Cover Art

Credits

Director: Sam Raimi Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, Denise Bixler, Richard Domeier Screenplay: Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel Music: Joseph LoDuca Tagline: "Kiss Your Nerves Good-Bye!" Country: USA

The thinnest of plots is really just an excuse to run from one insanely absurd situation to the next. Raimi keeps the momentum going at breakneck pace with plot really being secondary to showcasing some fabulous FX by KNB. Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) arrive at the dreaded cabin in the woods for a vacation. It's not long before Ash finds the tape player and plays the Deadite incantation, read by Professor Raymond Knowby, and lo and behold Linda turns into a flesh-eating monster intent on killing Ash. We knew this of course and had already shouted at our TV screens telling Ash not to play the tape. But would he listen? Of course not - and he'll probably do the same thing again next time I spin the disc - will he never learn? Anyway, I digress, Ash fights for his life and in the process decapitates his girlfriend. Awww - there's nothing like true love, is there? Unfortunately for Ash her head returns to life and bites his hand and just won't let go. He resorts then to putting her head in a vice and manages to free himself. He then chainsaws her head in half. Back in the house Ash soon discovers his hand is possessed and has to sever it in order to save himself. But weirdness abounds and Ash finds himself periodically transforming into a Deadite, but manages to fight it off each time. Meanwhile. Professor Knowby's Daughter, Annie (Sarah Berry) and her travelling companion Ed (Richard Domeier), are heading to the secluded cabin to look for her father. However, they soon discover that the bridge to the cabin is out of commission and enlist the assistance of two country bumpkins, Jake (Dan Hicks) and his girlfriend Bobbie Jo (Kassie Wesley), to show them the trail to the cabin. So off go the four travellers, on foot now, to reach the cabin. Once there, Annie soon sees that there is no sign of her father - all that is in the cabin is a blood-soaked Ash talking incoherently. She assumes the worst and believes that Ash has killed her parents. How wrong she is - and it's not long before merry mayhem ensues with violence, Deadites and gore galore. Exactly what we have paid to see!!

Raimi has produced a fantastic sequel to his cult classic that scores top marks for entertainment. However, it does kind of lack the originality of the first film and is far more light-hearted in tone. The first film had a dark streak of nastiness running through it whereas this film plays more like The Three Stooges on acid. Understandable, as Sam is a huge fan of The Three Stooges, and it does work extremely well. This is definitely not a bad film - in many ways it is infinitely superior, technically, to its predecessor - but it plays too much like Evil Dead with a bigger budget. Don't get me wrong, this is a superb film and I love it, I just think it could have been a tad more original than trying to rehash the first film. Don't be put off though, if you haven't seen it then I urge you to go and grab a copy right this very second!