Sometimes connections can be found between the most unlikely of films. A Disney film about two sisters banding together with a talking snowman and a man who pretends his reindeer can talk would probably not be your first thought when discussing films that share similarities with Evil Dead II, but when you examine underneath the surface, connections start to reveal themselves. Frozen II and Evil Dead II both examine the concept of a sequel and what that can entail, while focusing on the transformative forces of magical — and in the case of Evil Dead II — evil spirits. Frozen II and Evil Dead II work well together both thematically and visually.
Some Things Never Change
Frozen II brings us back to Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Olaf (Josh Gad), Kristoff and Sven (both played by (Jonathan Groff) with a song: “Some Things Never Change,” highlighting the precarious emotions Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf are feeling. Everyone is on edge, worrying that their perfect life might come crashing down.
The song showcases the good parts of their experience, and is a reassuring moment, especially between Anna and Olaf, but we know this opening number signifies the theme of the musical: everything changes, even when we don’t want it to.
Evil Dead II follows Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) as he fights deadites — mortal bodies possessed by demons — to survive another night in a secluded cabin in the woods. After the events of the first film, Ash’s life has changed in insurmountable ways, leaving him in a world that is almost unrecognizable.
In Frozen II, Olaf says, “An enchanted forest is a place for transformation.” This highlights the central theme of Frozen II and Evil Dead II. Throughout the course of both films, the characters transform and find themselves leaving their perfect or expected lives and entering a new world, one that is more dangerous but maybe more rewarding as well.
Frozen II and Evil Dead II visually express the thematic focus on transformation through the unique ways both films represent the concept of a sequel, questioning audience expectations surrounding a second film.
In Evil Dead II, the film gives us a new version of the first film. It hits the same basic story beats, but changes everything in the process. Instead of being surrounded by a group of friends along with his girlfriend Linda and his sister Shelly, Ash is now going off to this cabin in the woods with only Linda. In some ways, this could feel like he does not lose as much as he did in the first film. Hanging all the deadite possession onto this one character, however, means Ash quickly becomes a loner. The one person he did have comes back as a dancing skeleton. He is haunted by Linda and the dark, daunting voice of the deadites saying “Join us,” as eyes become visible alongside the feared cabin.
This recap of the first film is how we enter the world of Evil Dead II, and something similar happens in Frozen II. Olaf takes it upon himself to recap the story of Frozen to a group of soldiers from Arendelle and Northuldra. Through Olaf’s verbal recap and Ash’s revised history, both films question the nature of the sequel in similar ways, both tied into the changes each character has gone through. Olaf aims to reconnect these two groups of soldiers — trapped in time since the forest was closed off in a sea of magical mist — in hopes of making what was separated whole again. Ash cannot control his transformation, much like he cannot control how the deadites hugely reshaped his entire life from college himbo to deadite hunter and prophesied defeater of evil.
Visual Parallels Between Frozen II & Evil Dead II
Frozen II starts with a bedtime story told by Anna and Elsa’s father King Agnarr (Alfred Molina), all about the enchanted spirits of the forest. This sequence ends with the warning: “but the forest could wake again.” This propels the film into a realm not dissimilar to that of the Evil Dead series.
During this bedtime story, it is revealed that the forest spirits are hidden away behind a thick covering of mist and “no one can get in and no one has since come out.” This is a startlingly ominous phrase for a Disney film, one that shows how it is in conversation with the Evil Dead series. One of the staples in ‘cabin in the woods’ horror is the idea that you are stranded and trapped, be it from a broken car or a supernatural entity destroying a bridge, which is what happens in both The Evil Dead and the recap sequence in Evil Dead II.
The idea that the forest in Frozen II has been blocked off and consumed by an endless fog ties in well with the woods in Evil Dead shifting and being alive. When Annie Knowby (Sarah Berry) and Ed Getley (Richard Domeier) make their way to the cabin, they meet Bobby Joe and Jake, two locals who know a pathway through the woods, since the bridge is destroyed. After the group consisting of Annie, Ed, Bobby Joe (Kassie DePaiva), and Jake (Dan Hicks) make their way to the cabin, they realize forces of evil have been unleashed. Bobby Joe notices the path is gone and she says, “like the woods just swallowed it up.” In Evil Dead II, the woods are alive. They’re moving and changing, and Bobby Joe eventually has first-hand experience when the trees attack her. In Frozen II, the film’s central plot deals with the forest being alive and fighting back against intruders.
A more direct connection is present when Anna and Elsa’s parents explain that the forest is sealed off behind mist, like it was never even there, and the mist swallowed the magical spirits while trapping Arendelle’s and Northuldra’s soldiers.
Another parallel comes in the structure of the opening scenes in both films. While Frozen II starts with this bedtime story told by Anna and Elsa’s parents, Evil Dead II begins with a narration telling the story of the dark ones as the Necronomicon flips open, revealing the haunting illustrations and the blood-inked pages.
In addition to establishing its story with ominous phrases commonly associated with the horror genre, Frozen II also contains visual similarities to Evil Dead II. The most notable similarity is the use of point-of-view shots.
Sam Raimi utilizes POV shots in the Evil Dead series to depict unseen evil forces, creating haunting moments without needing to see what is coming for you. Frozen II utilizes this style to capture the moments featuring the magical spirits following and attacking the main group throughout their journey.
A particularly memorable moment comes when Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven are pushed through the layer of heavy mist surrounding the enchanted forest. This scene plays up the unseen nature of the wind spirit — nicknamed Gale by Olaf — as it pushes our characters forward in their transformation. Likewise, there is a moment in Evil Dead II where Ash is pulled through the forest by an evil force, catapulting him into a new life, one where he must come to terms with his loneliness after Linda turned into a deadite, forcing Ash to kill her.
Another moment in Frozen II feels particularly reminiscent of Ash flying through the woods, being twisted and turned by the rushing, wind-like evil.
When the group explores the forest on their own, Olaf ends up reflecting upon his age, and all his questions posed throughout the film about permanence and change come to the surface as he sings, “When I’m Older.”
Throughout this song, Olaf comes face to face with the darkness of the forest, in particular the way the different spirits — fire and air — try to keep their forest safe. As the elements of the enchanted forest become too much for Olaf to rationalize, the song ends with him seeing a mysterious creepy face in the water, he becomes so scared and frantically runs through the forest. Olaf’s running is visually similar to Ash being pulled through the forest. And both of these moments, across two seemingly distant films, end in startlingly parallel ways. In Frozen II, the flow of the action follows Olaf before drastically shifting, ending with him collapsing in a giant footprint. In Evil Dead II, after Ash is thrown around the forest, the camera shifts as we see him fall into a big puddle. There is a similar somewhat manic energy between these two moments.
While Frozen II establishes the ordinary and secure world of Olaf, Kristoff, Anna, and Elsa, we see the group enjoy a family game night. They play charades together, and this small and wholesome moment is another which showcases the film’s visual connections to Evil Dead II. Olaf utilizes the fact that he is a talking snowman to reassemble his body in different shapes, so his partner can identify every word during charades. This scene has a similar flow and choreography to Linda utilizing her deadite skeleton body to perform a dance for Ash where she reassembles her body, most notably removing and dancing with her head.
Lost in the Woods
Throughout Frozen II, Kristoff questions himself and worries that his feelings for Anna are not returned. Kristoff spends the film trying to propose to Anna, but each proposal fails in more extreme ways. He views meeting Anna as setting his life on a completely different course. Seeing Kristoff keep trying to propose recalls the moments Ash spent trying to give Linda the necklace he bought in Evil Dead.
Kristoff is left alone when Anna, Elsa, and Olaf continue their journey. This leaves Kristoff doubting himself, which comes together with the song “Lost in the Woods.”
In Evil Dead II, Ash runs off into the woods, clutching the necklace he bought for Linda. Ash looks around, realizing his life has completely changed. He used to be surrounded by friends — or at least Linda — but now he is on a new path of surviving with no one else.
This song, especially the visuals of Kristoff alone in the woods, recall moments of Bobby Joe wandering through the woods alone in Evil Dead II. She runs off into the woods. She has seen too much destruction for one night, so she flees, but the woods fight back. Kristoff is left behind, the only one stuck in the enchanted forest. The visual moments of his journey bring to mind the dangerous and dark atmosphere of Evil Dead II As Kristoff sings “Lost in the Woods,” he runs along dark, tree-filled pathways, seeing visions of Anna. He sees what he thinks is Anna, but it is a pile of rocks. He hugs Anna, but she fades away, showing Kristoff that he really is alone and lost in the woods. Kristoff and Ash both find themselves on new paths, distant from their friends and girlfriends. Instead, the darkness and evil of the woods is their only companion.
Anna’s body disappearing as Kristoff tries to cope with his loss evokes a similar emotional response as Linda turning back into a human as Ash is preparing to kill her. She wants him to let his guard down and be vulnerable enough for her to bite his hand, causing it to become possessed. Evil Dead II explores this idea of forces at play trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Kristoff’s inner thoughts about Anna show her coming back, only to rip her away instantly, thus making him even more hurt than he was before he saw her in his mind.
Lullabies become an important aspect of the plot in Frozen II, since the song Elsa and Anna’s mother sang to them as a child offers answers to their current predicament. The lyrics to the song help Anna and Elsa understand what they need to do in order to save both Arendelle and Northuldra. The recitation of a lullaby also gives way to an important moment in Evil Dead II. Annie’s deadite mother, Henrietta, shifts into a human body, trying to manipulate her daughter into releasing her from the cellar. As a last-ditch effort, Henrietta sings a lullaby. Annie questions her mother, and the answer drives her to realize even though this person looks like her mother, it’s still a deadite hiding behind her mother’s face.
Prophecies and Wreckage
In Evil Dead II, Annie Knowby, along with Ed Getley, discover the missing pages of the Necronomicon. This research kept Annie in close contact with her parents, mainly her father Raymond, who was an archeologist. Annie worked on her research along with her father. When Annie and Ed return to Annie’s family cabin, her parents are dead, and the cabin is wrecked. In a way, Annie’s professional curiosity was part of her family’s downfall.
In Frozen II, Elsa discovers — within the wreckage of her parent’s ship — her parents were trying to find out the origin of Elsa’s powers. From this moment on, Elsa feels the death of her parents is solely her fault. Elsa and Annie both have to deal with knowing their actions might have impacted the death of their parents.
This revelation about Elsa’s power also highlights her powers in a new way. She comes to accept her destiny and realizes going on this journey is something she was meant to do, and she should not shy away from her powers.
Ash discovers a prophecy in Evil Dead II through Annie and Ed’s knowledge of the Necronomicon. When it is revealed that someone is prophesied to have defeated the evil in 1300 AD, Ash comments, “He didn’t do a very good job” without realizing he is the prophesied one.
Elsa and Ash both must overcome their fears and take these steps in their journey alone. Elsa leaves her friends behind in order to protect them, while Ash loses all of his new companions over the course of sending the evil force back in time. Elsa’s call to adventure comes with her hearing a voice that does not make itself known to anyone else. From harmonizing with this ethereal voice, Elsa unleashes the magical spirits of the forest. Similarly, Ash unleashes the evil from the Necronomicon by playing the tape he found in the cabin, which contained translations of passages from the book. In addition to unleashing a powerful force, both Elsa and Ash hear voices. In Elsa’s case, the voice seems friendly — even though it does cause spirits to attack Arendelle. In Ash’s case, the voice repeatedly says “Join us” in a demonic and frightening tone, trying to persuade him to accept a different path — one of deadite destruction.
The Next Right Thing
Anna’s journey after Elsa sends her away also mirrors that of Ash in the Evil Dead series. When Anna and Olaf land themselves in a dark pit, she loses both her sister Elsa and her flurry friend Olaf.
“The Next Right Thing” starts with Anna succumbing to her grief, thinking she has lost the most important people in her life. She sings, “Can there be a day beyond this night?” In Evil Dead II, Ash recognizes that the evil dissipates in the sun, but contemplates whether the sun will ever rise again for him. Anna knows that her entire life may change, much like how Ash has lost everyone in his life and must make the decision to move on and fight back against the evil.
Anna sings: “It’s clear that everything will never be the same again.” She has to come to terms with losing her family before she can stand back up and finish the last steps of her journey. Ash accepts that his life is on a completely new path. He started as a carefree college student going on a trip but must quickly adjust to being on the run and constantly fighting demons for, possibly, the rest of his life.
Anna experiences a similar introspective moment, but her story — in typical Disney form — ends on a happier note. She fixes the problem and is reunited with her family without any missing members. Ash, on the other hand, has already lost everyone. After meeting a new group of companions, he loses them as well and is transported to another time where he will have to fight again, this time in unfamiliar territory. Ash is a complex character, having to confront his loss and trying to move forward, even though he knows there is no returning to the life he lost.
Both Frozen II and Evil Dead II are stories of the transformative qualities of the woods and magical forces — both the good and the evil. These films on the surface may not seem like they speak to one another, but when you dive deep within, there is more connecting these films than expected.
