May 7, 2025
Evil Dead II
Trigger warning; Brief mention of sexual violence.
Evil Dead II (1987) has always been a staple film in my house, to the point where I knew Bruce Campbell before leaving the womb. While I’ve never seen the original — since I was so young
at the time, my father always prefers that I clarify — the rest of this franchise has always been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. This film was the one to get me into horror movies at an early five-years old and will continue to receive a solid five stars on my Letterboxd for the rest of eternity. Even though there are many reasons I can throw at you as to why this is, I’ll settle for only a few and hope it’s enough to persuade or pressure you into watching!
This horror/comedy stars the “groovy” Bruce Campbell who plays Ash Williams. As Ash and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) sneak into a cabin, things quickly go south after finding a tape recorder reciting words from The Book of the Dead. Ash, like any other oblivious horror movie character, plays the tape while browsing the book, releasing the demonic spirits it held. The spirits are quick to possess Linda, ultimately leading to her death at Ash’s hands. The spirits, still hanging around, begin to target Ash, making him go crazier and crazier. But I’m sure finals week has us all feeling just as crazy as my man Ashley J. Williams, so who am I to talk?
The film gets into a perfect blend of comedy and horror after quickly introducing four throwaway characters who help move Ash into more of a hero role when he magically becomes all-knowing. That happens after he listens to a few minutes of the tape, and is briefly possessed, but it all adds to his aura, so we’ll allow it for the plot. It results in scary, yet silly, possession prosthetics and actions from these characters as they meet their demise.
Outside of the plot, though, what makes this such a great film is the VFX done by Tom Sullivan and the camera work directed by Sam Raimi, who also wrote the script alongside Scott Spiegel. The creepy possession and corpse make-up creates a much more terrifying feeling than CGI ever could. Plus, the first-person POV camera movements from a demon’s perspective build the audience’s anxiety as we move at full force after these terrified characters, all of which help give this film and franchise its iconic feel, separating it from others in the horror category when it comes to style. But then again, maybe I’m biased. These guys are also to thank for the well-known chainsaw scene, where we not only witness Ash chop off his own hand but also see the birth of the chainsaw hand, his boomstick creation, and his catchphrase, “Groovy.” It’s beautiful, really; you almost always have to shed a tear.
While I’m sure this film has callbacks to the first Evil Dead (1981), I personally have never seen that one and honestly don’t even recommend watching it due to the sexual violence in it that Raimi regrets including. Luckily, the franchise is set up where you can easily jump into this film and can disregard anything before it. So don’t let the title saying “II” hold you back! It’s worth the watch. Plus, if you enjoy this film, or just Sam Raimi, I highly recommend trying out the horror video game The Quarry, also blessed by the hands of a Raimi brother. It’s the perfect time to add to your watch list as we head into “Summerween” in just a month.
Available on Pluto TV.