The perfect Halloween horror is a mixture of gore and giggles - and you can stream it at home this year

• With Halloween approaching, no doubt debates over what to watch this season are on the cards.
• Scream, Halloween, Friday The 13th? What’s the go-to for a movie with equal parts scares and shock as much as laughter and grimaces?
• Benjamin Jackson discusses why his Halloween staple, Evil Dead II, should be yours this year too.

Leaving full-time education back in 1999 was an interesting time for me, as I could imagine it would be for a lot of people.

To go from the concerns of “fitting in” with certain tribes one scholastic year, to suddenly having the freedom to, well, just be myself, was very much a learning curve. Gone were some of the pressures of what was considered ‘normal’, and instead, going to a college to retake my GCSEs also led me to a period of self-discovery.

I wasn’t too popular at school - could you tell?

But college would become some of my most formative years when it came to popular culture; my final year at school, I was more open to declaring my love of nu-metal, and gone were Donnay button-up tracksuit bottoms in exchange for the baggiest, fattest pair of skater jeans that the local market would carry. Oh, and a wallet chain, as was the uniform of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.

My younger, more naïve years were frequented with horror movies back in New Zealand, where the video shop turned a somewhat of an eye towards this tall, possibly “of age” person hiring Child’s Play or The Return of the Living Dead II (I came back to the first one years later). But among a new group of students, each with a more unique perspective and tastes, I had the chance to explore the more unconventional.

Well, at least more unconventional than the UK Top 40 or the UK Box Office charts.

The hero of our intro coincidentally shares the same name as protagonist of the movie that has become a staple of my Halloween season viewing; Ash, who used to take some of the college courses with me and caught the same bus home as me, started introducing me to punk bands that I should be checking out and grittier movies such as Taxi Driver, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and, more importantly, Evil Dead II.

Now, my stomach had weakened a little bit since my last dalliances with the horror genre, but I was assured that this film in particular, while another veritable bloodbath, had just enough blackened humour - and he was correct. Of course he was.

One of my first entries into the world of splatstick, it is my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for a Halloween scare, but also one that isn’t going to induce a huge panic attack. It’s the kind of film that makes you grimace, giggle and yet at the same time has an array of stunning scares that still manage to rattle your nerves.

So why is what some consider “just another zombie movie” just so important to watch, not just for me, but for movie fans in general?

But first...

What is Evil Dead II about?

The film plunges the viewer straight back into the terrifying scenario of the first instalment, focusing on Ash Williams, the sole survivor of a massacre at a remote, secluded cabin. After once again confronting the ancient demonic force released by the Naturom Demonto (Book of the Dead), Ash finds himself trapped in a loop of supernatural horror.

The premise revolves around Ash's descent into madness and his frantic, isolated fight for survival against the 'Deadites'—demons that possess the living and the recently deceased. Alone in the cabin, Ash is forced to sever a possessed body part and weaponise a new one, all while the evil surrounding the cabin grows stronger and more grotesquely inventive.

His ordeal is interrupted by the arrival of a new group of unsuspecting visitors: the daughter of the cabin's original owner, who first brought the book to the lodge, and her companions. Ash must now convince these newcomers of the terrible truth and find a way to banish the evil once and for all, if he hasn't completely lost his mind first.

Why is Evil Dead II quintessential viewing this Halloween?

The perfect balance of horror and comedy

The film occupies the perfect sweet spot between the grim, low-budget intensity of the original The Evil Dead and the cartoon fantasy of Army of Darkness.

While it delivers genuine, suspenseful horror and grotesque imagery, it couches it all in an over-the-top, Three Stooges-inspired slapstick style. It allows viewers to scream and laugh in the same breath, which is the exact communal fun Halloween viewing should be.

It is also one of the first examples of what would become known as “splatstick” - the ingenious blend of manic, physical comedy (inspired by the Three Stooges) and extreme, unrealistic gore, a style that defined the careers of filmmakers like Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson.

The birth of an iconic hero

Evil Dead II is the film that transformed Ash Williams from a hapless victim into the charismatic, one-liner-spitting, definitive B-movie action hero.

Bruce Campbell's masterclass in physical comedy is the engine of the film, culminating in the iconic sequence where Ash battles his own possessed hand before famously attaching a chainsaw to his stump and wielding a boomstick (shotgun).

This transformation is pure, cathartic Halloween fun, and for fans of the first film, it’s endearing to see the “final guy” evolve into the wisecracking, Deadite-butt kicking (if not still smarmy) hero that he would become by the final film of Raimi’s trilogy.

Visual mayhem and technical innovation

Sam Raimi, who would later direct the Spider-Man trilogy, uses the film's larger budget to unleash a torrent of kinetic, inventive filmmaking.

The film is a textbook example of manic camerawork (including the signature Evil Dead demonic P.O.V. shots), dazzling stop-motion effects, and highly creative practical gore.

The sheer visual absurdity—from the infamous laughing moose head to the dancing Henrietta Deadite—is far superior to sterile CGI, giving it an enduring, cheesy charm perfect for October.

Ultimate cult status and watchability

The film functions beautifully as both a sequel and a soft-reboot, meaning you don't necessarily need to have seen the original to jump right into the non-stop action.

Its relentless pace, high energy, and quotable dialogue ("Groovy!") make it a favourite for repeat viewings and a guaranteed hit for any Halloween party, solidifying its status as one of the most beloved and influential cult films of the 1980s.

Future “macho” characters in the pop culture realm would borrow from our hero, from first-person shooters like Doom incorporating chainsaws in their armoury for players to use, to the character Duke Nukem... well... practically lifting all of Ash’s best lines throughout his lifespan as a video game “anti-hero.”

Where can I watch Evil Dead II in the United Kingdom?

So you’ve been sold on the idea? Great - I promise you that you won’t regret it. Don’t hold me to that.

But for those in the UK wanting to roll the dice this Halloween, you can stream Evil Dead II now on Prime Video, or purchase it through Sky Store, Amazon Video or Apple TV.

What’s your favourite horror movie that is a repeat viewing over the Halloween season? Drop the writer of this article an email and let them know, for potential inclusion in a reader-rated list of horror films to watch this spooky season.