Evil Dead II

Not really much of a fan of slasher/gore films, but friends suggested I give this a try purely because the film does not try to take itself too seriously, and despite the fact there is lots of gore here, none of it looked particularly realistic and only adds to the extremely black humour of the whole affair. But what attracted me to this film was the charisma of the lead actor Ash, played by Bruce Campbell. He is not a great actor by any stretch, but he does have a rather boyish charm that moves the film along, even if the script is as creaky as the rocking chair in his cabin! Definitely made on a shoestring budget, and the sfx (no cgi here!) are not all that great, but it doesn't matter because you're just there for the ride; and to be fair there are some very good fx splashed around throughout, and the first person camera-eye of the Evil Spirit in the Wood, is also well done. Groovy!

The Evil Dead II takes everything fans loved from the original and ramps it up to one thousand, but is that such a good thing? The direction from Raimi is very present once again with fantastically creative shots and quick zooms that are such a staple of his. The story is way more fleshed out here, with interesting flash backs that give the original an entirely new perspective. The special effects are better than the original, and we get to see a lot more of what the evil entity is. But with all the positives this movie has, it is just missing something that I cannot put my finger on. The original felt so genuine, and I think the low budget helped increase the tension and horror of the possessions. Here the tone is a little campier and I just don't resonant with it as much as the original. It is still a great film, and one of the better horror films of the 80s, but I do not hold it as high as most unfortunately. Score: 81% ✅ Verdict: Great

**I don't understand the hype.** When watching this film, I got the serious impression that “Army of Darkness” ended up being a kind of sequel or spin-off to this work, considering the themes involved and the persistence of the main actor, Bruce Campbell. Both films have similarities, and it's hard not to think about it. Sam Raimi is one of those directors who have made a name for himself in horror cinema, but I can't help but think that this is one of his poorest works. “Evil Dead” is dark, it's bizarre, it's full of gore and scenes that make you want to throw up your popcorn, but it's not the kind of film I would watch again. With a miserably low budget and a lot of creativity, the director manages to disgust us more than to scare us, and there is little in this film that can really instill fear or dramatic tension. In fact, there are scenes that dangerously border on comedy. Bruce Campbell does what he can, and what he does is enough to guarantee protagonism due to the absolute lack of a capable and competent cast. The actor is not completely devoid of ability or talent, but he seems to have limited himself to this, and similar films. It goes without saying that the rest of the cast doesn't even deserve a mention in this review, as they are absolute amateurs or people who made mistakes in their profession. And of course the Necronomicon, a book created by the fantasy imagination of H. P. Lovecraft, has a relevant role in the plot and is absolutely fearsome. In the midst of this funny disaster, what saves this film a little is the way Raimi takes the opportunity to study cheap visual and special effects, and the results he can get from them. Buckets of paint, raspberry juice, bizarre synthetic makeup similar to carnival faces, we have almost everything.