EVIL DEAD 2

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
APRIL 1, 2013

“Evil Dead 2” loses me. I respect the first film from a horror standpoint, but this sequel is too repetitive, too nonsensical, and too trippy for me to stay invested. Several long, point-of-view shots follow Ash (Bruce Campbell) from room to room, breaking down doors, and showing a real sense of choreography. It’s just too bad the entire film could not be as inspiring.

Besides Bruce Campbell, no one in the film is watchable, and besides the epic moment when Ash attaches a chainsaw to his hand, none of the rest of the film ever really entices. From Sam Raimi’s perspective, I can see that he was building a niche in this genre, but from a bystander’s point of view, it felt like a cheap knockoff of the original and an affordable way to toss blood and guts at the characters as much as possible.