Evil Dead II (1987)

The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holds up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers:

Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel

Stars:

Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Campbell	...	Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams
Sarah Berry	...	Annie Knowby
Dan Hicks	...	Jake
Kassie Wesley DePaiva	...	Bobby Joe (as Kassie Wesley)
Ted Raimi	...	Possessed Henrietta (as Theodore Raimi)
Denise Bixler	...	Linda
Richard Domeier	...	Ed Getley
John Peakes	...	Professor Raymond Knowby
Lou Hancock	...	Henrietta Knowby
Snowy Winters	...	Dancer
Sid Abrams	...	Fake Shemp
Josh Becker	...	Fake Shemp
Scott Spiegel	...	Fake Shemp
Thomas Kidd	...	Fake Shemp
Mitch Cantor	...	Fake Shemp

Storyline

A young man, named Ash, takes his girlfriend Linda to a secluded cabin in the woods where he plays back a professor's tape recorded recitation of passages from the Book of the Dead. The spell calls up an evil force from the woods which turns Linda into a monstrous Deadite, and threatens to do the same to Ash. When the professor's daughter and her entourage show up at the cabin, the night turns into a non-stop, grotesquely comic battle with chainsaw and shotgun on one side, demon horde and flying eyeball on the other.

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Plot Keywords:

Cabin | Woods | Demon | Cabin In The Woods | Book Of The Dead | 

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Taglines:

The Sequel To The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

X

Details

Official Sites:

Deadites Online - Official Fan site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

Filming Locations:

De Laurentiis Studios, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,600,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$5,923,044 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG), Renaissance Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 70 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sam Raimi:  [chainsaw]  Ash's weapon of choice is a chainsaw throughout the movie.

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Goofs

The lighting rig is often clearly visible above the cottage interior set.

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Quotes

Bobbie Joe: You're holding my hand too tight.
Jake: Baby, I ain't holding your hand!

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Crazy Credits

The sequel to the ultimate experience in grueling horror

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Connections

Referenced in Duke Nukem 3D (1996)
Duke references Ash with the line "Groovy!"

User Reviews

Extremely cheap, yet well crafted film: loads of great scenes!

Sequel or remake? There has always been a huge debate whether Evil Dead II is a sequel or a remake, since the second film contradicts the story that occurred in Evil Dead. Such as, the ending of Evil Dead ends with Ash being chased down by the evil spirit which deceased the other characters. However, after the paraphrase of events at the start of Evil Dead II, which only features Ash and Linda and Ash is once again hit by the same evil spirit. That's where the story begins in the second film.

So, the book was destroyed in The Evil Dead, whereas it appears again in Evil Dead II. This certainly isn't a huge factor. Actually, if one can recall James Whale's 1935 masterpiece sequel entitled Bride of Frankenstein. There is no question that director Sam Raimi used the Whale masterpiece as the blueprint for his sequel. In Bride of Frankenstein, the film starts with a prologue that recaps the events of the first film, however, completely contradicting the entire ending of the film which is where the sequel starts. I understand that Raimi was going through legal issues, so he was forced in this position to contradict the first film, but he certainly used the way that made Bride of Frankenstein the classic in remains. Not to mention, in Frankenstein, it is a straightforward horror film, whereas in the sequel it is a macabre, satirical film that uses the blend of horror and black comedy at it's finest. No doubt Raimi's Evil Dead II uses the same concept.

So is Evil Dead II a sequel or a remake? It is undoubtedly a sequel! A fairly good one as well, that in many ways surpasses it's original prototype. It's certainly not one of the most visually inventive, relentless, and truly original films ever made as some claim it to be, it's not even one of the top films of it's very own genre. However, it remains one of the best full-on gore slapstick's ever seen. The script is witty, and well written (mostly on the part of Scott Spiegel). It's no secret that one of films main inspirations was The Three Stooges, along with many other slapstick comedy's. Though it's director Raimi's unbelievable POV shots, weird lighting, stop motion animation, moving hand held camera, etc. that makes the film work.

That being said, Evil Dead II just isn't a grade-A horror film, it isn't on the level of the classics such as, Peeping Tom, Freaks, Nosferatu, Vampyr, The Phantom of the Opera (silent), The Man Who Laughs, etc. It does not have much of a plot. It has very little acting, little continuity, and no logic. Evil Dead II is a classic cult horror film in every sense of the word. You simply have to come along and experience it for yourself.