The Evil Dead Part 2: Groovy!

Ok, so I just finished watching The Evil Dead part 2 and all I have to say is..... "groovy....!" (you die hard fans out there know what I mean!) There is a lot of controversy as to whether this movie is a remake of the first, or a sequel: I say choose for yourself. I found a website called Deadites Online that is a wealth of knowledge for any Evil Dead fan (Deadite's Unite!) and it covers this debate in great detail. I highly recommend checking it out.

So my interpretation is that Dead By Dawn is a sequel that starts out with a Cliffnotes version of the first installment (although slightly varied; Deadite's Online explains this as well.) This helps in clearing any cobwebs that may have formed in the 4 years between releases.

It continues with Ash struggling against the evil that is ever present in the cabin and surrounding woods, fighting for his fleeing sanity and battling to regain possession of his possessed hand (this movie is not without cheesy humor.) The campiness is enhanced when the deer-head that is mounted on the wall turns towards Ash and begins to laugh maniacally. Soon all the inanimate objects in the room join in, until the room and your ears are filled with horrible laughter. You feel Ash's helplessness when you see he too, is standing alone, laughing, choking and crying amidst the mayhem.

He's not alone for long though, as the good professor's daughter along with a motley crew of 3 others arrive just when things start to get a little boring (fresh meat souls always liven up the dead, don't you think?)

The special effects have not waned from the first go 'round, still ranging from comical to creepy to downright grotesque. It often looks like playdough is used for some of the more comical graphics, but it's done in such an inventive manner that for me at least, does not deter from the scare factor.

Much of this movie is repeat of the first, offering more credence that it is a remake rather than a sequel. Everyone still ends up in some disgusting zombie state, and everyone still ends up brutally dismembered at Ash's hand. There is also a tree scene in this installment but it was largely tamed down from the first. Initially it had been planned for an even more graphic scene, however due to the controversy the first movie received (as well as being banned from theatrical view in some countries) and desire to maintain the movies R rating, the scene was notably edited.

Where this movie differs from the first, is that it introduces us to "Evil Ash" ("Deadite Ash".) You knew there was no way Ash could escape the fate of the Necronomicon, and this installment validates that. But as Ash is about to give in to his evil fate, he finds the necklace he had given his girlfriend when they first arrived to the cabin. The memory of what the necklace represents was apparently so strong that it cast the evil from his body, and he returned to Regular-Guy-Ash.

This movie wraps up with the evil being cast back to where it came from through a black hole type vortex yet as a result, Ash is swept away as well and catapulted through time. Back in time. Which is where Evil Dead 3 starts......

.....gotta go. Ash is calling from 1300 A.D...........