Rating: 
Summary: I'll swallow your soul!!
Review: When movies were still movies and not advertisements, or worse, "products", a couple of people like Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel, and Bruce Campbell would get together to make a brilliant movie like Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. I rented it then eventually bought it because I always felt like I was missing out on something people always quote/talk about. And I was.
I can't think of anyone who is doing this today: this superb mix of comedy and action/horror. There are some truly scary parts here (Henrietta is one of the most despicable characters in all of film; I jumped near the beginning when Demon Ash rose from the water) but most of it is comedic. It's a simple story: Ash and his girlfriend are just minding their business in a cabin when some evil spirits start freaking out because this old man released them wile translating "The Book of the Dead". Later his daughter and her group of stupid friends meet at the cabin and before the movie is over, a tree kills a girl, someone bites an eyeball, and a guy gets hacked to death with an axe. If you have a pulse, you want to watch this unfold.
Watch for a particular scene that involves Ash and the "removal" of his hand. It's one of the coolest scenes in the movies that I can think of. All of this is less scary than it could be, because Raimi is a skilled director who uses the Three Stooges as inspiration. As these characters run amok in this cabin, there is a certain joyful abandon at work here: a scene were mounted, stuffed deers laugh along with lamps and books, dead, decapitated girls that dance in the moonlight. "They just don't make 'em like they used to." Oh, and the ending is so funny that the first time I saw it, as the credits flashed I just had to rewind to savor it again. Army of Darkness was truly icing on the cake.
On the DVD itself side of things, this is a nice disc, hopefully Rosebud or Anchor Bay won't release 4,000 versions of this like they did with the original Evil Dead. It has both widescreen and full screen versions of the movie (for once the full screen doesn't look bad; you could say it's better) and it has a nice set of extras. A really interesting and informative doc about the making of the movie; this was pre-CGI, everything was done by hand (no pun intended). We learn about camera tricks involving floorboards and full body casts and dummies controlled by a man on a skateboard. They also take joy in pointing out some of the errors of the film, such as Henrietta's ripped bodysuit in one scene. Any commentary with Bruce Campbell is a winner. Trailers and bios round out the package, but this is more than sufficient for this movie.
I must say the movie is absolutely beautiful to watch and hear-I put it through my stereo and it came alive. This certainly beats the old version of this movie. If you like action/horror/comedy movies, you have to buy this.
Rating: 
Summary: Still the Greatest of the 'Evil Dead' Series
Review: This movie is the second in the 'Evil Dead' series that started the careers of Sam Rami, Bruce Campbell, and producer Rob Tapert. It follows the storyline of the first film loosely. It still has the 'Book of the Dead', still has the deadites, still has our hapless hero 'Ash' as he has to fignt his way out of his horrible predicament of being out in the wilderness in a remote cabin surrounded by the 'Evil Force'. What is great about this movie is that the story is much stronger than in the first 'Evil Dead'. The movie begins with Ash and his girlfriend Linda coming to the cabin for some romance. Well, bad things happen and Ash has to chop up his girlfriend. Later, the daughter of the owner comes to the cabin with friends and finds Ash, the bloody chainsaw, and her parents are nowhere to be found. They of couse think that Ash is a killer and proceed to lock him in the fruit cellar where the evil has taken form in the wife of the archiologist who had originally unleashed the 'Evil Force'. Of course, all the people look towards Ash as one who knows what they have to deal with and they team up to dispatch the evil. By the end of the movie only Ash is still alive to go into the next movie, 'Army of Darkness'.
Everything about 'Evil Dead 2' is slicker and more thought out than the first movie. The effects are better, the lighting is better, the script is better. This allows the movie to be a different animal than the first. 'Evil Dead 2' is actually a comedy in the skin of a horror movie. It has the most wonderful physical comedy from Bruce Cambell and so many memorable lines that run through it like a river. Watching it over and over gives the best effect as it brings out all the flavor of the movie. This is also the springboard for almost every movie that Sam Rami has made since this. Shots and techniques that he uses in 'Evil Dead 2' are expanded on in 'Spider-Man' and 'The Quick and the Dead'. This is the movie that showcases both Sam Rami and Bruce Campbell at their most formative and irreverent. Watch it again and you won't be disappointed!
-dan jackowitz
Rating:
Summary: A lot better than the other ones
Review: I liked the first one a lot too, but this one was a lot wittier and a lot more fun to watch. However, there were many( and I mean many) inconsistencies from the first movie and many other things that just flat tou don't mkae sense when compared to the first movie. Anyway, this is probably my favorite although the first one is good too. It would do you good to avoid that crappy Army of darkness movie though...yuck.
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie Hero Since Indiana Jones
Review: Evil Dead 2 is not just another low budget horror movie. It is a singular experience. There is no other movie like it. If it were not for Peter Jackson's Dead Alive, a very different movie of the same genre, I would say that it is, by far, the best horror/comedy ever made. I hate saying horror/comedy, but I guess it fits. The story is simple: Ashe and his girlfriend Linda take a trip out to, what he has assessed To be an abandoned cottage in the woods. After a little cagey chit chat, Ashe discovers a tape recorder and decides to play the tape. On the tape are ancient incantations from the "Sumerian Book of the Dead" that, once again, awaken a demon inhabiting the very woods surrounding them. The demon possesses Linda and the fun is underway. The movie never lets up from here on out. The production is amazing. One of the best aspects of the movie is the combined use of sound effects, cinematography, and editing in such a way that they compliment each other and become, in effect, one effect (excuse the silly redundancy.) The jarring sounds, mixed with the equally jarring angles and lens usage, together with the tight editing makes for a movie that moves along like wildfire. Add to this the impossibly charismatic character of Ashe, portrayed perfectly by Bruce Campbell (I swear he was born specifically to make this movie) and you have the best movie of the genre, and, come to think of it, the best movie Sam Raimi has ever made.
Rating:
Summary: evil dead 2 dead by dawn
Review: this is a classic horror film, i gave it 5 stars because it is scary but at the same time funny and allmost comic book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but...
Review: I saw _Army of Darkness_ first, which I can highly recommend as
a nearly perfect blend of humor and horror. This movie, which I saw first, isn't up to the quality of _Army._ Mostly it's bad SFX, with amateurish acting. It's fairly scary in parts, but there is exactly one funny part, and that's when Ash is fighting with his own right hand, and losing. Campbell, as Ash, is a very physical actor, although (by his own admission) a B-movie one. That's not such a bad thing, really. Is this supposed to be a send-up of horror films? If so, I can't recommend it as one. It's
too serious, or so it seems to me. Still, it's worth seeing, as part of the series.
Rating:
Summary: great film but...
Review: I give the the film 5 out of 5 stars. Everything that can be said about this film has been said many times over. The dvd on the other hand.. I had heard good things about this dvd such as "excellent commentary, great transfer...". The picture quality seems acceptable most of the time except in the very dark scenes where it looks like there's some mosaic type effect. Never noticed that on my vhs copy or on any other dvd. It's not a big deal. 3 stars for the picture quality. The commentary suffers from having 4 people yakking at once too often. 2 seperate commentary tracks would have been better. Or just Bruce and Sam. The fx guy says plenty in the doco "gore the merrier" which is also included on this dvd. Having him blabbing in the main commentary too is overkill. 2.5 stars for the commentary. The extras consist of some stills, trailer (brings back some memories!) and the doco Gore the Merrier. This isn't bad as effects docos go, if you're really curious about "how they did that".. I'm not. The best part of it for me was the actress who played Linda talking about how much "fun" she had having the nude cast done of her body.
Rating:
Summary: Bruce Campbell playing with his right hand.
Review: Immediately, when you pop in this DVD, it gives you the choice of Widescreen or Full-Screen, Followed by the statement, "Warning: This Film Contains Scenes Which May Be Too Intense For Persons Under The Age Of Seventeen". Bruce Campbell (NBC serial, "Generations", in 1989) returns four years later in this sequel to the 1983 film EVIL DEAD. Ashley brings a girlfriend up to the cabin where he was terrorized before. Something happens. Ashley plays the reel to reel player with spell on it. The evil force is released. Girl taken through window. Ashley finds her possessed. Girl killed and buried. Then the evil spirit gets a hold of Ashley, temporarily. He gets back into the yellow car only to find the Dangerous Bridge has been totally destroyed. The evil spirit won't allow him to leave and chases him back into the cabin and into the cellar. meanwhile, there are other people who have flown in just to get to the cabin. The tow truck man knows another road. Ashley is now fighting with the evil spirit and with his own possessed right hand. Plays like a "drive-in" film and uses special effects we have seen in "7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Basket Case" Studio must have been given him an extra $100 for the budget this time. Followed by the third sequel, Army of Darkness (1993).
Rating:
Summary: Evil Dead II: Absolute madness!
Review: This is one of the most brilliant, and gorey horror films I've ever seen! Ash is the coolest horror hero in movie history. I must admit that I like this movie a lot more than the first Evil Dead, Ash still gets the living crap beat out of him, but he's not completely helpless this time. He takes matters into his own hands armed with a 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun, and a chainsaw. I find that this movie was very well done, I loved the blood effects. BUY THIS MOVIE!
Rating:
Summary: If you claim to be a horror buff, then see this movie
Review: After seeing Evil Dead II, the first question that comes to mind is whether or not you will remember it as scary or funny. Although the movie has tense situations which makes you appreciate it more, you can't help but laugh at a lot of the scenes which I think was Sam Raimi's intent. If you have never seen this movie, my best suggestion is that you also see Army of Darkness right after. Although the two movies are very different, they are similiar comedy wise and it finishes the story. ***Don't see this movie if you are faint of heart and have a problem watching blood and gore.
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