Evil Dead II
3/4
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, Denise Bixler
Not Rated (probably NC-17 for Pervasive Horror Violence and Gore)
I'm giving this movie a recommendation based more on its audacity than anything else. Oh, it's a fun ride. It's just that it doesn't add up to much and the pieces work better as isolated moments rather than a cohesive whole. Still, there are scenes here that can't be scene in any other movie. That alone deserves credit.
Plot is not the film's strong suit. It's just a set-up for a few people to be at this remote cabin (so remote that one wonders who in the right mind would want to live there) and be constantly attacked by special effects that are a tribute to Ray Harryhausen. A violent, bloody tribute, but a tribute nonetheless.
Speaking of special effects, they're here in spades. And I'd say about 99.999% involve a tremendous amount of gore. This isn't so much a criticism (when you have a lead character cut his possessed hand off and later fix a chainsaw to it, it's not going to be family friendly) but an observation. Although some will undoubtedly be turned off by the gallons of blood and body parts flying everywhere, those who stick it out will be impressed with some truly unique and gruesome monsters.
The acting is what is to be expected for a vomitorium like this. Which is to say, it doesn't impress. The only one who is really worth mentioning is Bruce Campbell. Campbell is and forever will be associated with Ash, and has appeared in many cult horror movies throughout his varied career. He has a very expressive face and good comic chops. No one else is the least bit memorable, although I will say that Kassie Wesley DePaiva looks a little too modern (for the 80s at least) to be convincing as a redneck.
It's easy to see what Sam Raimi is doing here. He's trying to embrace and parody the horror genre. Anyone who has seen a lot of movies knows how hard it is to pull this off, so I'll give credit to Raimi for his guts. Then again, Raimi has never been a conventional filmmaker, choosing projects that range from superhero movies to baseball flicks. But tonally the movie is all over the place, only occasionally finding the sweet spot of the macabre. When he does, it's great fun. But the humor doesn't always come across.
"Evil Dead II" was never designed to be great art. I knew that when I saw a disembodied hand give Ash the finger. But it has enough moments to be worth a look. Particularly in a month that celebrates the dark and scary (not to mention gory), and when there are so few decent options to choose from.
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, Denise Bixler
Not Rated (probably NC-17 for Pervasive Horror Violence and Gore)
I'm giving this movie a recommendation based more on its audacity than anything else. Oh, it's a fun ride. It's just that it doesn't add up to much and the pieces work better as isolated moments rather than a cohesive whole. Still, there are scenes here that can't be scene in any other movie. That alone deserves credit.
Plot is not the film's strong suit. It's just a set-up for a few people to be at this remote cabin (so remote that one wonders who in the right mind would want to live there) and be constantly attacked by special effects that are a tribute to Ray Harryhausen. A violent, bloody tribute, but a tribute nonetheless.
Speaking of special effects, they're here in spades. And I'd say about 99.999% involve a tremendous amount of gore. This isn't so much a criticism (when you have a lead character cut his possessed hand off and later fix a chainsaw to it, it's not going to be family friendly) but an observation. Although some will undoubtedly be turned off by the gallons of blood and body parts flying everywhere, those who stick it out will be impressed with some truly unique and gruesome monsters.
The acting is what is to be expected for a vomitorium like this. Which is to say, it doesn't impress. The only one who is really worth mentioning is Bruce Campbell. Campbell is and forever will be associated with Ash, and has appeared in many cult horror movies throughout his varied career. He has a very expressive face and good comic chops. No one else is the least bit memorable, although I will say that Kassie Wesley DePaiva looks a little too modern (for the 80s at least) to be convincing as a redneck.
It's easy to see what Sam Raimi is doing here. He's trying to embrace and parody the horror genre. Anyone who has seen a lot of movies knows how hard it is to pull this off, so I'll give credit to Raimi for his guts. Then again, Raimi has never been a conventional filmmaker, choosing projects that range from superhero movies to baseball flicks. But tonally the movie is all over the place, only occasionally finding the sweet spot of the macabre. When he does, it's great fun. But the humor doesn't always come across.
"Evil Dead II" was never designed to be great art. I knew that when I saw a disembodied hand give Ash the finger. But it has enough moments to be worth a look. Particularly in a month that celebrates the dark and scary (not to mention gory), and when there are so few decent options to choose from.
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