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Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

Critics Consensus

Evil Dead 2's increased special effects and slapstick-gore makes it as good -- if not better -- than the original.

98%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 58

89%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 148,213
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Movie Info

This sequel is better, funnier, scarier and superior to the first indie gore-fest. Never before has there been such an originally funny and unique horror film that never for a moment takes itself seriously. Lots of fun!
  • Rating:
    R (adult situations/language, violence)
  • Genre:
    Horror
  • Directed By:
    Sam Raimi
  • Written By:
    Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Rosebud Communications Releasing

Cast

Bruce Campbell
as Ash, Ashley J. Williams
Sarah Berry
as Annie Knowby
Dan Hicks
as Jake
Kassie Wesley DePaiva
as Bobby Joe
Ted Raimi
as Possessed Henrietta
John Peakes
as Professor Raymond Knowby
Denise Bixler
as Linda
Richard Domeier
as Ed Getley
Snowy Winters
as Dancer (Dance sequence)
Josh Becker
as Fake Shemp
Scott Spiegel
as Fake Shemp
William Preston Robertson
as The Hand
Sam Raimi
as Knight
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Critic Reviews for Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

All Critics (58) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (1)

  • 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.

    Oct 1, 2013 | Full Review…

    Kevin Thomas

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    Oct 1, 2013 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Dave Kehr

    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic

  • Evil Dead 2's rampant inventiveness and manic energy have ensured that it will endure as a cult classic.

    Oct 1, 2013 | Full Review…

    Joshua Klein

    AV Club
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    Sep 21, 2007 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    James Berardinelli

    ReelViews
    Top Critic

  • A flashy good-natured display of special effects and scare tactics so extreme they can only be taken for laughs.

    Sep 21, 2007 | Full Review…

    Variety Staff

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    Sep 21, 2007 | Full Review…

    Pat Graham

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic
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Audience Reviews for Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn

  • Aug 12, 2016
    This film is a parody of the original, - Evil dead - but i didn't find it funny myself. I can understand why people like it - there's great camera work, gore and gags - but this just wasn't for me. I'll be honest, i don't get the horror-comedy genre. If i'm watching a horror, i want it to be scary, and if i'm watching a comedy, i definitely don't want to see waterfalls of blood.
    Peter B Super Reviewer
  • May 03, 2016
    With the amount of gore, slapstick comedy and legit scary moments, Evil Dead 2 threatens to overwhelm. However, Sam Raimi's elegant direction and nearly perfect script help it stay in focus, making for a wonderfully fun time at the movies.
    Matthew M Super Reviewer
  • Jun 18, 2014
    Not really a sequel but more a different remake of the first one with superior special effects and camera work, and it is definitely a lot funnier, with a more bizarre physical humor that includes a squealing possessed hand and a hysterical Bruce Campbell stealing the scene.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Apr 24, 2014
    The low budget clearly shows itself in what can only be appreciated as a comedy rather than a horror but boy does Raimi take advantage of what he has. Great over the top performances.
    John B Super Reviewer
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