2) Evil Dead II/Army Of Darkness
Though the original Evil Dead was a solid straight-up scarefest, it was in the next two movies that Sam Raimi’s horror series really made its mark on the genre – by ramping up the anarchic tone to full-on horror comedy levels.
Featuring one of horror’s greatest leads in Bruce Campbell’s Ash (currently starring in TV’s Ash vs The Undead), Evil Dead II practically just reheats the plot of the first film. That really isn’t a problem, though, as this time it tells it with a feverish intensity, thanks to Campbell’s energetic performance and Raimi’s kinetic direction. The jump scares are spot-on, the laughs all find their mark and the result is a deliciously delirious experience that needs to be seen to be believed.
The third movie in the franchise, Army of Darkness, also kept things fresh by trying another new approach – by dialling down the horror and cranking up the slapstick humour. While it can’t be said that it is as good as its predecessor, it is a very worthy follow-up and still remains one of the best horror comedies out there.