Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks

The only survivor from the original film, returns seeking revenge and unleashing supernatural demons.

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86% liked it

119,366 ratings

Critics

98% liked it

42 critics

R, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Release Date: January 1, 1987

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DVD Release Date: August 4, 1998

Stats: 8,111 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,111)


  • September 8, 2009
    It's rare that a sequel exceeds its predecessor, especially in horror films, but that's exactly what Evil Dead 2 has done! Bruce Campbell at his best!
  • September 6, 2009
    Having lost his girlfriend to the undead, Ash is forced to face the possessed corpse of his former lover Linda and cut her up with a chainsaw to stop him becoming her victim. However the demons in the cabin are not that easy to stop and soon his hand has become possessed as well....( read more) While he battles to stop his hand killing him, a group of four young people are heading to the cabin in seek of shelter for the night, only to find themselves trapped in the same fight as Ash as barely managed to survive thus far.

    Despite that fact that Sam Raimi is now a "proper" director making summer blockbusters like his life depended on it, it is still heartening to see that his frenzied style is still present in his work, albeit it not dealing with such extreme material as that which made his name famous decades ago. While Evil Dead II may be a complete repeat of Evil Dead in terms of the basic narrative and content, it is still worth seeing because of Raimi's skill as director and writer of the film. In the UK Evil Dead earned notoriety for being one of the "video nasties" that the BBFC took such objection to and, in doing so, probably greatly boosted its cult appeal here, and to rerun this film is not a major problem because it does have enough energy and good qualities going for it to be worth a watch if you're into your horror.

    However horror fans may find it a little tame by modern standards although I still found it to be pretty scary and gory ? certainly considering it was made almost 20 years ago with a budget that would barely buy you an A-listed movie star these days. The film is also pretty funny and is full of dark humour and comic moments that make it more entertaining than a gory b-movie has any right being. But here's the thing, the success of this film and indeed the whole trilogy, is mainly due to two people ? Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Raimi drives everything with his unique direction that places the action somewhere between a horror and a cartoon. It has great camera work, frantic shots and a real flair for the unreal; it is very hard to describe but it can be seen it many of his films.

    Campbell's ongoing cult status has only been helped recently by Bubba Ho-tep but this is where it basically began and part II only sees his continue his good work as Ash becomes more of a hero than he was in the first film. He still has the cowardly quality that I loved in Ash but now has weapons and kiss-off lines to compliment his new status. As before his performance perfectly matches Raimi's direction and I can totally understand why the two have kept their close relationship decades later ? they really seem to "get" each other here. Support from Berry, Hicks, DePaiva, Domeier and Bixler is just about passable for this type of b-movie stuff but really the cast is dominated by Campbell playing his best character to date.

    Overall this is a gory, cheap horror movie that won't appeal to everybody but to those that get it, it will be a hugely enjoyable, gory film with a great sense of humour. Director Raimi and actor Campbell truly make the film work better than the material would suggest it should and, on the basis of any of the three films, it is no wonder that this is such a timeless cult horror.
  • June 15, 2009
    Pretty much the same as the first one, only with lots more spewing blood. I don't really understand why the director couldnt use footage from his own film and instead had to recreate the end of the first movie at the beginning of this one.
  • May 3, 2009
    What a film! It simply does not put a foot wrong. The stuff that looks clever is down right visual genius and the stuff that looks stupid is hilariously entertaining. Campbell is utterly immense in this film and provides a perfect turn from nerd to action hero without ever sacrif...( read more)icing one for the other. The fact that for several scenes he is literally acting with himself shows how a perfect scene can be made without all the ultra budget bull shit we see in more modern horror films. Still gory as fuck but never in a gross out way this film combines horror and comedy better than anything i've ever seen. Scenes of note are ash fighting with his own hand, and running through the house all the while looking back on the unseen force which is breaking through everything as it takes chase. Who can forget the hilarious dementia of the laughter scene where ash, upon being confronted with an entire room full of laughing inanimate objects, decides that if he can't beat them, he might as well join them (and when he randomly squats whilst laughing at a lamp is the most awesome thing ever put to film). It's all genius and proves what a legend Bruce Campbell is. I love this film so damn much i really could go on and on about pretty much every scene in the film and how it's either wickedly gory, cinematically brilliant, hilariously funny or just straight up badass but i can't be fucked. Hail to the king baby.
  • March 20, 2009
    A pretty good sequel with better makeup and FX. I didn't like Raimi's decision to bring Campbell back to another cabin....this movie just had way too much in common with the 1st one. While it was a good effort, I got tired of the crazy running POV shots of the evil forces and v...( read more)arious cabin items shaking like crazy.

    Since I saw Army of Darkness before I saw 1 or 2, I thought it was pretty cool how Ash ended up in the Midievel ages at the end of this Shiiiiiiiiiiit!!

    GROOVY

    Update: After reading about this movie, apparently it's not a remake or a sequel?! Huh? What the fuck is it then?
  • November 23, 2009
    I Strongly disagree that "Evil dead 2" surpasses the original. If i'll have to rate this as a comedy it will easily get a 4.5 stars, but won't even make the 3 stars if i'm based on horror. Actually the film is a combination of both worlds, and the combination works really well. T...( read more)he scenes that will stick to the memory are the possessed hand scene, the laughing scene, and the rambo-style scene. All these are hilarious comedy scenes. The most disappointing thing in the movie is the beginning, a fast recap of what happened in the first movie. The recap should have never taken place, coz the creation of a new footage in a new location with a different actress was confusing and not accurate by any means. This was, from start to finish, the movie of Bruce Campbell. He worked solo for most of the film and did so with perfectionnism. You could really feel he actually WAS Ash. Brilliant performance.
  • November 17, 2009
    Lucen bastante reales los accidentes. Definitivamente no es apto para gente se
  • November 17, 2009
    I prefer this than the first one.

    I LMAO @ Bruce.
  • November 17, 2009
    Crazy in all the right ways. Bruce Campbell will always be the best horror hero ever. The movie is so great in the simple fact that it gives you everything you want in a B-movie. The effects and story itself are so off the reservation, but it's done so perfectly.
  • November 12, 2009
    da tgk da..cite lama neh..nak2 yg series jim carey blakon..memang best..

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

If you know it's all special effects, and if you've seen a lot of other movies and have a sense of humor, you might have a great time at Evil Dead 2. full review

View more Evil Dead 2 reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Evil Dead 2 Trivia


  • what actor played ash in the Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Army Of Darkness?  Answer »
  • In "Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn", a Freddy Krueger glove can be seen hanging near the steps in one of the cellar scenes.  Answer »
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