Welcome to Harbour Highlights, a series of cult and classic favourites handpicked by the staff of Harbour Lights – except for this month’s screening where we present the winner of our contest to win your own Harbour Highlight: Jay, who takes us to the woodshed for his groovy choice of Evil Dead II.
A semi-remake, mostly-sequel tohis original cult horror film The Evil Dead, director Sam Raimi’s follow-up doubles down on the humour over the horror, mixing gory effects with Loony Tunes-esque slapstick as he takes Bruce Campbell ‘s Ash back to a cabin in the wood where he must face off against possessed girlfriends, soul-sucking demons and his own evil hand.
Despite its small release in 1987, the film managed to be a box office hit and went on to become a cult favourite on video, turning Campbell into a horror icon and set Raimi on the path to his eventual Spider-Man success (where Evil Dead II’s influence can be felt, especially in Doc Ock’s awakening scene). The franchise would go on to have one direct sequel, a follow-up TV series , a remake and a spin-off but Evil Dead II remains the definitive film in the series – endlessly creative, surreal and just (eye)balls-out fun.
