Evil Dead II

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1:23

Evil Dead II

R

1987

1h 25m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

84 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

The second of three films in the Evil Dead series is part horror, part comedy, with Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) once again battling horrifying demons at a secluded cabin in the woods. After discovering an audiotape left by a college professor that contains voices reading from the Book of the Dead, Ash's girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) becomes possessed by evil spirits that are awakened by the voices on the tape. Ash soon discovers there is no escaping the woods.

Critics Consensus

Less a continuation than an outright reimagining, Sam Raimi transforms his horror tale into a comedy of terrors -- and arguably even improves on the original formula.

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Owen Gleiberman

Boston Phoenix

03/29/2023

Raimi delivers. At this point, I'm not sure whether he's a genius or certifiable (perhaps a bit of both), but Evil Dead 2 is the horror equivalent of the hardest drugs there are: it bypasses logic and heads straight for your pleasure centers.

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Elvis Mitchell

Detroit Free Press

03/29/2023

7/10

For those who respond by screaming back at the movie while swallowing its junk food aesthetic, this may be the best time they've had in quite a while.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

03/29/2023

Keep your eye on Raimi: it's not easy to pitch a comedy at a level this flamboyant and then keep topping the gags.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 7

The problem is that with no characters to care about, the decapitated heads, the eyeballs caroming out of someone's skull to land in someone else's mouth, the buzzing chainsaws and the incessant screaming don't really add up to very much.

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David Day

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 18

10/10

...Evil Dead 2 takes a more comedy-based approach while maintaining an incredible array of shocking visuals. The effects in this are so over-the-top that it’s pushed into goofy, nervous laughter territory.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

04/03/2024

Raimi's movie is a glorious goof, which picks up some of Lovecraft's tossed off ideas as an excuse for gross-out physical comedy and joyful filmmaking.

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Jason Phillips

10/03/2024

Great cinematography, great practical effects, Bruce Campbell is amazing - just good gory fun!

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Mathew Macias

10/03/2024

Greatest movie of all time

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Uri

04/05/2023

How could you hate this god dam movie 5/5

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Oliver C

@slimjim123 Apr 28

Whoever hates on this is bad. The end!

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Anthony H.

@Hardy Apr 23

Evil Dead 2 is a sort of rehashing of the original with some more story elements to add to it. This film, much like the first, feels a bit longer than it needs to be, but I feel like I did get more enjoyment out of this one. There are some cool elements, but I still found myself bored with some of the film, much like the first. I definitely did chuckle at a few of the goofy moments, but for the time, it’s halfway decent.

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Duke B.

@DukeBison Mar 27

Classic, Sam Raimi is a genius and Bruce Campbell plays the dim-witted hero perfectly, truly a movie that should be a must see for any horror fan

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Sam Raimi

Director

Bruce Campbell

Ashley "Ash" J. Williams

Sarah Berry

Annie Knowby

Dan Hicks

Jake

Denise Bixler

Linda

Kassie Wesley DePaiva

Bobbie Joe

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Synopsis

The second of three films in the Evil Dead series is part horror, part comedy, with Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) once again battling horrifying demons at a secluded cabin in the woods. After discovering an audiotape left by a college professor that contains voices reading from the Book of the Dead, Ash's girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) becomes possessed by evil spirits that are awakened by the voices on the tape. Ash soon discovers there is no escaping the woods.

Director: Sam Raimi
Producer: Rob Tapert
Screenwriter: Sam Raimi
Distributor: Rosebud Releasing Corporation
Production Co: De Laurentiis, Lions Gate Films, Renaissance Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 13, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 2, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.6M
Runtime: 1h 25m