---
title: "Evil Dead II"
year: 1987
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii"
fi1m_id: "evil-dead-ii"
imdb_id: "tt0092991"
tmdb_id: 765
wikidata_id: "Q750028"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 84
critics_reviews: 7
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:01.129223+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Evil Dead II (1987)

Directed by Sam Raimi · 1h 24m · MPA R · Horror, Comedy, Fantasy

## Identity

Evil Dead II

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** evil-dead-ii
- **IMDb ID:** tt0092991
- **TMDB ID:** 765
- **Wikidata ID:** Q750028
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092991/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/765, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q750028

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 84 from 7 reviews

*In a sentence:* Bruce Campbell takes enough punishment to make an ordinary haunting look like a restful weekend

> Sam Raimi makes gore funny without making it harmless, and Bruce Campbell submits to the punishment with marvellous precision. The supporting characters barely register, but this is a horror comedy we recommend with a strong stomach.

## Synopsis

Ash (Bruce Campbell) faces an unseen force in a cabin in the woods. As monsters threaten him, his struggle to stay alive becomes a succession of physical battles, with violence pushing into slapstick. The cast includes Sarah Berry as Annie, Denise Bixler as Linda, Richard Domeier as Ed, Dan Hicks as Jake and Kassie DePaiva as Bobby Joe. Combining horror, comedy and fantasy, *Evil Dead II* is directed by Sam Raimi and written by Raimi and Scott Spiegel.

## Review

Sam Raimi wants to make us jump, laugh and then wonder why we laughed at that. *Evil Dead II* succeeds often enough, and with enough variety, to earn an enthusiastic recommendation for anyone comfortable with its gore. Its story offers little beyond Ash’s struggle against monsters, and the screenplay by Raimi and Scott Spiegel does not give us much reason to worry about anybody else. That would sink a film relying on suspense for 84 minutes. Here, the next ridiculous assault is usually sufficient reason to keep watching.

Bruce Campbell makes that possible. As Ash, he treats bodily punishment with the seriousness that farce requires, never asking us to admire how hard he is working. His physical commitment allows the violence to become ludicrous without losing its sting. The performance gives us somebody to follow when the story has effectively become a succession of attacks. We need him to react convincingly to the monsters, however unconvincing the monsters might look.

Peter Deming’s cinematography is central to the joke. An unbroken point-of-view shot sends an unseen force racing through the woods and into the cabin, giving the attack a speed and persistence that no visible creature could match. We laughed, then felt ourselves tense up: the charge keeps coming when a sensible film would have cut away. Raimi’s lens tricks and forced perspectives repeatedly make distance difficult to judge. They keep us watching the edges of the image as well as Campbell.

Kaye Davis’s editing keeps this pace from becoming merely tiring, though the barrage does eventually narrow the range of feelings available. Jokes need just enough time for us to register what has happened, and the cutting generally allows it before the next indignity arrives. Joseph LoDuca’s music supports the menace without making the comedy feel apologetic. We found the film funniest when the craft treated a ridiculous attack as something worth taking seriously.

The latex monsters and stop-motion effects are often plainly artificial, and some viewers will find that a barrier to being frightened. Their visible construction suits the violence, giving the impossible bodily damage the freedom of a cartoon. The cabin also provides a useful fixed space amid the moving camera and distorted perspectives. However extravagant the attack, there is still a recognisable place for Ash to be trapped.

The weakness is the writing around Ash. Sarah Berry’s Annie and the other supporting characters have little chance to become people we care about, so their presence cannot supply much beyond fresh opportunities for danger. Raimi and Spiegel seem content with that, but it leaves the film with few ways to vary its momentum. After a while, another attack can feel like an interruption of a joke we were already enjoying.

As a horror comedy, *Evil Dead II* gets away with the imbalance because the comedy is so physically precise. It does not require us to believe in the creatures for a joke to work, and it rarely waits around for approval after a gag. There is less sustained dread here than a horror purist might want. If rubber monsters are likely to spoil the evening, this is not the film to change your mind.

*Fi1m score 86, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The consensus is firmly positive, with praise centred on Raimi’s restless visual invention and the film’s mixture of gore and physical comedy. Most critics treat Evil Dead II as a comic reworking of its predecessor rather than a straightforward horror sequel. Campbell’s committed slapstick performance draws particular admiration, while the camerawork, lens tricks and exaggerated effects are repeatedly credited with making the bloodshed funny. The prevailing response is delight at how inventive the mayhem remains.

The differences concern emphasis more than approval, and there is no substantial negative dissent. Variety offers the clearest qualification about the storytelling, describing it as chiefly an excuse for Raimi to devise fresh shocks. The AV Club treats the film as an outright comedy, finding charm in its dated latex monsters and stop-motion. Across the reviews, enthusiasm varies in degree, but the comic excess is consistently treated as a strength.

## Straight answers

**Is Evil Dead II worth watching?**

*Evil Dead II* is worth watching for anyone who can enjoy gore played as slapstick, and we scored it 86. Bruce Campbell takes his punishment with the seriousness that farce needs, and Sam Raimi's camera keeps every attack funny without making it harmless. The supporting characters barely register, and horror purists wanting sustained dread will find less of it here.

**How long is Evil Dead II, and what is it rated?**

*Evil Dead II* runs 1h 24m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a horror and comedy film.

**Where can I watch Evil Dead II in the US?**

*Evil Dead II* is streaming on HBO Max, Hulu, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Evil Dead II, and is it suitable for children?**

*Evil Dead II* is rated 18 in the UK and R in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The violence is constant and extravagant, with bodily damage pushed so far into cartoon territory that the film plays as comedy for much of its 84 minutes. The latex monsters look plainly artificial, which softens the fear but not the gore; the squeamish should stay away.

**How does Evil Dead II compare to Sightseers?**

*Evil Dead II* is a louder and more physical film than [*Sightseers*](https://film.one/film/sightseers), and the better of the two if you want gore treated as slapstick. Ben Wheatley's caravan comedy is drier and more British, finding its cruelty in holiday irritations that turn murderous, and its joke wears thinner over the running time. Raimi's film varies its attacks more; Wheatley's has the sharper dialogue.

**What should I watch after Evil Dead II?**

After *Evil Dead II*, try [*The Return of the Living Dead*](https://film.one/film/the-return-of-the-living-dead) (1985, Fi1m 79): Panic, punk humour and unruly bodies give the zombie siege a nasty comic energy. Then [*Sightseers*](https://film.one/film/sightseers) (2012, Fi1m 78): Holiday irritations turn murderous, with a drier and distinctly British taste for cruelty.

### Reviews we read (8)

- **Radio Times**, Calum Baker (5/5): More a redo than a sequel, it is a wild exercise in creative gore and laugh-out-loud cartoonish physical comedy indebted to the Three Stooges. Campbell delivers a fantastically committed performance in Raimi's true triumph of sheer invention. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nj3vmf/evil-dead-ii/)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (90/100, inferred): The gaudily gory, virtuoso, hyper-kinetic horror sequel/remake uses every trick in the cinematic book, and confirms that Bruce Campbell and Raimi are gods. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/evil-dead-ii-review/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Fernando F. Croce (85/100, inferred): The critic calls Evil Dead II full-on gore slapstick that pushes beyond pastiche into absurd farce and the giddiest treatment of viscera. He singles out Raimi’s delirious camerawork, lens tricks, and forced perspectives for their kinetic invention. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/evil-dead-2/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kevin Thomas (80/100, inferred): Raimi delivers more gore and laughs in this elaborate replay of the original, with unflagging inventiveness, humor, and cinematic flair that make it a terrific trip. The critic praises the darkly mischievous imagination behind the ballet of dismemberment and send-up jokes that keep the Grand Guignol fun. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-13-ca-5566-story.html)
- **The AV Club**, Josh Modell (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Evil Dead II a flat-out comedy that succeeds magnificently as hilarious, fast, ridiculous fun rather than a horror film. He singles out the dated latex monsters, stop-motion, and slapstick energy for lending the film its delightful charm. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/evil-dead-ii-1798213712)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (3/4): The film is a comedy disguised as a blood-soaked horror movie, a sophisticated satire on bad taste with manic inspired genius in its first half. Ebert singles out a masterful unbroken point-of-view shot from an unseen force roaring through the woods and cabin. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/evil-dead-2-dead-by-dawn-1987)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (75/100, inferred): Evil Dead II is more an absurdist comedy than a horror film, a flashy good-natured display of special effects and scare tactics so extreme they can only be taken for laughs. The story serves mainly as an excuse for Raimi to explore new ways to shock while keeping his sense of humor about it. [Read](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/evil-dead-ii-1200427274/)
- **Time Out**, NF: The film is a self-parodic reprise of the original, with Ash battling monsters in a funhouse of cartoonish gore and comedy. Raimi delivers delirious, demented and diabolically funny results through breathless pacing and nerve-jangling effects. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/evil-dead-ii)

## Details

- **Director:** Sam Raimi
- **Director:** Sam Raimi
- **Screenplay:** Scott Spiegel, Sam Raimi
- **Cinematography:** Peter Deming
- **Editor:** Kaye Davis
- **Music:** Joseph LoDuca
- **Producer:** Rob Tapert
- **Cast:** Bruce Campbell as Ash; Sarah Berry as Annie; Dan Hicks as Jake; Kassie DePaiva as Bobby Joe; Ted Raimi as Possessed Henrietta; Denise Bixler as Linda; Richard Domeier as Ed; John Peakes as Professor Knowby
- **Runtime:** 1h 24m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 13 March 1987
- **Genres:** Horror, Comedy, Fantasy
- **Budget:** $4 million
- **Box office:** $6 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7WNgzilRBw

## Where to watch in the US

- HBO Max: streaming
- Hulu: add-on, hd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IN, IT, LT, NL, NO, NZ, RO, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *House* (1977): A haunted house, unruly effects and comic timing that makes the horror stranger.
- *Braindead* (1992): Domestic embarrassment and practical gore grow together until neither can be politely ignored.
- *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985), Fi1m 79: Panic, punk humour and unruly bodies give the zombie siege a nasty comic energy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-return-of-the-living-dead.md)
- *Sightseers* (2012), Fi1m 78: Holiday irritations turn murderous, with a drier and distinctly British taste for cruelty. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sightseers.md)
- *Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein* (1948): For another pairing of physical comedians and monsters allowed to remain threatening.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii