Evil Dead 2

EVIL DEAD 2

Released in 1987, Evil Dead 2 opens with a recap of part of the first film and then picks up where the original left off (with Ash emerging from the cabin only to be hit by something nasty speeding through the forest).  Ash, trapped at the cabin due to the destruction of the bridge in part one, holes up and copes with a few horrors (including his right hand becoming possessed and attacking him until he’s forced to cut it off) before three others arrive at the cabin via a hiking trail.  The newcomers include Annie (the daughter of the cabin owners who comes bearing previously missing pages from The Book of the Dead), her boyfriend, a workman who set up a blockade at the damaged bridge, and the workman’s girlfriend (Bobby Joe).  Ash and his three new allies endure a hellish night as the demons unleashed in part one continue to torment and assault their human prey.  Annie ultimately reads a couple of passages from The Book of the Dead in order to render the primary evil spirit as flesh and to open a rift in space & time through which the manifestation of the spirit can be dispelled.  The plan works, but unfortunately Ash gets pulled into the vortex too and ends up in 1300 A.D. with his chainsaw and shotgun.

Like the first film, this sequel boasts innovative low-budget special effects and a clever script.  Evil Dead 2 features more humor than part one but is still saturated with disturbing images (I’ll likely have nightmares about the possessed individual who erupts from a grave in the cellar).  Bruce Campbell gives a jaw-dropping performance as Ash.  The sequence in which he battles his possessed right hand (before he severs it) demands repeat viewings.  While Evil Dead 2 has an army of rabid fans who swear it’s superior to the original, I actually prefer part one’s darker tone.  Still, this sequel is absolutely worth checking out on a chilly October night to get you in a Halloween kind of mood.  I look forward to finishing the trilogy by enjoying Army of Darkness soon.