EVIL DEAD

(1982)

Starring:Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Decrich, Betsy Baker and Sarah York

Written and Directed by :Sam Raimi.

"Necronomican", Roughly translated "The Book of the Dead".

DVD Information
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment - 16x9 Enhanced 1:85.1 - Dolby Digital Mono - Audio Commentary with Ken Russell and Writer/Producer Barry Sandler - Deleted Scenes - Theatrical Trailer.

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Click to Buy Your Copy of Either The Evil Dead (Book Of The Dead Limited Edition) or The Evil Dead Anchor Bay Versions.

When five friends go vacationing in the woods they discover the "Necronomican", roughly translated, "Book of the Dead". Along with a tape recorder and the book, they decide to play the recording. The voice on the recording happened to be that of a professor who once occupied the residence at the old cabin. The professor begins to explain how he came in contact with the evil book and then begins to chant a demonic spell which begins the assent of the evil from hell. As the recording plays they all seem to be amused, but outside the ground begins to crack and smoke begins to fill the desolated woods. Suddenly one of the girls screams to shut it off when suddenly the wind blows and the window is smashed open.

Audio Clip

When the ceremony is completed, they all chuckle as they had a good fright. Little do they know that what they have done is, conjured up the evil. When one of the girls goes out into the woods she is suddenly attacked by the evil force. A tree comes to life and its veins wrap around her and hold her captive . In the famous tree rape scene, a shocking and terrifying scene sets the pace for a scary roller coaster ride written and directed by Sam Raimi. One by one the evil takes over them. Turning them into hideous zombies who turn on each other as the evil possesses their souls. In a fight against good vs. evil, only one will survive. But the one question remains? CAN YOU SURVIVE THE NIGHT? Written and Directed by Sam Raimi, "The Evil Dead", originally titled, "The Book of the Dead", became an instant smash horror/cult film and still remains one today. Even though it did not have a large budget, "The Evil Dead" still continues to shock and terrify us more to this day. The star Bruce Campbell in his screen debut delivers a charismatic and humorous performance as Ash, the hero who battles the evil until the bitter end. In the wake of it's success, "The Evil Dead" had spawned two sequels "The Evil Dead 2" and the funny cult favorite "Army of Darkness."

"The Evil Dead" is not new to being available on DVD and had been released twice before, first by Elite Home Entertainment as a special edition that featured some nice extras including a re-mastered 16x9 picture and a new 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, commentary with Campbell and Raimi, 150 stills, Alternate Takes and Behind the scenes footage.
Then it was released as a stand alone version by Anchor Bay featuring different disc art designs.
Now Anchor Bay Releases this new Special Edition of "Evil Dead" in two forms.
One comes in a regular keepsake box and the other which is The Ultimate Edition and comes in a very original and to become rare soft cover box of the "Book of the Dead". This is the choice edition for any collector. A must have!
Anchor Bay delivers a first rate transfer for this classic with a much improved picture/sound quality then the already great Elite's Evil Dead - Special Edition version. I was a little surprised by how good this movie looked, mainly because after all this film was made from a shoe string budget. The film had always suffered from very noticeable grain and dim colors.
The film still suffers from noticeable grain on this dvd but unlike previous versions. This version produces a very vibrant picture with well saturated colors and black levels. The sound 5.1 re-mix was done very nicely and much better than Elite's version. The audio is crisp and clean with some great surround affects.

The extra's included:
A 24-Page Booklet.
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Sam Raimi and Producer Robert Tapert.
Audio Commentary with Star Bruce Campbell.
Behind the Scenes Footage & Outtakes.
Theatrical Trailer and T.V. Spots.
Poster And Still Gallery.
And included Only on the "Book of the Dead" Special Limited Edition are two documentary's "Fanalysis" -- an all-new 26 minute documentary by Bruce Campbell featuring a humorous look at the fanatical world of the cult film phenomenon.
And "Discovering Evil Dead "-- an all-new featurette tracing the film's history from humble beginnings to legendary status.
If anyone out there is planing to buy Anchor Bays version, You should pick up the Limited "Book of the Dead" edition.
Note: The extra's and commentary are different then Elite's version. Elite's version contains more photo stills and a longer outtake reel.

Click on the Below Images to Buy This DVD as well as the "Evil Dead" Sequels!

Anchor Bay also has Army of Darkness available on DVD.

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