--- title: "Evil Dead II: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 7 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): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Radio Times — Calum Baker Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nj3vmf/evil-dead-ii/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/evil-dead-ii-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2005. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/evil-dead-2/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 1987. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-13-ca-5566-story.html) ## The AV Club — Josh Modell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 April 2008. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/evil-dead-ii-1798213712) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 10 April 1987. 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/evil-dead-2-dead-by-dawn-1987) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1986. 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 the review](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/evil-dead-ii-1200427274/) ## Time Out — NF 10 September 2012. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/evil-dead-ii) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/evil-dead-ii.md