Dead By Dawn

Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead still stands as a landmark masterpiece in the evolution of the film horror genre. Remarkably then, it’s his bonkers sequel Evil Dead II that is the better film. Trading in suspense and scares for slapstick, surrealism and gore, Evil Dead II is one of the most deliriously inventive films committed to celluloid.

The plot of the first film is dispensed with in approximately 4 minutes of running time ensure that the rollercoaster ride is underway before we’ve had a chance to start on our popcorn. What follows is a series of set-pieces, camera tricks, nasty effects and nightmarish scenarios where our hapless hero (Bruce Campbell once again clowning it up as Deadite slayer Ash) is beaten, tortured, possessed, abused and bullied by the often unseen demonic forces that lurk in and about the iconic cabin in the woods.

The result is a gloriously demented series of cartoony slapstick, schlock comedy, blackly humorous mayhem and bizarre and outrageous violence. It’s like watching a brutal mash up of an abstract art film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1930’s silent comedy and Tex Avery cartoons. There’s no plot to get in the way, only a premise, and it’s all the better for it.