I don't have time for as long a post here as I'd like to make, but I'd rather post this now while Evil Dead 2 is sort of fresh on my mind than post it a few days from now. (We're moving to a new apartment tomorrow, and God only knows when we'll have Internet access again.) I watched this movie two nights ago and found myself confused right off the bat. Ash, the main character from The Evil Dead, is heading back to a cabin in the woods with his girlfriend. Is this a new girlfriend? Is this the same cabin? Didn't Ash die at the end of the first movie? Eventually, I realized that Evil Dead 2 was just spending its first ten minutes or so recapping - and retconning - the events of the first movie. What followed was an entirely new movie... except, not really. Raimi included plenty of scenes from the first Evil Dead, such as a possessed woman in the cellar banging away at trap doors held back by loose chains, or a woman being attacked and dragged away by tree limbs. As such, a number of people refer to Evil Dead 2 as a partial remake of The Evil Dead and not a true sequel. I'll just call it a very similar movie with a lot of the same scenes and gags and an even more manic tone. In my post on the first movie nine months ago, I noted that The Evil Dead was as fun as it was frightening, but not quite campy. Let me be clear - Evil Dead 2 is totally and shamelessly campy. But that isn't a bad thing. I mean, look at this:
Or this:
Or th- no, you know what? Just do a YouTube search for "Evil Dead 2." There are at least a dozen great over-the-top clips out there, which is a whole lot for an 84-minute movie.
When Evil Dead 2 ended, I wasn't sure if I liked it as much as the original. Where the first movie had been an earnest attempt at a low-budget horror movie that wasn't afraid to have some fun along the way, this remake-sequel just seemed to play up the same old gags in a much goofier manner, and that didn't really sit right with me. It struck me as lazy, almost, as though Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and the rest of the original Evil Dead folks had run out of ideas for new movies, but wanted to go back and redo their rookie effort, laughing at it along the way. But I've sat on it for a few days, I've let the movie digest, so to speak, and I've come around. So what if this movie can't tell if it's a sequel or a remake? So what if it was way over the top and campy an goofy? It was fun, dammit, and that's all a horror movie needs to be. I mean, have you seen those clips yet?
Frankly, this is my favorite film in the franchise. Certainly doesn't have the high production value of the third one, nor does it carry the same artistic strength and integrity of the first. Evil Dead II is all about charm. Over-the-top acting, Three Stooges gags, loads of filming errors -- you just gotta love it for what it is.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest making another run through and watching it with the commentary. I don't know what's on the 25th anniversary edition (if that is, in fact, the one you own), but my copy has one commentary track with Sam Raimi and producer Rob Tapert then another with Bruce going solo. Both are fantastic and they love to crack wise on all the mistakes they made.
You're also right to be confused about the beginning of the movie. It's not quite a sequel nor is it a reboot. After "Crimewave" bombed, Sam and the gang decided to go back to their successful roots. Because "Evil Dead" never really lent itself to a continuing storyline, they basically cut down the cast and quickly retold the story before expanded it in a far more epic way.
If you haven't already seen it, enjoy "Army of Darkness," the final installment. Try to watch the director's cut if possible. It has the ending that's fitting for Ash's miserable life and also explains why everyone has been clamoring for a 4th movie after all these years. (Note: Although I haven't seen it yet, the recent reboot does not fucking count as Evil Dead 4. We're all still waiting on Ash's return to his cowardice glory.)