Evil Dead II (1987) (Not Rated)

Evil Dead II (1987) (Not Rated)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley

Daughter Says:

After watching The Evil Dead, I was pretty sure nothing could be any worse. Boy, was I proven wrong. I couldn't believe that a movie so gross could be funny, but once again I was wrong. Less of a horror film and more of a comedy, Evil Dead II kept me laughing.

I thought the first Evil Dead had too much horror for that long of a movie, but when you add comedy to the horror it makes it less exhausting to watch. After awhile your energy just wears our and you get tired of being scared. That's how it was watching The Evil Dead. But Evil Dead II had breaks in it where you just have to laugh at such a bizarre movie.

I thought Bruce Campbell did such a great job at acting. Especially when it comes to the scene where his hand is possessed. I didn't realize just how talented he was until this movie. You'll know what I mean when you see the movie for yourself.

Even with all the comedy in this movie it still can be classified as a horror film, because there were still scenes that made me cringe or gag. For example, at one point there's a zombie in the house and they are trying to fight it off. That's when one of its eyes pops out of its head and falls into one of the screaming girls' mouth. And you won't believe it but she accidentally swallowed it (How gross, right?). I won't give too much away, but some parts really got to me.

I really liked this movie, but if it wasn't for the funny parts in this film, I think it would be a disaster. I think that the movie would have been too long, too gory, and too much to take at once. I must say this movie did tick me off, kind of like the last one. This movie had no ending what so ever, and I hate cliffhangers. This seems like a reoccurring theme with the Evil Dead movies. Of course, I haven't seen the third movie yet, so I can't really judge thus far. Other than that one problem, I liked this one better than the last one because of the above reasons. That's why Evil Dead II deserves this rating.

Rating for Evil Dead II: *****.

Daddy Says:

Director Sam Raimi returns with a sequel (and partial remake) to his surprise hit The Evil Dead. Bruce Campbell returns to the role of Ash, showing his wonderful gift for physical comedy this time around. You'll know you're watching a different kind of horror movie when after only six minutes into the film, Ash has already killed, dismembered and is burying his girlfriend in the woods (and he's the hero!). Don't worry, she'll be back to dance a waltz in the moonlight using her own head as a dance partner. It's that kind of film.

Raimi takes all the camera tricks and low budget special effects he used in the last go-around and cranks them up to eleven in the sequel. Any fan of his Spider-man movies will want to check these early films out to see where all the manic energy originated from. That scene in Spider-man 2 with Doc Ock on the operating table where his arms come to life and take out the medical staff? This is the film that popped into my head while I was watching that scene.

Bruce Campbell does a wonderful scene acting with his own possessed hand. The hand is given it's own sound effects and essentially becomes a separate entity even though still attached to Ash. Some of what happens seems like a horror-version of a Three Stooges skit, with Ash's hand hitting him over the head with whatever it can find, uh, at hand. And when it does finally become a separate entity, the scene only becomes that much funnier.

Sam Raimi's budget for this film was about ten times the amount he spent on the first film and it shows. It still has all the manic energy of the first Evil Dead, but this time around it looks a lot better in quality, and he's able to do some things he couldn't have attempted on a much smaller film. Evil Dead II is a great horror/comedy film and it shouldn't be missed.

Rating for Evil Dead II: *****.