4. Evil Dead II (1987)
Paramount PicturesSam Raimi's sequel Evil Dead II is quite rightly considered a genre classic. Bruce Campbell's committed performance as Ash and the innovative practical effects are enough to make it one of the most entertaining horror films of the last 30 years. Few would, however, be able to argue with the notion that it is also probably the silliest horror movie ever made. The first Evil Dead movie, which was made for almost no money, was genuinely terrifying. The effects were gruesome and the grubbiness of the whole thing really helped Raimi to create some genuinely alarming moments alongside his trademark dark humour. In Evil Dead II, he pretty much ditches the scares and just goes as zany as possible. Evil Dead II is a prime example of a horror movie that succeeds without being scary. Like Cabin in the Woods, it's aiming to achieve something different. Something that is, as Ash would say, groovy.