Women Of Evil Dead II Revisited

Blood sprays, walls laugh, and somehow it’s beautiful—Evil Dead II still feels brand-new because the craft behind the chaos never ages. We sit down with Cassie DePaiva and Sarah Barry to pull back the cabin door and share how a tight script, fearless performances, and razor-sharp timing turned a low-budget experiment into a horror-comedy landmark.

We dig into the set culture that made it work: Sam Raimi’s precise plan behind the camera, Rob Tapert’s ruthless schedule, and Bruce Campbell’s physical timing that carried wild gags without losing heart. You’ll hear the real cost of practical effects, from Ted Raimi’s infamously brutal latex suit sequence to the day-by-day discipline that kept the shoot safe and inventive. Dan Hicks’ quick wit, on-set camaraderie, and the crew’s shared rhythm reveal why the film’s tone holds together—loose in spirit, exact in execution.

Along the way, we trace the franchise’s arc through fan memories, book signings, and the Ash vs Evil Dead series, asking what later entries miss and where they strike gold. The answer keeps circling back to Evil Dead II: fresh, handmade energy that blends horror, black comedy, and a strange kind of beauty. If you’ve ever wondered how terror and slapstick can live in the same heartbeat, this conversation delivers the playbook and the war stories that built it.

If you enjoyed this deep dive, follow the show, share it with a fellow Deadite, and leave a quick review—what’s the one Evil Dead II scene you’ll never forget?

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Guest Intros
• 0:09 Why Evil Dead II Endures
• 1:34 Remembering Dan Hicks
• 2:25 Raimi’s Set: Discipline And Timing
• 2:56 Ted Raimi’s Grueling Suit Ordeal
• 4:33 Sam, Rob, And Bruce’s Working Dynamic
• 5:27 Stunts, Stand-Ins, And Safety Lines
• 6:22 Fan Journey Through The Franchise
• 7:38 Bruce Campbell’s Charm And Roles
• 9:57 A Hug From Bruce And Last Words

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:00

Alright, Sam Fish the Fistful here at Four Round 2025. Cassie DeFiva and Sarah Clarence.

SPEAKER_00: 0:08

You got it.

SPEAKER_02: 0:09

The Women of Evil Dead 2. My favorite entry in the franchise.

SPEAKER_00: 0:15

That's good to hear. We like to hear that. We shot it 30 days, 37 years ago. We keep saying it as letters.

SPEAKER_02: 0:31

Exactly, exactly. Um I I mean the reason I think I like Evil Z 2 the most is because it it blends the perfect amount of like horror and black together.

SPEAKER_00: 0:47

And beauty.

SPEAKER_02: 0:49

And beauty.

unknown: 0:50

And beauty.

SPEAKER_02: 0:50

Yes, yes, and beauty. What was it like? I mean, I also have to mention this with Castle because last time you were in Pittsburgh at uh different conventions that was the weight. Uh on my show. Uh there too. There. So shout out to Late Danny.

SPEAKER_00: 1:24

We were discussing Danny was such a good at a little bit older. So the nicest man. He is the nicest man. This was the first thing that he was very respectful. I thought something was a good thing. So I I mean I enjoyed working with him a lot, but I really watched his record. Everybody watched him. Really hard. He was just a prick and wise all the time. Which made it fun, you know. He made us laugh. You know, when he took his outing his tooth, he was joked without his teeth. When he pop them back in, he was the actor. Yeah, yeah. So he was funny.

SPEAKER_02: 2:08

Awesome, awesome. Um any uh stories about Chris Campbell and Sam? Uh the uh Ted and Sam left the torture fed.

SPEAKER_00: 2:24

That was well known around the South. And poor old Ted was struggling so hard to get his sad fitness. And so did anything Sam told him to do. And I think that one of the most horrific parts of Ellie was when it was in the plastic suit on that lake suit, and they suspended him from the cabin ceiling, and it was so that the suit was melting, and his hands were melting, and he kept grabbing my hair, and he had the latex all in my hair. And then there were two orifaces either. And then he turned it to the hook like that. Sweat on the banana thing. Oh my god. Between the latex and sweat on my head, I was like, ugh. But that's my tad difference. And the brain boys have crazy sixes, you know. I mean, they're so funny. Dry and loose is all timing, but loose as a behind the camera, very disciplined, friends, and no more mess around. Time time is not it, right? And they won't always be there. That's it. So it was the second film for me. And but but Sam worked very differently. The first direct form worked did a lot of info. And so between tapes we try different things and you know, make sure the camera was ready for the next one. Sam ever had a really tight script. And you knew what you're gonna do. And damn it, you got wrong. But it was a good origin. But he was very, and Rob Tabric had everybody on the schedule, Rob was so between the three of them, they had every leg. Sam behind the camera, Rob out there, and Bruce in front of the camera. So they were all just like a movie like that. Right. There's a lot of melody that um it's amazing when we got it done in the primary. Which was remarkable. I didn't know that was in uh any strong and I just said I'll do that. I will not do that, I won't do anything else. I don't bounce. So they they fought a woman in the family for just a day. And uh she borrowed some mushrooms and my salt, and they grew against the wall a couple of times, and she just knew how to do it. But she was like, none. So, you know, I don't know if you're someone was like, okay, oh that's what I think it's just that one. I mean that's bamboo. You had plenty, yeah, but it was it wasn't funny. I want to cut 30 years overnight. Crazy.

SPEAKER_02: 6:11

Crazy, crazy. I mean I I I I remember I remember renting Evil Dead one. Actually it was Hollywood Video. Okay. But both have gone uh out of business since um Netflix, uh. Um but I I remember bringing the first one, I remember watching my first one. This is like really like intense. I don't know, horror. And then my my friend out in high school, uh and uh and I'd already seen Army of Darkness. And um remember the first time I watched it was that too. This is uh this is the one that really like I think all the remakes that were like attempted to do, even the last one. It's it's it's missing the like the freshness. Freshness and the and like the greeness.

SPEAKER_00: 7:30

I was like, alright, it combines so many different things. Yeah, um, and that was what it was usually one thing or another.

SPEAKER_02: 7:38

You could handle it, but it's taken like and then the the only one that I could say and that's kind of the fancy, and actually the the rest of the people to be able to do the uh Rangle deck is uh uh past versus T V series that uh that that's important.

SPEAKER_01: 8:11

They did, they did, yeah. Yeah, they did, they didn't have a laugh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 8:16

Uh that that's why I wanted to bring it up and say, like I I I think I I may just be speaking to me as a fan, as you know, he looked there to be as anything. Right, and he is ash, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:37

He's like the no idea how good looking it was. He didn't worry, you know, he never had a cabinet like the how did this get bored? And it was funny, and he was sweet, and good to work with.

SPEAKER_02: 8:58

And actually the first uh the first Bruce Campbell movie I saw was he gets killed right in the gang.

SPEAKER_00: 9:07

I never saw that one.

SPEAKER_02: 9:10

It's uh it's it's a totally kind of it didn't do that well at the bottom of it when it came out. There's a lot of like big names in the wall. Uh yes, it's actually got to be after Army of at the very beginning, and it was called by the killer.

SPEAKER_00: 9:51

That one did that one.

SPEAKER_02: 9:54

And then uh the other thing I have to think about. Um, celebrity in the channel.

unknown: 10:10

Right here with that.

SPEAKER_02: 10:19

And he was promoting his book, uh make love to his case away.

SPEAKER_00: 10:25

Uh always staying here.

SPEAKER_02: 10:27

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 10:28

I like confessions of a great the actor. That's how I'm coming to New York. And I I I just think about it, that they were playing one of his films there, and it was going to be different. So I went there. And then I came over and we hung out, and and you know, they have to see my family. But um, and that was in preference of a great.

SPEAKER_02: 10:52

Yeah, that was the I believe with the first. And I think made love with her scan away on the same second one. Okay. And um when he came, I was like, I'd never gone there in Fawn before, I'd never met a celebrity. I remember like walking down a while, traveling to shake his hand. This is classic for scanner. Um gets out from behind the table, and he says, No, no, no. Shaking hands is for politicians. We get hugs around. Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 11:26

And he gets maybe a big pair of things.

SPEAKER_02: 11:34

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 11:35

Okay, we're gonna let the biggest.

SPEAKER_02: 11:37

Yeah, and I I still have you know the picture from that event is a lined up, you know, disposable camera before we get all that stuff.

SPEAKER_00: 11:46

That was going way back.

SPEAKER_02: 11:48

Yeah, yeah. That must have been 15 or 16. Yeah, yeah. Now he was so great guy. Uh I I dream to get him on my show. Uh franchise. So it's been a pleasure having both of you guys. Take a swim in the fish pool.

SPEAKER_00: 12:14

I'm the shrimp.

SPEAKER_02: 12:16

Alright. Thank you so much.