Rating: **
Review Date: 9/5/99
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Bruce Campbell
A true camp horror classic. Unfortunately, I just can't get into Sam Raimi's work for some reason - his films tend to rub me the wrong way. Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend sneak into an empty cabin for a night of fun, and within five minutes we realize that this is actually a remake of Raimi's original "Evil Dead" (1981) rather than a sequel. Ash finds The Book Of The Dead and foolishly plays a tape recording of a professor reading passages from it. This summons a dark evil which lives in the forest, and it immediately possesses Ash's girlfriend. From here on, the film is just a constant barrage of gory monster mayhem as Ash tries to stay alive and remain sane. I suppose I should give Sam Raimi some credit here, as he manages to keep the entire last hour of the film interesting without having a plot to work with. Of course, much of that credit should go to Bruce Campbell as well, since his eccentric performance and strong presence are what keeps the movie going. Many of the effects are downright embarrassing, although a handful of nifty gore effects and some inventive camerawork make this film stand out among so much other horror fare. A good late night movie to watch with friends and pizza.