Bruce Campbell proves that Evil Dead 2 is a “requel”

Bruce Campbell has finally laid to rest all of those arguments about whether or not Evil Dead 2 is a remake. With the brand spanking new 4K HD Combo Pack set of the film arriving in stores in December no time like the present to clear up that debate.

Bruce Campbell loves to stir things up. This time he tackles the old chestnut of whether or not Evil Dead 2 is a remake. Fans of the franchise throughout the years have had numerous debates on this topic.

Some believe that it was a re-do of Evil Dead because they had more of a budget with Evil Dead 2 since it was financed by Dino De Laurentiis. Sam Raimi could finally realize his vision.

Others believe that it is a sequel because while the action takes place at the cabin, for the most part, it is a continuation of that fateful weekend when Ash had to kill all of his Deadite friends. Well, finally, the man at the center of the action speaks out.

In a strategically edited video from Bay at the Moon Productions, Campbell illustrates the connection between the two films. For whatever reason, this film franchise has quite a few rights issues as everyone knows.

Because of this situation, that is why Evil Dead 2 starts out with what Bruce calls a “recap.” Unfortunately, they didn’t have the rights to the original film which was done by New Line Cinema. In his words:

"“We couldn’t get the rights to our own movie which was the most ridiculous thing ever. So, we just shot a recap with different actors as though that was the recap. There is a big debate on whether Evil Dead 2 is a remake or a sequel. It’s a “requel.” It’s whatever you want to call it.”"

This is where the confusion sets in for some viewers. They think that Ash has deliberately gone back to the cabin after the trauma that he suffered (which I will concur doesn’t make much sense) with new people.

Some fans feel that perhaps it would have been less of a conundrum if there would have been a voice over narration like what occurs at the beginning of Army of Darkness. That way it would have been an obvious nudge to the audience that this was a sequel.

Basically, if you leave out the recap and take the end of Evil Dead where the entity knocks into Ash and cut to Evil Dead 2 where he is being driven through the forest and then smashed into a tree, like Bruce says, “it would all make sense.”

Watch the video that illustrates exactly what Campbell is talking about.

To see this film in all its glory, purchase the 4K HD Combo Pack on Dec. 11.

Do you agree with Bruce that Evil Dead 2 is a “requel?” Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We want to hear from you.