Dead By Dawn: Evil Dead II

            A dancing, stop-motion, headless corpse with a chainsaw. A mischievous disembodied hand. A mounted deer head trophy laughing maniacally. Where can one find such wonders? In Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II (1987) of course! All this, and fountains upon fountains of bright red, and black, and green blood! Bring an umbrella.

            The follow up to the low-budget masterpiece The Evil Dead (1981) was a long time coming. Raimi and Co. (including his brother Ted Raimi, writer Scott Spiegel, and star Bruce Campbell) enjoyed remarkable success with their debut picture, especially on the home video market. But five years and a failed production later (Crimewave [1985]) they were at a loss for a new project.

            Allegedly, Sam Raimi did not want anything to do with a sequel to The Evil Dead. But studios were clamoring for it and Bruce Campbell convinced him – Convinced him by locking him in a room with co-writer Scott Spiegel and forcing them to write a script. The incessant laughter coming from the room was an indication that something entirely different than their first effort was being concocted.

            With a completed script, and a budget ten times that of the previous film, the crew headed to location in North Carolina to shoot one of the most original sequels ever made.

            Fans of the Evil Dead franchise are a curiously segregated group. While all seem to love each of the three movies, the whole seems split into distinct sects with almost religious devotion to their favorite installment. Yours Truly here happens to pledge his undying allegiance to the first film, but as mentioned, there is a love affair with all three. That said, those who call Evil Dead II their favorite seem to be the weirdest of the bunch. The humor of this film is seriously, and I do mean seriously, demented. Where else will you find the leading man battling his own possessed hand?

           

Much of what makes this sequel work so well is the humor. Whilst the first film was ‘The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror’, Evil Dead II takes itself much less seriously. It never even really attempts to scare (in spite of the tagline ‘Kiss Your Nerves Goodbye!’) and instead almost styles itself as a spoof of the original as opposed to its sequel.

            This is most evident in the unrelenting gore that oozes all over the screen, and the set, and the actors, and everywhere. Instead of spurting or gushing, the grue frequently erupts in sprays of volcanic proportions, almost as if being released from a fire hydrant. It literally covers everything. With spectacle so ridiculous, the audience is simply forced to let go of any realistic expectations of fright and give in the hilarity. At times, the evil force even literally bids the viewer “JOIN US!”

This invitation is practically the entire aim of the film. Each gag is designed to draw the audience in with every *wink wink* *nudge nudge* moment, well-placed pun, and not-so-subtle pop culture reference – just check it out when Ash tries to imprison his unruly hand in a bucket and weighs it down with a copy of Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms! The film is perhaps at its most effective when parodying its predecessor. At times, nothing is funnier than when a film makes fun of itself and Evil Dead II not only knows that, it relishes in the fact with unholy glee.

 In The Evil Dead, Ash’s girlfriend Linda becomes possessed and laughs for an uncomfortably long time in very disturbing, very high-pitched cackle. Ash can’t deal with it anymore and screams “Shut up!” “Why are you torturing me like this? WHY?!” and we as the audience feel the same way. In true parody fashion, Evil Dead II takes this moment and makes it do a handstand and juggle bowling pins with its feet. The mounted deer head becomes possessed and starts laughing. Followed by the desk lamp, and the books, and the book shelf, and the clock, and the shutters… Finally, Ash can’t take it and starts laughing uncontrollably as well. “JOIN US!” Laugh with us! Resistance is most definitely futile.

But crazy jokes and ooey-gooey gross-out gags on their own do not a movie make. There is an undeniable craftsmanship at work in Evil Dead II as well. To say that the film is paced at a rather quick clip is a gross understatement. This sequel is a slick, well-oiled machine created for a specific purpose- to thrill and tickle the funny bone. There is almost no fat here, all of it is trimmed. There is not a single scene in the film that can be deemed unnecessary. As a result, the movie’s run time of 84 minutes goes by in a flash. Credit certainly goes to Raimi and crew for making this ride a fast and enjoyable one. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and leaves the audience desiring more. One might complain that the downside of this is that bothersome things such as character development and depth of story are completely eschewed in favor of a candy-coated ride through the theatre of macabre. Characterization? Storyline? Raimi and Co. call that fat. And fat is to be trimmed.

In spite of such ‘overlooked’ issues, any viewer of Evil Dead II will be treated to Raimi’s always ingenious cinematography. Like The Evil Dead before it, this film’s greatest strength is its inventive camera work. This time the crew had the benefit of a steady-cam and it impressively shows. The famous POV ‘Demon Cam’ looks a lot more like a rampaging evil and a lot less like two guys running through the forest with a camera on a two-by-four. The better equipment also left much more time to spend on the effects that abound in every frame. No more acrylic paint masks, here we get latex appliances and make-up!

The final aspect that makes Evil Dead II such an entertaining film is none other than an incredible turn by star Bruce Campbell. Ash’s personality shifts drastically from installment to installment, and here he is his most dynamic. The role is much more physical than the previous film and it must take a special kind of person to fight with his own hand so viciously! But more impressive than that is the setting. Ash is alone for the entire first half of the film and Campbell plays it off beautifully and convincingly. An actor acting against himself for forty-five minutes and pulling it off is a testament to his skill and dedication to his craft. Quite frankly, without Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead II just would not work.

The middle installment in a trilogy can often be the weakest. It takes a lot of ingenuity and more than a bit of luck to coax lightning to strike twice. Ultimately, the charm of Evil Dead II lies in more than its humor and technical excellence. Like its predecessor, it is frightfully original and it is this left turn that keeps it feeling fresh even twenty-five years later.

So go check it out! But be careful, you might just end up ‘DEAD BY DAWN!!!’