Evil Dead 2 [DVD]

Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead" became a massive cult hit almost immediately -- but not entirely for the reasons he had hoped. Yes, some parts of it are scary, but it's also hilariously over-the-top.So when it was time to give the world "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn," Raimi decided to embrace the joke. Sure, it still has some horrific moments (possessed lady in the basement! Ash stuck down there with her!), but the movie is now being deliberately over-the-top for the sheer joy of it -- fountains of gore, quotable lines, chainsaw hands and laughing deer heads. And of course, Bruce Campbell has completely graduated into his memelike status here, as a demon-slaying mass of manly awesomeness.It begins with a heavily abridged retelling of the first movie, where Ash (Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) take a romantic vacation in a rickety old cabin, but stumble across a weird old tape recorder and the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (aka, Book of the Dead). An evil force possesses Linda, and Ash is forced to behead her with a shovel. Got it? Onto the story!After being possessed for a grand total of six seconds, Ash finds himself trapped in the haunted cabin, with no way of getting back to civilization. He's slowly driven insane by demonic hallucinations, and the undead Linda reassembles her very-rapidly-decayed body so she can attack Ash once more. This time, she bites his hand and possesses it, forcing Ash to take very extreme measures to protect himself. Think a chainsaw. Used for amputation.Meanwhile, ANOTHER quartet of disposable individuals are approaching the cabin, led by Annie (Sarah Berry), whose father left behind the tapes on the Necronomicon. Not only did he leave the Necronomicon and the tapes in the cabin, but his possessed wife Henrietta (Lou Hancock and Ted Raimi) is buried in the basement -- and she wants out. More horrible killings, possessions and demonic evil ensue.Despite having a few million dollars more, "Evil Dead 2" retains the same low-budget charm as the original. The story takes place in the same weird little cabin, there's a cast of about five or six people, and demonic possession is represented by some charming stop-motion and clever makeup. Sam Raimi has definitely polished his special effects with all that extra money (Ash talking to himself in the mirror), and has added a few for comedic effect (the laughing deer head, geysers of blood!), but hasn't lost the rough edges that made the first so delightful.He's also dialed his directing up a few notches. It's still a horror movie with a sense of creeping dread, especially as we discover more about the Necronomicon and the undead horrors that come from it ("We are the things that were and shall be again!")But Raimi fully embraces the over-the-top ("I'll swallow your soul! I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOUL!" "Swallow this!") and in-jokes (Ash pins down his hand... with "A Farewell to Arms"), with plenty of delightfully quotable lines (... groovy"). There's also a lot more weaponry in it, since Ash swaggers through the film with a sawed-off shotgun (which he fires into demon faces) and a chainsaw that he ends up attaching to his arm. It is almost as awesome as it sounds.This is also the movie where Bruce Campbell blossoms into the one-liner-slinging, larger-than-life, gun-and-chainsaw-swinging cult icon he is today -- he plays Ash as the kind of cool yet frenetic guy that every guy would like to imagine he would be in a supernatural crisis, and he is utterly delightful. The other actors do serviceable jobs as characters you don't know very well, but Bruce simply expands to fit the movie with no room for anyone else to steal (or chew) the scenery with such aplomb and charm."Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn" is one of those rare sequels that has more money and polished special effects, but doesn't lose what made the first movie so much fun. Instead, it takes everything that was fun... and amps it up.

If you haven't seen you really need to. This is a classic!

The evil dead is the best movies ever from the evil dead 1981, evil dead 2, the army of darkness, evil dead 2013, the complete collection (ash vs evil dead), the Evil dead rise . All of them. Oh yeah, the dvds work.

The cabin was basically destroyed during the filming of this, today only the chimney is left standing. the second movie in the trilogy. A must watch for fans of the genre.

*Oddly enough, there is still some confusion over Sam Raimi's (''Is It A 'Sequel?'; Is It A 'Remake?'; Is It A 'Requel?'; Is It A 'Semake?''') movie, ''Evil Dead II.'' This confusion is not entirely unwarrented, however.The assigning of the number ''two'' in the film's title automatically suggests that the film is a sequel (i.e., a 'second chapter' in a continuing saga). However, the events which take place between both films make it patently obvious that ''ED2'' is NOT a sequel.In the first film, main characters Ashley and his girlfriend Linda arrive at the cabin with his sister and a couple of friends, everyone [except?/including? Ash] dies, and the ''Book of the Dead'' is destroyed in the fire. If ''Evil Dead II'' was intended to be a sequel to the first film, then who relocated the cursed isolated cabin atop a dizzyingly high cliff, and just how crazy would Ashley have to be in order to return there, where he either nearly lost his life or completely lost it before his miraculous resurrection, and how crazy would his resurrected girlfriend Linda have to be for tagging along with him back to the place where she was possessed by the evil undead and decapitated only to be repossessed and decapitated again, and why would she receive the same necklace and charm she had already received earlier and act all ga-ga as though she were receiving it for the very first time? And just how did the previously destroyed ''Book of the Dead'' suddenly rematerialize? It could all happen only if ''ED2'' was NOT a sequel.What is it, then? Is the movie's title a ''play-on-words''-- i.e., ''The Evil Dead, TOO'' --meaning that the film is a ''remake?'' No, because, again, despite the many similarities between the two films (including the ''return'' of two key characters: Ashley and Linda), the overall theme, pacing, and introduction of a whole new set of supporting characters totally rule out any idea of this film's simply being a remake of an original. The title's inclusion of the number ''two'' is also clear indication that this film is something other than a remake.So what's going on? How does one make sense of this seeming paradox brought about by these two radically similar yet radically dissimilar films?I cannot begin to speak on behalf of the films' creator(s), but I personally find clarity in the titles of the two films. ''The Evil Dead'' is the ''official'' version of the film -- in other words, ''ED1'' is ''THE'' Evil Dead movie; ''Evil Dead TWO'' is actually the ''SECOND VERSION'' of ''The Evil Dead'' ... i.e., it is a ''NEW INTERPRETATION'' of the ''official'' film: Therefore, ''ÉD2'' could just as easily be called, ''Evil Dead 2[nd version]'' or ''Evil Dead 2[nd interpretation]'' for clarity. ''Evil Dead II'' is a ''STAND ALONE'' FILM, apart from ''Evil Dead I'' ... ''Army of Darkness''-- the so-called 'third installment' of the ''Evil Dead Trilogy'' --is specifically a sequel to ''Evil Dead II,'' NOT a ''continuation'' of the entire ''Evil Dead'' storyline.Now whether ''ED2'' is the film Raimi and company ''would have'' made initially if their first ''Book of the Dead'' project (''Evil Dead's'' originally intended title) had access to the bigger budget the second film enjoyed is known only to Raimi and company: Judging from the similarities and differences, one can only guess. By direct comparison, ''ED2'' is much more of a lighthearted slapstick than its predecessor and the very graphic gore is more for storytelling and visual effect than for the shock value of the first film.In ''Evil Dead II,'' Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash; the role of his girlfriend Linda, originally portrayed by Betsy Baker, is now taken over by Denise Bixler. The supporting characters are comprised this time of a couple of country hicks and a couple of archaeologists, one of whom happens to be the adult daughter of the cabin's previous occupant -- the man who first unwittingly released the evil entities into the surrounding woods by means of an ancient incantation from the ''Book of the Dead'' (the same entities which have been unwittingly re-released by Ash when he replays the incantation that had been left recorded on tape by the previous occupant).As in the first film, the woods themselves come alive and prevent anyone from escaping their impending doom. But this group of unlikely heroes have an Ace in the hole: The daughter was paying a visit to the cabin in order to present her father with their latest and most significant find -- the 'lost pages' of the ''Book of the Dead,'' which include, among other things, an incantation to dispell the evil. So whereas ''Evil Dead I'' was a massacre in a one-sided losing battle, ''Evil Dead II'' is full-scale war from start to finish.Bloody, hysterically funny at times, and packed with more memorable one-liners than a Steven Wright concert, ''Evil Dead II'' is definitely a welcome addition to any personal movie library ... don't let the hardcore ''Old School'' Evil Dead-ites dissuade you, or you'll miss out on a unique and enjoyable experience.* * *

Amazon you have done it again, an excellent sequel to watch during the Halloween season. This is the film that helped set up Ash Williams as the heroic character he would be in Army of Darkness and Ash vs Evil Dead. Really creepy atmosphere in this film, along with really good jump scares. Excellent makeup on the monsters and it had a good blend of comedy thrown into the mix. I had a blast watching the film and a sequel I would recommend for anyone who loves horror movies. Thank you Amazon.

The quality is so good I thought the image was grainy until I realized it was so clear I was seeing individual mist droplets. The sound quality is equally as good. The original " Evil Dead" was a box office flop. It did however gain a Cult Classic following. This, second installment was written to make the 1st installment (meant to be straight horror) into the greatest horror/comedy trilogy of all time! It has become emersed into pop culture, you will hear people quoting parts of this movie all the time. See references to it in modern shows....in fact it became so popular a series was made of it. And it's all because of the brilliant writing that made it possible to make a trilogy out of a Cult Classic!