Overview
A cabin in the woods becomes a nightmare as evil spirits awaken and terrorize a young couple.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- frantic
- irreverent
- grotesque
- cult movie night
- halloween party
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a technically inventive, highly entertaining cult horror-comedy whose surreal effects and comic timing outweigh its intentionally crude story.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film repeatedly frames dismemberment, possession, and blood splatter through exaggerated comic timing.
Ash's physical transformation and combat with possessed attackers make bodily damage a central comic and dramatic motif.
Ash and the visiting survivors are trapped in an isolated cabin while evil spirits attack through the night.
Raimi uses elaborate prosthetics, blood effects, camera movement, and exaggerated creature makeup to create a hyperactive visual style.
Films like Evil Dead II, and why
The Evil Dead
shares black comedy, splatter horror, supernatural chaos, and irreverent practical-effects excess
Braindead
shares horror comedy, grotesque practical effects, physical slapstick, and cult-film energy
Dead Alive
shares surreal comedy horror, demonic possession, and deliberately exaggerated gore
The Cabin in the Woods
shares cabin-in-the-woods isolation, supernatural terror, and self-aware genre parody
Movie Details
- Director
- Sam Raimi
- Release Date
- 1987-03-13
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (3675)
Cast
- Bruce Campbell
- Sarah Berry
- Dan Hicks
- Kassie DePaiva
- Ted Raimi
- Denise Bixler
- Richard Domeier
- John Peakes
- Lou Hancock
- Snowy Winters
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, HBO Max, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Evil Dead II about?
- A chainsaw-wielding survivor turns a night of demonic cabin terror into a delirious ballet of gore, slapstick, and supernatural mayhem.
- What is Evil Dead II like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Evil Dead II as breakneck, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Evil Dead II violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Evil Dead II as graphic.
- What did critics think of Evil Dead II?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a technically inventive, highly entertaining cult horror-comedy whose surreal effects and comic timing outweigh its intentionally crude story.
- Which films are like Evil Dead II?
- Films with a similar feel include The Evil Dead, Braindead, Dead Alive, and The Cabin in the Woods.
- How long is Evil Dead II?
- Evil Dead II runs 84 minutes.
- Where can I watch Evil Dead II?
- In United States, Evil Dead II streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Philo, HBO Max, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel.
