Movie of the Week - Evil Dead II

This week’s movie is Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987).

The horror film is about a man, Ash, who takes his girlfriend to a cabin in the woods for a romantic weekend. Things go astray when evil forces in the woods take possession of his girlfriend turning her into a demon. Now Ash must survive the night, not only from evil spirits but also from his own mind. The film is the middle child in the Evil Dead trilogy by Sam Raimi. It is considered to be the best of the trilogy as it is scary like the first and funny like the third. The film stars the wonderful Bruce Campbell in a schlock, cult film career-making performance. It is the first feature film for cinematographer and frequent Raimi collaborator Peter Deming, and features work from Raimi’s producing partner Robert Tapert, his acting brother Ted Raimi and composer Joseph LoDuca, who scores most of Raimi and Tapert’s TV and horror projects. What makes it great is Campbell’s offbeat and wacky performance mixed with Raimi’s stylistic camera that is constantly interacting with the audience to influence the impact of the narrative. The film is a must for fans of Raimi and Campbell and horror fans in general. It is a perfect mix of comedy and horror. Check out the trailer.

Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn [Blu-ray/DVD]