I last saw this film somewhere around 1994 or 1995; it's hard to remember when exactly as I only saw it the one time, so I figured it was long overdue for me to watch this again. Right out of the gate, some of director Peter Sykes' and cinematographer David Watkins' choices are a bit questionable (the use of certain close-ups, angles, lighting arrangements, etc.) which makes me wonder what more accomplished filmmakers would have done in their shoes. Don't get me wrong, Watkins was a great director of photography, but horror wasn't exactly his forte and it shows here with his perfunctory capturing of images. Fortunately the talent in front of the camera more than makes up for the lack elsewhere. It's easy to see Christopher Lee as a powerful priest for Satanic forces; as easy as it is to see him execute any dark or demonic form. Some people simply channel evil better than others and Lee did it best of all.
Richard Widmark is a sufficiently strong opponent to counteract Lee's wicked deeds while Denholm Elliott makes an effectively sniveling husband caught up in his wife's web of Satanism against his will. Nastassja Kinski, in only her second role, is good as the intended object of demonic impregnation but I feel she could have given more if her role was fleshed out a little. There's nothing particularly remarkable about the way the story itself is presented, leaving this more an actors showcase than a complete work. It's a decent enough film, but coming at the tail end of a cycle of devil-related movies over the last decade didn't help to distinguish it from the pack. Sadly, this would be Hammer Studio's final horror film for thirty-two years.
By spring of 1985, the goriest film I had ever seen was Brian De Palma's original adaptation of Stephen King's "Carrie." Well, one dark and stormy night, that film went right out the freaking window! It's like writer/director Sam Raimi watched "Carrie" and said "One bucket of blood? Really?! Hold my beer." After finding an ancient tome purported to be the "Book of the Dead," five vacationing friends unleash a plague of demonic forces that want to possess their souls. "The Evil Dead" starts off with a little light humor before diving headlong into perversity and fiendish decay. If you ever wanted to watch a woman get sexually assaulted by a tree . . . here ya go! I'm not entirely sure how one would grade the acting in that sequence from a professional standpoint, but Ellen Sandweiss did an outstanding job making
me believe it was real.
Raimi was always great at handling dark situations but he also knew how get the most out of dark locations as well. All of the outdoor shots at night looked truly spectacular. In the early eighties there were quite a few horror films that failed to make night time seem visually palatable; they were either too dark or too unnaturally bright. Here, things look just as they should with the frightening woods illuminated in a very natural way. The five leads for the film worked exceedingly well together with Bruce Campbell being the unmistakable anchor. His descent into madness in the finale of this film is one of many reasons I consider Campbell to be a national treasure. The demon effects were ahead of their time and the heaping gobs of gore are still disturbingly cool. Little did I know at the time, it was going to get even cooler than this.
Ever wonder what "The Evil Dead" would look like on steroids? What a coincidence, so did I! "Evil Dead II" begins with a brief remake of the 1981 film as director Sam Raimi no longer owned the rights. This time, Ash and his girlfriend Linda stay at a seemingly abandoned cabin where demonic forces are raised which kill Linda and possess Ash. When the daughter of the cabin's owners arrives with her research partner and two reluctant trail guides, the evil returns to wreak bloody havoc on everyone involved. There are more comedic elements in this second installment and I love each and every one of them. This is the perfect blend of farce and fright and is vastly superior to the exceptional-in-its-own-right original.
Much of this film is a one man show for Bruce Campbell as he talks with his own murderous reflection in a mirror, laughs hysterically with a group of inanimate objects, breaks dishes over his own head due to a demonically-infested hand, and finds inventive new ways to use a chainsaw. If Campbell descended into madness during the first film, then he has completely submerged himself for this sequel. Ash battling the Henrietta monster is more fun than it has any right being and the
[Show spoiler]final monster made flesh is still every bit as gruesome to behold now as it was in 1987. The last minute twist of sending Ash back in time to fulfill the prophecy of a hero dropped from the sky was a brilliant set-up for the third film.
Sam Raimi has crafted some monumental movies in his career and I honestly believe "Evil Dead II" is the greatest of them all.
Our hero Ash is now trapped in a time that's not his own, battling knights and Deadites left and right in an effort to find a way home. In this second sequel, the scales have tipped a little more toward comedy which doesn't really hinder the film at all. I genuinely believe that what
could be done in more serious "Evil Dead" films
had been done - and even then, as noted previously, the second chapter had more than its fair share of comedy as well. I love the Three Stooges-style skeleton hand fight in the graveyard. I love the mini-Ash horde that comes out of the broken pieces of mirror at the windmill. I love the battles between "good Ash" and "bad Ash." My main concern with the film is that it feels too glossy. Sam Raimi made the transition from independent filmmaking to Hollywood far too easily and I think a lot of the lesser traits of Hollywood's style were already popping up throughout this film.
Pluses include Embeth Davidtz who plays well off Bruce Campbell as this film's love interest and seeing Campbell's character adjust to being displaced in time. His interactions with the residents of the Middle Ages are always a joy to watch. However, one really big minus is the
[Show spoiler]overlong finale that rubs me the wrong way every time I view the film. The pacing is so poor and I personally feel like the film grinds to a screeching halt forty minutes before the actual end arrives. I have to admit that I do enjoy both the theatrical ending and the director's cut ending, though if I was forced to pick one I would definitely choose Ash waking up in the post-Apocalyptic world. I really feel that suits the tone of the entire series far better.
While I think this is a drop off in quality from the first two films, it's still extraordinarily fun in the early half and tolerable entertainment in the latter half.
AND NOW A LITTLE MOOD MUSIC, "EVIL DEAD" STYLE:
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
) seems to be getting in my way of my “Horror” movies watching 
these Saturdays autumn 🍂 season 
… 
Shaun Of The Dead (2004): 
and 
Linear Mode
