..It's not nearly as good as the original in my opinion. Despite the more professional look and better pacing, I prefer the original for its lack of slapstick. The first worked so well because it was such an unrelenting and grueling experience and was the finest horror film since "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It didn't take prisoners, and while its a bit dated it still has the power to terrify the audience. Not to mention it had some great if primitive stop motion effects. I really wish Sam Raimi would make another all out horror film again as that's what he does best.



That being said, "Evil Dead II" is still quite enjoyable on its own merits. I usually hate films that attempt to combine horror with comedy. While "Evil Dead II" is not quite scary, its often hilarious. Imagine an off the wall combination of "Friday the 13th" with the Three Stooges, and you're coming close. The sight gags are often surreal and inspired, the sequence with the hand being the finest. Also, the film is very atmospheric and still maintains a sense of unnerving creepiness, which was completely jettisoned for "Army of Darkness" which I'm a big fan of. This film has plenty of gore to still appeal to fans of the original. The gore is so over-the-top its difficult to find it even remotely offensive.



Special mention must go to Bruce Campbell. While he was a meek and unwilling hero in the first film, he is a completely over-the-top bad a.. in this one! It's a very finely tuned parody performance of action stars. While this is the role that leads him to being typecast, it also made him a cult legend. Its a shame he didn't become a bigger star. While its not as successful as the first installment, "Evil Dead II" is a lot of fun and one of the best combinations of horror and humor.