Loses its freshness in story but not effects

Rating: Null/10 (2 November 2003)

Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987) Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, Theodore Raimi, Denise Bixler, D: Sam Raimi. Highly innovative, gleefully gory visual remake, more than sequel, has Ash (Campbell) in the same woodsy cabin beset with evil demons, including his severed possessed hand, after the Book of the Dead is opened again. This time around, a burlesque sense of humor is brought into the madcap schlock and chock-full special effects of this uneven horror-comedy, thanks to a loss of crispness in its story. Followed by ARMY OF DARKNESS. Running Time: 85 minutes and rated R for extreme gore, violence, and language. ** ½