ATLRetro

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Blogger

Splatter Cinema Presents EVIL DEAD 2 (1987); Dir: Sam Raimi; Screenplay by Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegal; Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks; Tues. Oct. 11; 9:30 PM; Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

Sam Raimi’s EVIL DEAD 2 (1987) is your basic guy-and-girl-go-to-a-cabin-in-the-woods-to-have-nookie-but- the-evil-dead-show-up-and-ruin-things story. That’s it, really. Otherwise, what really can or needs to be said? That it’s a gorehound classic? That it’s basically a remake of Raimi’s 1981 debut THE EVIL DEAD – but goofy? That once again it stars Bruce “The Chin” Campbell as Ashley “Ash” J. Williams – the role he’s become must identified with? Yes, all of the above, and some more.

As much as THE EVIL DEAD is considered a “cult classic,” its remake-come-sequel seems to be the most popular of the “Deadite trilogy” (GSU’s Cinefest is also screening the third Ash/DEAD flick, ARMY OF DARKNESS on Thurs. Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m., by the way). The movie is fun – and gory and sick in a demented Three Stooges “splat-stick” style. But you already know all of  that because I don’t know anyone who hasn’t seen it (and I know waaay too many people…).

Have you seen it on the big screen, though? If not, then get down to The Plaza Theatre this Tuesday for a rare one-off screening in the main cinema.

Bruce Campbell faces a dead thing in EVIL DEAD 2. Image copyright Anchor Bay Entertainment.

THE EVIL DEAD was a triumph of micro-budget, visceral intensity that managed to get the movie banned on video in the UK during the “video nasties” fake mass hysteria promoted by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the mid 1980s. (Create a witch hunt if you want to distract the voting sheep from the fact you are raping the country – kinda like Shrub & Cheney & co did with Iraq…but that’s another horror story.) Co-written by Raimi and childhood pal, Scott Spiegel (the man who launched Quentin Tarantino’s career),  EVIL DEAD 2 is a genuine splat-stick classic. Between Raimi’s nutzoid direction, Campbell’s lunatic performance, Mark Shostrom’s tasty make-up FX…and a flying eyeball, EVIL DEAD 2 is one of the most fun, demented horror flicks of the 1980s.

Thanks, as always, to the Splatter Cinema gang for bringing us the best 35mm of gore to the best movie theater in Atlanta…the one, the only The Plaza! Watch out for that eyeball!