Evil
Dead II
Director:
Sam Raimi
Year
1987
Evil
Dead II is the wild sequel to Sam Raimi's debut 1981 horror
masterpiece, The Evil Dead. Re-imagined to the point of mimicry, yet
infused with a dark comedic style, Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn is a
twisted amalgam of all of the archetypes that made Evil Dead a
hollowed name within the genre. Saturated with a mass amount of gore
and dripping with morbid atmosphere, this groovy outing blasts the
viewer with an abundance of horrific moments and over the top antics,
until you're literally lost in a demented world where anything can
happen, and most certainly does. With its heightened sensibility and
off-the-wall charm, Evil Dead II is a gory, slapstick ride that
you'll never forget.
The film
follows a man by the name of Ash, who along with his girlfriend
Linda, travel to a secluded cabin in the woods. Once there they find
an ancient book and a tape recorder, both possessions of an
archeologist who has been studying ancient Candarian demons. After
playing the tape, an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth,
transforming Linda into a demonic beast and forcing Ash to fight for
his life by any means necessary. Plagued by flesh-possessing evil
spirits and trapped in the middle of nowhere, Ash unexpectedly runs
into a group of strangers, who one by one, begin turning into
grotesque deadites, hell bent on devouring his soul. With a chainsaw
and a double barreled shotgun, Ash takes on the demonic horde,
decapitating and dismembering his way to freedom, but ultimately
propelling himself towards a destiny that not even he could have
foreseen.
Bruce
Campbell reprises the role of Ashley Williams, AKA Ash, the once
timid and awkward youth from the first film, now turned badass demon
slayer. The performances between The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II are
like night and day, showcasing a wide difference between Campbell's
two character's personalities. The differences can be attributed to
Raimi's decision to switch up the tone of the film, by including a
dark comedic overlay to the proceedings, allowing for Campbell to
really milk his charisma for all it is worth. I'm a huge fan of the
first film's genuine and natural approach to grotesque horror, yet
surprisingly the switch up to comedy centered horror is not an abrupt
one. This is in great deal due to Campbell's unfaltering approach to
the character of Ash.
Wholly
expressive and ultimately masochistic, Campbell's Ash is a human
punching bag that takes a licking but keeps on ticking. He's
drenched, beaten, battered, bruised and mutilated, and that's just in
the first half of this crazy ride of a film. All the while, Campbell
keeps up with the intense tempo that director Sam Raimi sets as his
precedent for the film and it is in this no holds barred performance
that the film really benefits the most from. Charismatic as all hell
and tremendously sympathetic, Campbell gives it his all as the
tormented hero who is plagued with one unbelievable situation after
the other. The ridiculous amount of pain and punishment that his
character goes through is unfathomable, but it is through these
trials and tribulations that make us root for him to succeed, even if
the odds are stacked sorely against him. It's the classic underdog
story, and Campbell nails the perfect pitch to get us to stand up and
cheer for his eventual victory over the forces of evil.
Aside
from Campbell's overwhelming contributions to the film, the other
essential element of this movie is the kinetic style of Sam Raimi's
direction. From his whacked out angles, to his super-charged tracking
shots, to his impeccable visual touch which gives a distinct texture
to everything, Raimi knocks it out of the park in this entry. There
is a foreboding quality to the film that is not easy to describe and
it's even more difficult to fathom seeing that the movie is drenched
in a wild comedic style that is anything but orthodox. Even the sound
of this film is unbelievably disjointed and demonic, from the sound
of the evil point of view shots to the extremely disturbing
soundscapes that litter this picture. Needless to say that the
audible aspects of this production equal the visuals in both unusual
and unsettling ways.
The over
the top nature of the film, in its imagery, sound effects and general
atmosphere, is almost too off the wall, with fountains of blood
erupting and oozing puss protruding from every orifice of this
delightfully demented production, but when put into the context of
Raimi's envisioned world, it just gels perfectly. Limbs are hacked
off, bodies are brutalized, and possessions abound, but in the end it
all fits within the context of the world Raimi has constructed. The
actual fact that demons are jumping into bodies and wreaking havoc in
the real world is pure and unadulterated fantasy, but when amped to
the max through Sam Raimi's filter, it comes out as one bloody and
entertaining shitstorm of fun.
I
haven't even covered the creature effects of the various deadites in
the film, but in one word I can describe them as fantastic. With
their soulless white eyes, their distorted features, and their
absolutely grotesque presence in general, the design on these
Candarian demons are without a doubt one of my favorite aspects of
the Evil Dead universe. There is just something about those white
eyes that just recall nightmarish visions and the effects guys just
did an incredible job overall on all of the diverse looks of the
deadites. Combine all of these facets that Raimi and crew have
brought to the table and you've got yourself one hell of a unique
cinematic vision that I absolutely treasure.
Evil
Dead II is without a doubt an unexpected sequel, which pulls
everything that made the first entry so enjoyable, and then totally
flips it all on its head to make a truly unique beast. Streamlined
with an unmistakably dark comedic undertone, the movie straddles the
line between comedy and horror so closely, that it blends the two
into a whole new categorization of genre cinema. Wicked in nature,
yet wholly tongue and cheek, the movie thrives in its unexpected, and
often unleashed wonder. The film has Bruce Campbell to thank for this
for it is his over the top performance and penchant for pain that
truly makes this formula work. Bloodied and battered, Campbell throws
himself into the role as he creates one of the most beloved
characters in all of horror history.
With
Campbell in front of the camera giving it his all, Raimi is behind
the scenes making it all come together in perfect demented harmony.
With his trademark and expressive direction, Raimi gifts unto the
audience an exceptionally obscure viewpoint on what motion pictures
can endure. Excessive to the max, the production is caked with over
emphasized moments, hair raising situations, and unmistakably
original techniques which all force the film to rise above its meager
origins. When you combine all of these elements with the outstanding
creature effects, the vicious nature of the narrative, and the
uncontrollable tone in which this film just simmers in, then you have
yourself one of the most original, entertaining, brutal, and bizarre
flicks to ever come out of the horror genre. Evil Dead II is plain
and simply.....
 |
| Looks like cozy bedtime reading. |
 |
| High-five guys.... Don't leave me hanging. |
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| Looks like someone is going to get a little head. |
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| Why you rude little shit! |
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| The flood gates have opened! |
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| See he's laughing.. He's having a good time. |
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| Henrietta is one hell of a singer. |
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| You stay in the basement and think about what you did! Naughty Grandma. |
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| You're.... looking.... great buddy. |
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| Looks like someone got a hold of an Army of Darkness storyboard. |
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| Pull my Deadite finger! Pull it! |
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| Let go lady! I don't think CPR is going to save this poor bastard. |
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| Shit! Henrietta's Hulking up! |
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| Deadite staring contest...... GO! |
