Evil Dead II (1987) - The Wizard Watches

     Evil Dead II provides a strange and satisfying sequel to the first classic film that both made us shake our head in ridicule and avoid going to sleep. The film seems to have the same level of grossness and B-movie cheese as its predecessor, but the equal emphasis on dark humor and terrifying horror seems to vanish - putting more emphasis on the humor than ever. However, for this film it works; the dark and cheesy humor punctuates the fact that this is truly a B-movie meant for nothing more than a fun, twisted ride.

     The film begins with a brief, re-done recap of the events of the first film - only this time the only people on the trip are Ash Williams (role reprisal by Bruce Campbell) and his fiance, Linda (Denise Bixler). As established from the first film, they discover the tapes of the demons being summoned, play them, summon the demons who then possess Linda, and leave Ash to survive stranded in the cabin all night. Meanwhile, a young Annie Knowby (Sarah Berry) and her husband are planning to return to that cabin in the woods to visit Annie's father who had apparently been an explorer on the brink of discovering the Necronomicon or the "Book of the Dead". Until the young explorers arrive, the demons continue to torment Ash, doing such things as resurrecting his girlfriend as a bloodthirsty demon, possessing every piece of furniture in the house strictly in order to laugh at his attempts to fight, and even taking control of his hand which he eventually amputates to save himself. After a rough time clearing things up and becoming acquainted with the demons, Ash and the explorers finally meet and are left at the will of these demonic entities to survive. The plot is in some ways just a re-do of the first film but with new content and characters. This sequel serves as a continuation that adds a bit of history, rationale, and explanation to the plot while also poking fun at itself every chance it gets.

     My favorite thing about this film is how it essentially feels like a carnival ride - a true "spook house", if you will. Something's waiting to pop out and scare the viewer around every corner without rest, but most of the viewers just see the fun in it and laugh. Just like a common spook house, all of the scares inspire laughs at how far-fetched and cheesy the whole experience is. The scares are gory, extreme, and brutalized in excess - to such excess that it feels fake and overdone, so you feel you have to laugh and have a good time with it. This film feels like Sam Raimi wanted to clarify that he meant for the whole Evil Dead concept to be a fun B-movie and nothing more. There's nothing up for interpretation but plenty of gore and over-the-top special effects which no longer feel realistic, but rather grotesque and exaggerated to effect.

     In addition to the entire carnival-ride spirit the film carries, Bruce Campbell's excellent, campy performance primarily drives the film and what sucks in the audience's attention. Campbell is very much familiar with his role and purpose in the film - to be the unlucky protagonist dealing with all of the demonic bullshit that can possibly be thrown at him. Campbell's the literal punching bag of the film, taking everything and anything the demons want to try. His performance is accentuated by typical B-movie over-acting, a well-trained awkwardness, and his uncanny ability to accurately capture the persona of a man who's truly been driven insane. Every moment that Bruce isn't onscreen is considered a dull moment and for good reasoning; he is the driving personality behind the movie.

     Evil Dead II is a sequel well worth the watch, containing something different yet oh-so-familiar when compared to its predecessor. This film may not terrify you to the core as quickly and intensely as the first, but it'll definitely inspire a few head shakes, chuckles, and dry grins at the overboard gory violence and perfectly cheesy performance by Bruce Campbell. The film is so over-the-top it feels just as fun and entertaining as a carnival haunted house - and that's an experience well worth having in this case. Though it's not as scary or fresh as the original, it's still a wild ride.

(9/10)