Alright, fellow tapeheads, let’s rewind to a time when finding the right splatter-fest at the local video store felt like striking gold. Picture this: the flickering fluorescent lights, the satisfying thwack of a returned tape hitting the counter, and there, nestled between some predictable slashers, is a cover that promises pure, unadulterated chaos. I’m talking, of course, about Sam Raimi's 1987 masterpiece of mayhem, Evil Dead II. Forget subtlety; this film grabs you by the collar, slaps you silly with a possessed hand, and cackles maniacally the entire time.
### Groovy Beginnings, Again?
Now, the first thing that hits you about Evil Dead II – maybe after the initial sensory overload – is its weird relationship with the original The Evil Dead (1981). Is it a sequel? A remake? A ‘requel’ before that term was even a glint in Hollywood’s eye? The truth, tangled in film rights issues, is that Raimi essentially had to remake the setup in the first few minutes because they couldn't legally use footage from the low-budget original. This little production hiccup, born from producer Dino De Laurentiis stepping in to fund the film (to the tune of about $3.6 million – a king's sum compared to the original's shoestring budget!), actually gifts us one of the most breakneck openings in horror history. We get Ash, Linda, the cabin, the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, and unleashed Kandarian demons all over again, but turbo-charged with Raimi’s now more confident, kinetic style.
### Raimi Unleashed
And oh, that style! If the first film was raw and gritty, Evil Dead II is where Sam Raimi, alongside co-writer and childhood friend Scott Spiegel (whose love for The Three Stooges is very apparent here), truly lets his freak flag fly. The camera doesn't just move; it careens, swoops, crashes through windows (sometimes literally!), and attaches itself to demonic entities hurtling through the woods. Remember those insane first-person demon POV shots? They were achieved by mounting the camera on makeshift rigs, including one famously strapped to a plank of wood carried by Raimi and others sprinting through the trees. It’s pure, unhinged visual storytelling, a live-action cartoon fueled by demonic possession and buckets of gore. This wasn't just horror; it was Raimi finding the hyper-kinetic energy he’d later bring, somewhat more tamed, to films like Darkman (1990) and even his Spider-Man trilogy.
### Hail to the King, Baby
Of course, you can't talk Evil Dead II without bowing down to the chin himself, Bruce Campbell. This is the film that cemented Ash Williams as a horror icon. Campbell throws himself into the role with reckless abandon, enduring legendary amounts of physical punishment for our entertainment. The genius here is watching Ash transform from a slightly goofy everyman into a traumatized, half-mad, wisecracking badass. His battle with his own possessed hand is a masterclass in physical comedy, channeling Buster Keaton by way of demonic infestation. You can practically feel Campbell’s exhaustion and Raimi’s gleeful torment – stories abound of Raimi specifically poking and prodding Campbell (sometimes literally with sticks) to get the right reaction. That dedication shines through; Ash feels utterly real in his cartoonish suffering.
### A Symphony of Splatter and Stop-Motion
Let's talk practical effects, because Evil Dead II is a glorious shrine to the messy, tangible magic of the pre-digital age. Forget clean, weightless CGI blood – this film drowns you in gallons of the sticky stuff (famously a mix involving Karo syrup, food coloring, and non-dairy creamer). The creature effects, spearheaded by the incredibly talented Mark Shostrom (who’d later work on A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 & 3), are grotesque, imaginative, and often hilarious. That possessed deer head mounted on the wall? Pure comedic gold. And Henrietta? The stop-motion monstrosity in the cellar, brought to life frame-by-frame primarily by Doug Beswick, is utterly terrifying and brilliantly executed. Remember how real that felt compared to the sometimes rubbery monsters of the era? Even the simpler effects, like the eyeball flying across the room and into Bobby Joe's (Kassie Wesley DePaiva) mouth, have a visceral impact that pixels often struggle to replicate today. It felt raw, immediate, and wonderfully crafted.
The supporting cast, including Sarah Berry as Annie Knowby, the archaeologist's daughter who brings more pages of the Necronomicon, and the doomed hick couple Jake (Dan Hicks) and Bobby Joe, are largely there to react to Ash's breakdown and eventually become Deadite fodder. They play their parts well, grounding the escalating insanity just enough before being swept away by it. The film expertly walks a tightrope between genuine scares and outrageous slapstick, a tone few films have managed successfully since.
### Cabin Fever Dreams
Filmed primarily in Wadesboro, North Carolina, with interior cabin sets built inside a local school gymnasium for more controlled shooting (and destruction!), the production wasn't exactly smooth sailing. Battling the heat, the sheer volume of effects work, and the MPAA (the film initially received an X rating before cuts secured an unrated release, later hitting VHS with an R), the crew’s tenacity is evident on screen. Despite the chaos, Joseph LoDuca’s score perfectly complements the action, shifting from ominous dread to bombastic orchestral swells.
While not a massive box office smash upon release (grossing around $5.9 million in the US), its impact was immediate on home video. My own well-worn VHS copy saw countless late-night viewings. Evil Dead II became a defining cult classic, the film people really meant when they talked about the gleeful insanity of the Evil Dead series. Its DNA is all over modern horror-comedy, and its influence led directly to Army of Darkness (1992), the recent Ash vs Evil Dead TV series, and various remakes and spin-offs, ensuring Ash's chainsaw keeps buzzing decades later.
Rating: 9/10
This rating reflects the film's near-perfect execution of its gonzo vision. It's a tour-de-force of practical effects, iconic character work from Bruce Campbell, and Sam Raimi's wildly inventive direction. It loses a single point only because the frantic recap opening, while necessary, can feel slightly jarring to newcomers. Otherwise, it’s a high-water mark for 80s horror-comedy.
Final Thought: Evil Dead II isn't just a movie; it's a caffeine-and-sugar-fueled nightmare captured on celluloid, a testament to the insane creativity practical effects could unleash, and it remains gloriously, deliriously groovy to this day.