Overview
Kiss your nerves goodbye!
Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from “The Book of the Dead.” As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda’s body.
Review
I find myself in the minority when it comes to rating the best Evil Dead movies. Many believe Evil Dead II to be the best, and I have to disagree. In reality it’s a mess of a film. The sequel tag really doesn’t apply as this movie begins as if the first movie never happened. Ash heading back to an isolated cabin with his girlfriend. There seems to be no recollection of the events that took place in the original. This was rather jarring and confusing to begin the film.
On the bright side, Bruce Campbell becomes a better Ash Williams in this film. His screen presence blossoms into a very physically comedic character. Evil Dead audiences finally get to see the iconic character revving up his groovy clueless hero schtick. There are some special effects in this movie that really go beyond the first film. This is also the first that the coveted book of the dead is related to The Necronomicon. Also, Ted Raimi’s role as Possessed Henrietta is a very cool addition to this sequel.
What didn’t work for me is the freenetic place of the slapstick humor. It seemed almost too much. I felt numb to what was happening throughout the greater part of the film. It’s such a departure from the first film that I felt it would have been better not to be lumped in as a sequel, because truly it was not. Along with the disorientation of the timeline, the additional characters that came in after Linda seemed filler and didn’t add much to the movie. Except to offer a way to the end where the film forces a cliffhanger setup to what will become Army of Darkness.
Evil Dead II ultimately was a step back from the original film. But even so, it’s extremely difficult not to rate it favorably as it molded the character of Ash Williams and really was a unique experience.
Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)
