Evil Dead II 1987

Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune: Evil Dead 2 is, pardon the expression, consistently lively -- a ghoulish splatter comedy that uses wildly excessive gore to provoke the kind of shock that lies between a laugh and a scream. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Just when things start getting too grisly, Raimi rushes in with a hilarious, sendup joke to remind us that all this blood and guts is meant in spooky Grand Guignol fun. Read more

Caryn James, New York Times: Genuine, if bizarre, proof of Sam Raimi's talent and developing skill. Read more

Pat Graham, Chicago Reader: The pop-up humor and smirkiness suggest Raimi's aspiring to the fashionable company of the brothers Coen, though on the basis of this strained effort I'd say he's overshot the mark. Read more

Joshua Klein, AV Club: Evil Dead 2's rampant inventiveness and manic energy have ensured that it will endure as a cult classic. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Good acting would not have served the material well, since it would have diluted the comedy quotient and made the campy elements seem cheap and cheesy. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: If you know it's all special effects, and if you've seen a lot of other movies and have a sense of humor, you might have a great time at Evil Dead 2. Read more

Nigel Floyd, Time Out: Delirious, demented and diabolically funny. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: A flashy good-natured display of special effects and scare tactics so extreme they can only be taken for laughs. Read more

Richard Harrington, Washington Post: The acting is straight out of '50s B movies. The exposition is clumsy, the sound track corny, the denouement silly. Then again, who said bad taste was easy? Read more