Evil Dead 2
It is very rare that a sequel would do better than the original. When it does, it is stellar; able to pull back the annoying nuances from the original and improve on the great moemnts. A couple of months back (or last year if you want to be picky) I wrote about the masterpiece that is Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead. Though he has gone on to better and worst film, that ingenious piece of horror cinema has since evolved into a wonderful cult classic spawning off several sequels. The better and most beloved of those sequels is this one Evil Dead 2 which with cult hero Bruce Campbell and his beloved chin spawned thousands of groovy film fans.
Evil Dead 2 kicks off exactly where the first finished, though introducing a new revised recap of the events of the first. Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda are attacked by the demons of an evil book (recanted on a tape recording.) He decapitates her then has to find some way out of there. But the devils have another plan and he is forced back to the cabin to delve into their torture. On the other side of the woods, the daughter of the cabin owners (and the professor who, quite frankly, kicked the whole thing off,) is heading down with the original book. Could they team together to destroy the essence of all horror ?
Sam Raimi’s work with the Evil Dead series is infamous. The reason that Evil Dead 2 works better than the first is because the crew have more experience with their satirical undertones. While the original movie feels like a bunch of teenagers of a Ray Harryhausen exhibit high on acid set off into the woods with cameras, this entry feels like they have handled their trip enough to convey an energetic piece. Theh movie is simply hysterical; beating with much more of a control fun rhythm, the laughs and craziness our plentiful and audiences have lapped it up ever since.
Though it is still horrific. There are still moments of fright and mind bending special effects that truly feel as though they echo the nightmares of the drug addled, cheese fed nightmares you’ve had once in your life. Raimi’s imagination knows no bounds and inflicting whatever devilish nightmares he can on his cast. The abundance of corn syrup deliciousness, the festering flesh and crawl demon design (my particular favourite is the Linda tree dancing ballet like Tim Burton’s perfect dream lady,) are unforgettable imagery that provoke laughs and screams all at the same time.
Balancing both elements is no easy fete but with the sure impeccable brilliance of Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead 2 becomes a hysterical gore flesh that is unrelenting. Better produced and hitting all the right notes, this sequel could happily be devoured all over again. Ash Williams is a cult icon and in Evil Dead 2 Campbell exhumes a hero that is fun, brave and a little bit insane as the cabin bends his sanity to it’s ever whim. Evil Dead 2 will give you a high octane ride that is thrilling on every watch. Much better than the first and third, it is the superior entry of the series.
TTFN
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