Evil Dead 2 and Woodstock Inn Brewery's Autumn Ale!

31 Days of Drafts and Darkness: VOL 2!

"Evil Dead 2" (1987)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

So, for tonight's final entry, I wanted a film that really captured the holiday spirit. Something spooky, a bit crazy, and a whole lot of fun. It had to have creativity, inventiveness, and just the right amount of dark comedy atop its horror.

And so I turn to you, Mr. Raimi.

Last year, I covered the third entry into the "Evil Dead Trilogy", "Army of Darkness". This go-around, I'll dial it back to the second of the trio. "Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn" is a semi-remake/sequel to the original "Evil Dead", giving us a bit of reimagining before taking things in a totally new and wild direction.

Though absolutely strewn in blood and guts, "Evil Dead 2" has a giddy fun-factor energizing every frame. For all the grotesque creatures and gory effects, you smile the entire way through. While "Army of Darkness" centered more on comedy, "Evil Dead 2" is straight-up horror with a dash of comedy sprinkled on top.

What better way to celebrate Halloween than with this horror-classic?

The Plot:

The first few minutes are a modified retreat of "Evil Dead 1". Here, Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda make their way up to an old cabin for a weekend retreat alone, rather than with friends. Once they arrive at the secluded shack, it isn't too long before they stumble across the research of paranormal researcher Raymond Knowby. It seems Prof. Knowby used the cabin while trying to decipher the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead. Through reading its passages, an evil force awakened in the forest and possessed his wife, forcing him to kill her.

Ash and Linda unwittingly unleash the same ole' evil force. This entity has no physical being, at least not yet. Rather, it's a malicious spirit with the ability to possess and transform anyone into a demonic beast. Once possessed, there's little that can stop the monstrous afflicted save for total dismemberment.

Linda's the first to fall victim. Attacking her own boyfriend, Ash is forced to dispose of Linda via shovel. He buries her in the backyard, but she doesn't stay dead for very long, despite missing a head.

From here, we delve into the night from hell. Ash is now faced with fending off his zombie-girlfriend and the evil spirit, which begins to break his sanity by going all poltergeist on the cabin. Through the evening, Ash is attacked by dinnerware, furniture, and even his own hand, now possessed. The latter appendage it ultimately removed via chainsaw, but like Linda's head, that doesn't quite stop it from coming after Ash.

And that, my friends, is only the first half of this Halloween-behemoth.

I'll keep the rest of "Evil Dead 2" in the dark, so as not to spoil anything. Keeping it brief, another group is on its way up to the cabin, with one of them being the daughter of Prof. Knowby. She's no idea what her father was up to, and thus is unaware of anything wrong. She does however bring along some pages torn from the Necronomicon. Her father had left these at home. The missing pages might be the group's only hope of stopping the evil before it consumes them all.

As Ash would say: "Groovy"

The Flavor:

"Evil Dead 2" is like a cornucopia of Halloween tropes all stuffed into one over-caffeinated thrill ride. Everything from haunted houses, possessions, ancient demons, zombies (kinda), monster movies, and even time travel is covered! You get the feeling the filmmakers wanted to throw as much creepy stuff at the screen as possible. But the joy with which they do it is so infectious, so damn fun. Even those who don't like horror films are likely to have a good time.

And while "Evil Dead 2" has plenty of great comedic moments, make no mistake, this is a legit horror film. Raimi and crew make full-use of the bigger budget they were given, coming up with some truly vile creatures and gore. When the demons attack, it's funny some of the time, but gross all of the time. Blood literally sprays from the wall at points. But there's no ugly feeling to it all. There's just too much energy, too much action, to make things appear grim. Oh sure, things go absolutely psychotic at points. Ash is losing his grip on sanity, after all. But the film has a total tongue-in-cheek tone that wants you to have fun right along with it.

Part of that fun comes from Ash, himself. Played by Bruce Campbell, Ash is the sort of hero who starts off a nobody, has every horrible thing imaginable thrown at him, and comes out the other side a total badass. His performance covers all the action hero essentials, even cheesy one-liners, but has just as much slapstick and physical comedy involved. When Ash's hand is possessed (and prior to removal), Bruce Campbell has to literally beat himself bloody for minutes on end. Painful as it is to watch, his character still maintains charisma. This is a guy who has to carve off his own hand and responds by taping a chainsaw to the stump. Bruce Campbell is a horror icon for a reason, folks.

The creature effects are plenty creative, most-all of which are done via practical effects. Everything from claymation, animatronics, and elaborate makeup are used to bring each slimy abomination to life. And to splatteric death, too. Sure, of some of these effects are outdated, but they're far too charming for you to care. When they come off as cheesy, you know it's totally intentional.

Best Paired with:

Halloween night, a ton of friends, and a rocking party. "Evil Dead 2" is just damn good fun. It's the sort of movie you can jump into at any moment and watch. Each scene is so packed full of horror-imagery and action that it's never boring. 

And if you haven't seen "Army of Darkness", "Evil Dead 2" sets up the perfect segue into the medieval follow-up.

Accompanying Brew:

"Evil Dead 2" demands something special. It's the kitchen-sink of horror movies, with all sorts of crazy elements blended together. For our brew, we need something that packs together all the various Fall flavors. Then mixes them furiously. We've covered pumpkin beers, Octoberfests, Imperials, even the occasional cider. How can we mix those?

 

 Name: Autumn Ale Brew

Brewery: Woodstock Inn Brewery

Where Brewed:  North Woodstock, NH

ABV: 4.4%

Style: Blend of Styles

Warming spices, roasty undertones, nutty malt, and crisp apple. These are some of the flavors and scents that come to mind when I think Autumn beer. And they're all here, presented in harmony.

Color:  A deep ruby-red/amber shade, with a touch of copper.

Aroma: Three scents swirl together on the nose. First, you pick up a rich nutty aroma. That's followed up closely by a light apple scent. The apple is mellow and crisp, not overly sweet. The scent then finishes with a hefty touch of cinnamon. Like the apple scent, the cinnamon smell is not sweet. Rather, it's warming and slightly toasty. The overall effect smells like Fall in a glass.

Taste:  At first, Autumn Ale starts off like a rich brown ale, only with solid dash of cinnamon thrown in. The malt taste is nutty on the tongue. Right alongside is a strong cinnamon flavor. While the malt profile is robust, this brew isn't sweet, so the cinnamon comes off more warming, more spicy, than it does tasting like candy. This is an incredibly welcome change of pace from some of the pumpkin beers that overdo it on the sugar and spice.

Once the beer hits the center of the tongue, the apple notes appear. Apple can be a strong flavor, and anyone who's ever tried a cider knows it's often paired with very sweet flavors. I prefer my cider on the more mellow, dry side. And thankfully, that's the case here. The apple flavor is light enough to complement the malt rather than bury it. It joins the other flavors and harmonizes into a symphony of taste, with no one flavor taking center stage. The malts, apple, and cinnamon are all fully expressed on the tongue.

Aftertaste: The cinnamon sticks around longest after each sip. The apple and malt flavors fade slowly, and the cinnamon joins up with a dash of hops to create a lingering, spicy finish. It's warming, like taking a bite out of a pastry right out of the oven. The bitterness is only enough to enhance the spice, so to those opposed to hops, Autumn Ale need not worry you. The hop bite is very mild.

Body: A nice, smooth medium body. Autumn Ale is just heavy enough to perfectly complement colder weather, but light enough not to fill you up. Great balance.

Pair: For Halloween, this is a great change of pace from the typical pumpkin ale. The flavors are mellow and fresh. Bring this to a party to mix up the selection!

Even after Halloween, I can see this beer pairing well with any number of Fall meals. Thanksgiving dinner actually comes to mind, as the nutty flavors and dash of apple would work wonders alongside turkey. Also, the cinnamon would go a long way to enhance cranberry sauces.