Hello, all!
Yesterday’s film featured a cameo from the star of today’s flick, Bruce Campbell. He’s been a staple of director Sam Raimi’s films, and for whatever reason he’s an actor whose stuff I’ve always liked, from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. to EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN.
The first film, THE EVIL DEAD, did feature Raimi’s trademark [i.e. slightly slapstick] take on horror, but sought to be much more of a straight horror film than the sequel, which focused more on entertaining than scaring. The result is a great little flick that feels only a little less low-budget than the first installment and yet succeeds at creating a somewhat creepy atmosphere. The basic flow of the three films in the series is that the first tried to be scary, the second tried to be scary and funny, and the third [ARMY OF DARKNESS] tried to be funny. Raimi strikes just the right balance between scary and funny in this one, and Campbell turns in exactly the kind of performance that you’d expect from someone who would star in a movie about Elvis in a retirement home fighting some ancient Egyptian monster, BUBBA HO-TEP.
The basic premise of this film sounds like the setup of THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, with some folks making their way into an isolated cabin in, well, the woods. Campbell’s character, Ash, finds [and plays] a tape of some Indiana Jones type character reciting incantations from The Necronomicon. This, of course, is a horrible idea, and a blend of horrific and comedic hijinks ensue. It’s all pretty goofy stuff, but the thing that makes this film superior to the first – and an inspiration for the surprisingly good [albeit (purposefully) derivative] THE CABIN IN THE WOODS – is that it recognized the value in entertaining the audience in addition to simply trying to frighten it.
It's a great blend of barely scary and mostly funny horror fare that allows those who are fans of the horror genre to enjoy the movie, but also appealing to those who aren’t as keen on a straight horror flick. If you think that’s not your thing or that it can’t be done, it may be worth considering that this one has become a cult favorite for a reason. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2; Day 14 - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET; Day 15 - LETHAL WEAPON 2; Day 16 - FINAL DESTINATION 2; Day 17 - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; Day 18 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 19 - THE RAID 2; Day 20 - THE BOURNE SUPREMACY; Day 21 - SPIDER-MAN 2]
Yesterday’s film featured a cameo from the star of today’s flick, Bruce Campbell. He’s been a staple of director Sam Raimi’s films, and for whatever reason he’s an actor whose stuff I’ve always liked, from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. to EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN.
The first film, THE EVIL DEAD, did feature Raimi’s trademark [i.e. slightly slapstick] take on horror, but sought to be much more of a straight horror film than the sequel, which focused more on entertaining than scaring. The result is a great little flick that feels only a little less low-budget than the first installment and yet succeeds at creating a somewhat creepy atmosphere. The basic flow of the three films in the series is that the first tried to be scary, the second tried to be scary and funny, and the third [ARMY OF DARKNESS] tried to be funny. Raimi strikes just the right balance between scary and funny in this one, and Campbell turns in exactly the kind of performance that you’d expect from someone who would star in a movie about Elvis in a retirement home fighting some ancient Egyptian monster, BUBBA HO-TEP.
The basic premise of this film sounds like the setup of THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, with some folks making their way into an isolated cabin in, well, the woods. Campbell’s character, Ash, finds [and plays] a tape of some Indiana Jones type character reciting incantations from The Necronomicon. This, of course, is a horrible idea, and a blend of horrific and comedic hijinks ensue. It’s all pretty goofy stuff, but the thing that makes this film superior to the first – and an inspiration for the surprisingly good [albeit (purposefully) derivative] THE CABIN IN THE WOODS – is that it recognized the value in entertaining the audience in addition to simply trying to frighten it.
It's a great blend of barely scary and mostly funny horror fare that allows those who are fans of the horror genre to enjoy the movie, but also appealing to those who aren’t as keen on a straight horror flick. If you think that’s not your thing or that it can’t be done, it may be worth considering that this one has become a cult favorite for a reason. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2; Day 14 - RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET; Day 15 - LETHAL WEAPON 2; Day 16 - FINAL DESTINATION 2; Day 17 - FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE; Day 18 - NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION; Day 19 - THE RAID 2; Day 20 - THE BOURNE SUPREMACY; Day 21 - SPIDER-MAN 2]
