Blu-Ray Review: Evil Dead 2

If I was put on the spot and asked to name the best sequels ever committed to film, I reckon I would simply HAVE to put Evil Dead 2 near the very top of the list.

Bigger, better and bolder than the original instalment, Evil Dead 2 is actually a bit of a strange one – not really a sequel at all, but more a bigger budget remake of the first outing.

The same theme is in place – a courting couple come upon a cabin in the middle of the woods which just happens to have belonged to a professor poking around with Necronomicon – the book of the dead.

A few recorded incantations later and the dead are very much alive, with possession, demons and sinister forces in the woods all very much in evidence.

Yes, there really isn’t much in the way of plot here, but frankly who cares – especially when we are getting a 4K restoration here?

Bruce Campbell as Ash is once again the central force here, a very much put-upon everyman who runs the gauntlet of emotions – and limb lopping. Campbell is sensational, a real tour-de-force performance that pushed Ash into one of horror’s all-time memorable creations.

There are plenty of other characters around, from Denise Bixler as Ash’s doomed girlfriend Linda, to Dan Hicks and Kassie Wesley as redneck couple Jake and Bobby Joe. All get their spot in the limelight, as well as being awash in gore.

Campbell apart, the other real star here is director Sam Raimi, who unleashes a horror epic that is wildly inventive, gloriously gory and fantastic fun.

From kinetic camerawork as the demons tear through the trees, to eye-popping carnage, Evil Dead 2 is a thrill-a-minute rollercoaster that will leave you with the goofiest grin imaginable.

SPECIAL FEATURES

A veritable smorgasboard for Evil Dead fans, starting with a commentary from Raimi, Campbell and Scott Speigel.

On the documentary front there is a ‘fan’ tribute to the film, the difference this time being that the fans are the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Edgar Wright and other luminaries.

There are also a wealth of behind the scenes featurettes (including some great make-up segments), with the package wrapped up with a trailer