If you like so-good-it-knows-to-be-so-bad-it's-good movies, I can highly recommend Evil Dead II to you

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2006)

This one is a crazy campy horror-comedy. Helmed by Sam Raimi this is the (sort of) sequel to the campy, more serious gorefest known as Evil Dead. Although it takes place after the last film, the events of the previous film were retconned to cut out some characters. We start with our hero and the last film's survivor, Ash, being chased and possessed by the Evil Dead.
This film, like the previous film, has lots of gore and generally grossness, usually involving copious amounts of blood and the mutilization of body parts. However, ever since aspect of the film is done with some amount of self-conscious parody, without becoming a spoof. Evil Dead II is assuredly a horror film, but at the same time, it doesn't take itself perfectly serious. Nowhere is this more evident than in the writing and in Bruce Campell's acting. Bruce's character turns from regular guy to a sort of manic semi-hero/anti-hero and Bruce plays him by seriously overacting, but in such a way that you believe the character to be genuine (especially given the ridiculous, yet horrific, nature of the story). The film is also home to some gem lines, such as:
Henrietta (Demon-possessed): I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul!
Ash (pointing a shotgun at her): Swallow this!
This blend of ridiculous seriousness and comedy horror would further be refined in the amazing tour-de-force of campiness and low-budget production, Army of Darkness. But as it stands, it remarkably entertaining and Sam Raimi's direction elevates camp into an artform. If that's possible.
The film is full of flaws, from the awful production values to the cliché-ridden dialogue to the overacting and utter ridiculousness in the face of grotesque horror. The genius of Evil Dead II is that it turns all of its flaws into strengths. I burst into laughter as I witnessed Ash struggle with his possessed hand (screaming, "Damn you! Give me back my hand!!") turning the film into a bizarre Tom-and-Jerry scenario. When buckets of fake blood explode onto the screen, I can't help but be amused rather than frightened and the "glory-shot" at the end of the film being contrast against an overwrought "Nooooooooo!!!!" just serve to make the film somehow better, rather than worse.
Yes, it's cheesy, crappy, silly and underproduced and reaches beyond its means. And I honestly couldn't be more entertained by that. This film is utter garbage of the best kind. If you can handle gore and deal with the ridiculousness of it; if you like so-good-it-knows-to-be-so-bad-it's-good movies, I can highly recommend Evil Dead II to you. 8/10.