Twiztid’s “Quarantine Movie Review”: EVIL DEAD 2

Back again with the newest edition of “Quarantine Movie Review”, it’s your good ol’ pal jAMIE with a fan-favorite movie from once upon a time in 1987: Evil Dead 2!

Synopsis:
The second of three films in the Evil Dead series is part horror, part comedy, with Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) once again battling horrifying demons at a secluded cabin in the woods. After discovering an audiotape left by a college professor that contains voices reading from the Book of the Dead, Ash’s girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) becomes possessed by evil spirits that are awakened by the voices on the tape. Ash soon discovers there is no escaping the woods.

Evil Dead 2 was and is still the epitome of the horror cinematic game-changer. Up until that point, Friday the 13th, Halloween, and/or A Nightmare on Elm Street all focused mainly on one particular killer or monster. But Evil Dead 2 dealt with an evil of a completely different kind: Possession with terrifying visual mutations by an unforeseen horrific demonic force, that’s brought about by way of the Book of the Dead

When the movie first made its way into my VCR, my friends and I rejoiced in fright as we took in the carnage and this new and refreshing take on horror as we knew it. In hindsight it was intended to be a horror-comedy hybrid, revisiting the first movie in the opening sequence of the sequel and wasting no time quickly jumping into the action feet first. 

Bruce Campbell’s performance is amazing! His portrayal of a man pushed to the edge of his sanity by evil manipulative forces is spot on–or at least as I think it would and should have been, given the validity of the situation his character and supporting cast are facing. 

Breathing life back into the first film while stacking up a fanbase, this hopeful franchise seemed to have staying power with Army of Darkness being released just five short years later.  Evil Dead 2, in my opinion, is responsible for the continued interest and reimagining and retelling of the immortal story, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It should ALWAYS be the source material used as a template for this brand. Special effects of the time aside, this movie STILL holds up and delivers spine-tingling chills every time I view it. Not many movies still hold that special director-intended feeling initially set out for, but in this case, Sam Raimi’s certainly does. 

Nowadays comedy and horror go hand in hand and movies like Dead Alive, Shaun of the Dead, & Zombieland (to name a few) have become the norm in the horror movie entertainment scene. I can’t help but think that none of them would have seen a green light if not for the trailblazer known as Evil Dead 2.

I’m outta here, be safe, take care of yourself, don’t forget to wash your hands and bring popcorn next time. 

Editor’s Note: jAMIE is one half of the horror/hip-hop duo Twiztid. Read more about the band and give a couple of their videos a spin below.

Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric, who perform under the respective personas of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide.

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