Evil Dead II – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

At the time I was introduced to Evil Dead II, my knowledge of horror was limited to the Universal classics, the ’50s sci-fi flicks, and a few other standards like Night of the Living Dead. I was young, but not to young, and when I watched it for the first time, I was just shocked. In a way, I never processed that a horror film could be more than just scary at that time, but Sam Raimi’s film was filled with comedy. How could a horror film, with some gross out moments, also make me laugh?

For a young guy at the time, eyeballs popping out, severed hands, and blood were scary, despite the quaintness of the effects now, but I was also laughing and quoting the one-liners. I was so excited to re-watch the film, I invited my friend over for my birthday to see what I was raving about. About halfway through, he gets up and leaves the room. After a few minutes later, my uncle said I should go see where he went. Apparently, he was so scared, he left and was sitting with my grandma! He would later finally see it all the way through, and became a huge fan, especially of its sequel  Army of Darkness, but that’s the special nature of Evil Dead II.

It’s a wild 80 minutes. There’s little story, and the film doesn’t really have much to tell. It’s a showcase for the screwball comedy of Sam Raimi, and of course, the birth of The Chin as an icon. Bruce Campbell is game for the abuse Raimi puts him through, acting essentially by himself for most of the film, even talking to himself. I think for fans of the film, without Bruce’s gung-ho attitude, would we have watched, yet alone continued over the years to continue to watch? No, absolutely not. It was Bruce’s coming out party, a love letter to the Three Stooges style of comedy, but set within a horror setting. As much as Bruce shines, the film is also noted for Sam Raimi’s camera work. A lot of what he does in this film, will become his signature style that he will be noted for in future films. For a couple of buddies with some cash, a camera, and some blood, they put together perhaps the most zaniness piece of 80 minutes even put to film.

Who doesn’t love Evil Dead II? If you’re one of those very few, I really don’t want to know you. It might not be a good horror film, but it’s a blast from start to finish. Groovy!

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Anchor Bay loves to release Evil Dead II, so it makes it a no-brainer that they will choose this title as part of their initial first Blu-ray releases. Probably, due to the film stock Raimi used, but the Blu-ray video isn’t that good. Grainy, rough at times, a filled with edge enhancement issues, fans will be bummed. The picture is brighter than the DVD, and in faces of the actors the detail is high, but that’s the only positives.

Given the film’s budget, the sound was never that good, but the Blu-ray audio shines with this knowledge. Dialogue and music are clear and never step on each other, and surprising there are some bass heavy moments.

Having seen all of Anchor Bay Blu-ray releases, Evil Dead II is sadly their weakest release.

All of the extras are from previous editions.

Commentary: This is a really fun track. We get Bruce, Sam Raimi, Greg Nicotero, and Scott Spiegel, and they are all passionate about this film. So this leads to a lot of great info and fun comments. Fans will probably listen to this numerous times.

Film Fast Facts: This is a pop-up trivia track, that is fun, but I recommend using it during the commentary, although there isn’t anything new given that you didn’t know already.

Behind-the-Screams and Gorier the Merrier: These two making ofs are in 480p and are pretty good. Filled with old footage, fun moments, it’s the rare type of making of’s that are worth watching.

Finally, the Trailer rounds out the extras.

Conclusion: Yes, Evil Dead II is a seminal film. We know each word, every scene, and seen it a zillion times. But is the Blu-ray worth owning? Not really, but you can find it for pretty cheap, if you’re so inclined.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: