Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

by Jordan

*BHM Reader Submitted Review*

The Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is the sequel nobody expected. Not appropriate for those seeking resolution to the first film in the series, this one injects some much needed comedy and gallons of gore.

Evil Dead 2 movie poster
Release: 1987
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tapert

Starring:
Bruce Campbell as Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams
Sarah Berry as Annie Knowby
Dan Hicks as Jake
Kassie Wesley as Bobbie Joe
Theodore Raimi as Possessed Henrietta

Evil Dead 2 is the sequel nobody expected. After the inconclusive, but genuinely implicative ending of The Evil Dead, the general conclusion was that Ash Williams was a bloody body in the leaves. However, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn breathes not only fresh life into Ashley, but also a well-needed touch of comedy. Bruce Campbell is brilliant at the comical and serious portrayals of Ash scattered throughout the film. After being bitten, chainsawed, kicked and thrown into a world of hellish violence and terror, he makes no bones about the sensitive issue of dismembering his possessed hand and replacing it with a chainsaw, and delivers the gore in delicious portions and hilarious comic moments, such as his hands constant attempts to end him.

Evil Dead 2 - Ash the Killer. As we already knew, but were not given details of in the first film’s ending, the Evil Dead are not quite thwarted yet, and come back for another night of blood, demons, evil, chainsaws, shotguns and flying eyeballs. Ash is alone in the cabin, constantly fighting off the barrage of deadites and going temporarily insane on a number of occasions, until some curious students and their hillbilly companions join him. However, these intruders just serve as fresh meat for the rampaging deadites and in the end we are left with some girl and Ash being attacked by the rather aggressive deadites trees.

The girl manages to get stabbed and, as everyone always knew it would be, in the end it’s just one goofy hero and his chainsaw. A goofy hero, who, after defeating a pretty angry red slimy monster, manages to get sucked back in time, as only someone as thick headed as him could be, and hailed by knights after blasting a deadite.

Understandably annoyed at the fact he is now a considerable amount of time before the one he rightly belongs in, and being hailed by a crowd of aggravating knights, everyone’s favorite lucky jackass has a psychotic breakdown, letting fly a torrent of Star Wars-esque dramatic “No’s” and screaming into the credits.

If you saw the original Evil Dead, you shouldn’t just watch this as a means of finding out the conclusion of his unrevealing encounter at the end, you should watch it because it’s funny, scary, jumpy, wacky, zany, gory and packed with gallons of blood soaked violence.

Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is a great film by itself and a great sequel to the first movie, and deserves it’s due respect. Questions or comments about Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn? Contact us!