"We are the things that were and shall be again." So a demonic flesh puppet tells Ash and his allies in a memorable scene from the classic splatstick flick Evil Dead II. In addition to being a rollicking piece of entertainment, Evil Dead II is an expertly crafted film whose director used every tool and technique to generate a cinematic experience that is – as the tagline went – "2 terrifying, 2 frightening ... 2 much!" In this episode, JF and Phil court the absurd by turning a fun 80s horror movie into a statement on the dread aspirations of matter and a shining example of the modern baroque.

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SHOW NOTES

Sam Raimi (dir.), The Evil Dead II
Weird Studies, Episode 121 on Mandy and the Bandwagon
Joe Bob Briggs, American movie critic
Chalres Ludlam, American actor
Weird Studies, Episode 88 on Mr Punch
Kenneth Gross, Puppet: An Essay on Uncanny Life
Eduardo Viveiros de Castro, Cannibal Metaphysics
Bruno Schulz, The Street of Crocodiles
Victoria Nelson, The Secret Life of Puppets
Joseph Cermatori, Baroque Modernity

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Episode 136: The Things That Were And Shall Be Again: On 'Evil Dead II'