The Movie: In 1981, a then-unknown Sam Raimi recruited some close friends to make a little gore-fest called The Evil Dead, a balls-to-the-wall exercise in demonic possession, crimson geysers, and mostly lighthearted horror-comedy. Six years later, Raimi and leading man Bruce Campbell completely lost their minds, and the genre community reaped the secondhand perks. The Scenery-Chewing Performance: Campbell reprises his role as the unluckiest guy in the world, Ash Williams, who is haunted by demons released from the Necronomicon, a.k.a. the Book of the Dead. Played more for gory slapstick laughs than its predecessor, Evil Dead II continuously one-ups itself, starting off with Ash lopping off his possessed girlfriends head and then cutting off his own hand, and that all happens before the second act. Needless to say, Campbell gives a brilliantly over-the-top performance as the movie's groovy hero. His facial expressions alone are sometimes so goofy and absurd that even the most stern viewers will be forced to crack a smile.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
