10 AMAZING Horror Sequels That Shouldn’t Have Worked

One of the most common mistakes that horror sequels make is imitating what came before, without implementing any new ideas.

Evil Dead II seemingly fell into this trap, since it follows the original almost beat-for-beat, to the point where it can be classified as a remake rather than a continuation. Another potential issue was the decision to ramp up the comedy, which could've watered down the scares.

But in hindsight, The Evil Dead feels like a testing ground for horror-comedy, while the follow-up perfected the formula. Director, Sam Raimi leaned into his strengths, throwing in kinetic camerawork, exaggerated gore, and a willingness to blend slapstick with terror, making Evil Dead II more chaotically entertaining.

Changing the generic hero, Ash Williams, into a boomstick-blasting badass was a stroke of genius, as it allowed Bruce Campbell to showcase his physical acting and impeccable comic timing.

Instead of chasing commercial trends of the time, Evil Dead II doubled down on practical effects, inventive jokes, and its uniquely twisted humour. The result was a groovy film that surpassed expectations for a sequel and influenced horror-comedy for decades to come.