Evil Dead II (1987)

Let me be straight with you: I don't get it. I really don't. Evil Dead II has been placed on a pedestal by horror fans for decades, and I went in fully aware of that reputation, genuinely hoping it would click for me. It didn't. Two stars, and I'm being generous.

Look, I understand the affection. Sam Raimi is clearly a filmmaker with boundless energy and a genuine love for pushing the boundaries of what you can do on a shoestring. Bruce Campbell throws himself into this film with the kind of commitment that would be admirable in almost any other context. And the pivot away from straight horror into horror-comedy is a bold creative choice. I get why people latched onto it. I just wasn't one of them.

The practical effects, so often cited as the film's crown jewel, left me cold. Viewed now, a lot of it looks rubbery and cheap in a way that reads less as charming lo-fi craftsmanship and more like a bargain-bin carnival ride. I know some viewers find that endearing. I found it deflating. There's a difference between effects that are imperfect but visceral and effects that are imperfect and silly, and Evil Dead II spends most of its runtime on the wrong side of that line.

And then there's Campbell. I know, I know. He's beloved. His performance here is considered iconic. But for me, watching someone who isn't already invested in the mythology, the bug-eyed mugging and frantic flailing just reads as gratingly hammy. There's no emotional anchor underneath the physical comedy. The absurdity has nowhere to land because there's nothing grounding it. Compare that to how Raimi would later get genuinely funny, surprisingly warm performances in Spider-Man (2002), where the broader comic-book energy was balanced by real heart. Here, I never felt that balance.

What bothers me most, though, is the tonal whiplash. The film lurches between genuine horror and slapstick without what feels like any real rhythm or purpose. Fans call it inventive. I call it exhausting. When a film commits to being scary, I'm there. When it commits to being funny, I can be there too. When it can't decide which it wants to be and just careens between the two without earning either mode, I start checking the clock. Horror-comedy is one of the hardest tonal balancing acts in filmmaking, and I don't think this pulls it off. The chaos never builds to catharsis.

There's also the matter of the cabin. The same setting, the same demonic incantations, the same basic siege structure that I'd already experienced in The Evil Dead (1981). Now, Evil Dead II is technically a reimagining rather than a direct sequel, but the creative repetition still feels stagnant if you're not deeply invested in this particular mythology. If you loved the first film and wanted more of it, pushed further, taken to wilder extremes, I can see exactly why this scratches that itch. For me, it just felt like more of something I was already lukewarm on, turned up to a volume that made it harder, not easier, to connect with.

None of this is to say the film is without passion. Raimi's passion is all over every frame. The sheer ambition of what he was attempting on the budget he had is genuinely impressive, even when the results don't work for me. Influence is undeniable too. You can draw a straight line from this film to a whole generation of horror-comedy that followed. I respect that lineage.

But respect and enjoyment are different things. A film's legend and a film's actual effect on a specific viewer sitting in front of it are different things. Evil Dead II's legend is enormous. Its effect on me was, frankly, a mild headache and a vague sense of relief when it ended. Two stars.

Rating: ★★  | Year: 1987  | Watched: 2026-04-06

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Related on Movies With Macca

More from Sam Raimi: The Evil Dead (1981) · Spider-Man 3 (2007) · Spider-Man 2 (2004) · Spider-Man (2002)
More with Bruce Campbell: The Evil Dead (1981) · Maniac Cop (1988)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)