infectious energy all of its own.

After a high-speed recap and continuation of first film's ending, Ash (Bruce Campbell) ventures out to that same lonely cabin for a romantic weekend with his girlfriend (Denise Bixler). There he discovers the same tape recorder again. When the voice reads a translation of the "Book of the Dead," a vicious evil force awakens in the woods, and rushes into the house, and all hell breaks loose once more. Despite "Evil Dead 2" being more of a rehash than a sequel, it's the tone of the two movies that are significantly different. While the original is more of a conventional horror movie, the sequel ventures into full-blown surrealism. While both movies contain moments of humor, "Evil Dead 2" raises the comedic stakes.

Campbell's performance shifts to match the needs of the humorous script, and Ash is now all swagger, spitting out one-liners and taking on the forces of darkness with style. The overall intensity and old-school effects give the film a lovable quality that high-tech movies just can't provide nowadays. An acknowledgement to Mark Shostrom's prosthetic makeup and the camera work of Peter Deming and Eugene Shlugleit. Vivid, utterly unique, and quickly paced, ''Evil Dead 2'' is one of the goofiest, goriest movies this side of the grave.