Evil Dead 2

Theatrical Release Date: 1987 03 13 (USA)

UPC: 012236116233

Studio: Lionsgate

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Gore]

Summary: This high-octane semi-sequel to Sam Raimi's cult hit The Evil Dead has nearly eclipsed its predecessor's reputation thanks to an endless barrage of hyperkinetic camera acrobatics, rapid-fire editing and "splatstick" gore effects ... not to mention a truly goofy performance by Bruce Campbell. Nearly the entire storyline of the previous film has been re-shot and presented in a drastically condensed form within the first few minutes: rock-jawed but clueless "hero" Ash (Campbell) now visits the mountain cabin only with girlfriend Linda (played here by Denise Bixler). Upon arrival at the cabin, Ash discovers the Sumerian Book of the Dead, the ritual dagger and a reel-to-reel tape containing the professor's translations of the book's hieroglyphics. The incantations summon an unseen, growling spirit from within the woods, which bursts into the cabin and takes possession of Linda's soul. Ash is forced to decapitate her with a shovel, after which he buries her in the forest. At first dawn, Ash tries to make his escape, but is promptly set upon by the spirits, given a solid thrashing and nearly possessed himself, saved only by the arrival of sunlight. Cut off from the outside world, Ash is forced to hole up in the cabin and wait for the next demonic onslaught -- which arrives sooner than expected, led by Linda's rotting corpse. After being bitten by Linda's chatty decapitated head, Ash's hand becomes independent of his body and begins pummeling him repeatedly. The story then jumps to a local airport, where the professor's daughter Annie (Sarah Berry) and her partner Ed Getley (Richard Domeier) have just arrived with the missing pages to the Necronomicon. They employ a cranky pair of local rednecks, Jake (Dan Hicks) and Bobbie Joe (Kassie Wesley), as guides to lead them through the dense woods to the cabin ... where, at that very moment, Ash is removing his belligerent hand with a chainsaw, creating yet another ambulatory foe. Driven to the brink of insanity, Ash fires blindly at a noise outside, unaware that the new arrivals are Annie and company. Bobbie Joe is injured by the gunshot, which incurs the wrath of Jake, who knocks Ash senseless and locks him in the fruit cellar. Believing her father was murdered by Ash, Annie plays the rest of the professor's recording to learn the truth, and discovers her possessed mother was buried in the same cellar -- and not exactly resting in peace. This touches off a string of unbelievably gruesome (and hysterically funny) events, including Henrietta's transformation into a stop-motion creature (reminiscent of a Ray Harryhausen creation), Ed's sudden metamorphosis into a toothy, levitating ghoul, and Ash's climactic confrontation with the forest demon itself. The obvious glee with which Raimi and company present this cavalcade of slime-drenched monstrosities and Three Stooges pratfalls makes it impossible to take seriously as a horror film, but Evil Dead 2 is nevertheless essential viewing among connoisseurs of truly demented cinema. The film's sardonic coda opened the way for a slightly less successful sequel, Army of Darkness. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Category: Horror

Features: Audio commentary with writer-director Sam Raimi, star Bruce Campbell, cowriter Scott Spiegel and special makeup effects artist Greg Nicotero
"Dawn by Dawn"
"The Chosen Ones"
"Madman Sam"
"Dead Effects"
"Re-Animated"
"Method to Madness"
"Rosebud"
"Road to Wadesboro"
"Cabin Fever"
Archival featurettes
Still galleries
Trailers

Evil Dead 2

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 11/15/2011

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DHMA null

Runtime: 84 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Robert Firsching

This zany comic remake of the original plays more like a bloody Looney Tunes cartoon than a horror film. Once again, Ash (Bruce Campbell) is trapped in a cabin with demons, but this time they do far more than possess his friends: they possess his hand, the furniture, etc. The hand incident causes Campbell to lop off the offending extremity at the wrist and strap a bucksaw to the stump for his battles with the evil dead. The family who owns the cabin arrives in time for more nutty antics, finding the place trashed and a blood-covered Ash having to save them from the demonic scourge. Director Sam Raimi's camera zooms, pans, and cranes to achieve a frenetic, kinetic effect. At one point he uses a POV shot of a demon's eyeball flying into a woman's open mouth. A batty cross between Dead-Alive and The Mask, this gory funhouse ride is easily the best of the series and is a tremendously entertaining low-budget film. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Snowy Winters  Actor 
Sam Raimi  Actor 
William Preston Robertson  Actor 
Josh Becker  Actor 
Scott Spiegel  Actor 
Joseph Lo Duca  Composer (Music Score) 
Sam Raimi  Director 
Sam Raimi  Screenwriter 
Scott Spiegel  Screenwriter 
Robert Tapert  Producer 
Irvin Shapiro  Executive Producer 
Alex DeBenedetti  Executive Producer 
Bruce Campbell  Actor 
Sarah Berry  Actor 
Dan Hicks  Actor 
Kassie Wesley  Actor 
Theodore Raimi  Actor 
Denise Bixler  Actor 
Richard Domeier  Actor 
John Peaks  Actor 
Lou Hancock  Actor 

Country: USA