Evil Dead 2
Never lose your smile, kid
Horror has come a long way in the past
30 or so years. What was once relegated to the corners of local video
stores and only talked about amongst your two or three friends has
become a global cash cow. There are now film festivals, video games,
clothing, and action figures dedicated solely to horror. These are
all great things, but horror's rise in popularity also brings about
the rise in elitists. Thanks to internet anonymity, every website has
it's share of elitists, trolls, and trouble makers who feel the need
to ruin everyone's fun. I always have a fear when doing a review that
some mega-nerd will unleash their nerd wrath upon me. I can
practically hear their chubby, Cheetos-encrusted fingers angrily
typing away that I forgot to mention a crucial part in a movie or
that I wrote an incorrect date. This goes double for reviewing a
classic horror movie, but I won't let some mouth breathers keep me
from doing what I like to do.
Evil Dead 2 is a 1987 horror comedy
directed by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man) and starring Bruce
Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep, The Evil Dead) as Ash Williams. Ash and his
girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) take a vacation to a supposedly
abandoned cabin in the woods. Ash plays a recording from a Professor
Knowby that recites passages from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, The
Book Of The Dead. The incantation unleashes an evil force that
possesses Linda and turns her into a murderous zombie. Ash
decapitates her and buries her body in the woods. He is briefly
possessed, but the morning sun returns him to normal. He tries to
make a run for it, but the bridge that leads to the main road has
been demolished. When he returns to the cabin, his hand becomes
possessed and tries to kill him. He cuts off the possessed hand and
tries to deal with a cabin possessed by evil spirits. At the same
time, Professor Knowby's daughter Annie (Sarah Berry) arrives at the
cabin, along with her boyfriend Professor Ed Getley and two locals,
Jake and Bobby Joe. Annie has brought along missing pages from the
Necronomicon in hopes of translating them. They mistake Ash for a
criminal and throw him into the cellar. Annie listens to more of the
recording which explains that her mother Henrietta had become
possessed, forcing her father killed her and buried her in the
basement. A demonic Henrietta rises from the cellar and attacks Ash.
He is able to escape the cellar and the group traps Henrietta.
Members of the group soon become possessed or killed by various
spirits, leaving Ash and Annie. To battle the spirits, Ash grabs a shotgun and attaches a chainsaw to his stump. That's right, a chainsaw. How will they be able to stop the
evil spirits from coming into this world and how will they survive?
Groovy, indeed
While technically a sequel to The Evil
Dead, Evil Dead 2 incorporates many scenes and the same basic story
as the original Evil Dead. Whereas the first movie focused more on
horror, Evil Dead 2 goes off in a slightly different direction,
focusing more on comedy and special effects. That's not to say there
aren't some scary moments, because there certainly are, but you can
tell that they wanted more jokes. If you know that going in, you'll
enjoy it far more than expecting to see a straight-forward sequel.
The story moves fast, almost too fast in parts. Within the first 10
minutes or so, Linda has already been possessed and killed and the
bridge is out. It takes horror movies a good half hour to get to that
point. Because of this speed, it may be difficult for people to
follow, especially if they haven't seen the first Evil Dead.
Bruce Campbell is wonderfully
over-the-top and a bit hammy, which helps play up the humor aspect of
the movie. This movie is really where Bruce Campbell became “Bruce
Campbell”. The supporting cast does well in their roles, but the
true support comes from the special effects. Evil Dead 2 employs a
vast array of filming tricks and movie magic. Sam Raimi uses various
creative camera angles and shots that keep the movie interesting
without overdoing it. The special effects range from traditional
makeup and prosthetics to animation and blue screen technology. The
effects are so numerous that at times it feels like Sam Raimi was
saying “What else can I do?” The monsters have lots of detail and
are pretty terrifying. The movie has a lot of action and a good
amount of blood. If you've seen the first movie, you'll catch plenty
of references and similar scenes that will make you smile knowingly.
Donal Trump looks terrible
Some may call Evil Dead 2 a satire of
earlier horror movies, but if anything it's a loving tribute that is
both scary and fun. Whether it's a sequel or a remake, the movie does
justice for the original Evil Dead. If you haven't seen the first
movie, it may be a little difficult to follow the movie at first due
to it's fast pace, but don't let that discourage you. Evil Dead 2 is
a great example of creative film making and horror movie magic. The
special effects and makeup are great and Bruce Campbell's performance
is just plain fun. The movie has a lot of comedy, which I wasn't
expecting. I would have been happy with a straightforward horror
movie, but I still enjoyed it. Hopefully this review will not garner
the rage of a thousand sweaty neckbeards. After all, it's just one
man's opinion.
8.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment