7. Evil Dead II (1987)
Directed by Sam Raimi
Starring Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, Ted Raimi, Denise Bixler, Richard Domeier, John Peakes
The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holds up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.
In at number 7 is the first (and only) horror comedy on our list, in for the form of Sam Raimi’s barmy quasi-sequel/part-remake of The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II. A movie that showed off the technical brilliance of Raimi and the genius of Bruce Campbell’s physical performance.
The opening ten minutes of the movie work as a remake of the first movie, removing all of the other kids from the story so it’s just Ash before jumping into an assault on the senses as Raimi seems to revel in his torture of his co-star. Whether you love the movie for the trippy sequence where everything in the cabin is laughing at Ash or his battle with his own hand, Evil Dead II is a staple of midnight movie screenings and created a huge cult audience that has lasted to this day.
Evil Dead II was at the top of this list for a long, long time, but some late votes came in and pushed it down to the seventh position. But there was a distinct lack of votes for The Evil Dead, showing that the Flickering Myth writing staff clearly prefer this wacky comedic outing rather than the more serious attempt.
Originally published October 31, 2014. Updated October 24, 2022.
