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 Director
: Sam Raimi
Starring
: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Hal Delrich,
Sarah York, Dorothy Tapert, Ted Raimi.
Picture
1.33:1, DD 5.1, Single Side, Dual-Layer, Keep Case
Running
Time : 85 mins
The
story:
The
Ultimate Experience in Gruelling Terror
Ever-present,
ever-listening, the Evil Dead lie in wait for the one ancient
incantation that will give them license to possess the living.
Watch in horror as five vacationing college students unwittingly
resurrect these slumbering demons, and are forced into battle
with the supernatural forces that occupy the forests and
dark bowers of man's domain. The innocent must suffer. The
guilty must be punished. One-by-one, the students are possessed
by these demons whose thirst for revenge is insatiable.
As the night wanes, only one man remains...Ash. He must
now defend himself while trying to uncover the horrible
secret of The Evil Dead..
The
summary:
Following
on from the horror classics of the 70's (Texas Chainsaw
Massacre, Dawn of the Dead etc) The Evil Dead heralds the
next chapter in the horror saga - the comedy horror. Sam
Raimi enlisted the help of high school friend Bruce Campbell
and with a budget of $50,000 managed to produce one of the
most effective Zombie films of the genre. The Evil Dead
is my favourite of the trilogy and it's certainly the most
fun to watch. It's by no means an out-and-out comedy like
it's sequels, but Raimi ensures that the script is full
of the black comedy moments that the Return of the Living
Dead films parodied so well. There's also the mandatory
low-budget wooden acting (no doubt influenced by Night of
the Living Dead) , some great make-up on the demons and
gore by the bucketload!
The
story is about 5 college students basically trapped in an
isolated cabin with evil knocking at the window (and tapping
under the floor!). Once the scenario is established the
story really isn't that important, it's just a case of survival.
Raimi employs some great camera shots, particularly the
chase sequences and somehow, he skillfully manages to create
real fear even within the constraints of the tiny budget.
The dialogue is laughable at times and the script appears
to have been given little attention, but in spite of all
it's drawbacks Raimi's unique direction really holds the
whole thing together.
Elite
have done a fine job in creating the definative version
of The Evil Dead. Elite have done a new digitally remastered
transfer but grain and scrathes have been transferred onto
DVD. The picture is perfectly acceptable but had this film
have had the mass-market appeal of say, Star Wars, the picture
would have been cleaned up to todays standards. The new
5.1 soundtrack is also pretty average and low-key throughout.
However it's worth pointing out that the quality is far
superior to any previous VHS or region 1 DVD releases. Elite
have decided to stick with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio transfer
which is the correct aspect ratio of the film. The new Anchor
Bay region 2 release features a 1.85:1 Widescreen transfer
but we'd prefer to see the film how the director intended.
Elite have included a nice selection of extras including
2 commentaries, trailers, stills and 20 minutes of alternate
takes and behind-the-scenes footage. Superb!
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Extras:
*
Audio Commentary #1 - Audio Commentary with Director
Sam Raimi and Producer Robert Tapert. As you'd expect, this
is a very matter-of-fact commentary and probably one for
fans only.
*
Audio Commentary #2 - Audio Commentary with Bruce
Campbell. This is by far the more enjoyable commentary as
a relaxed Bruce tells his anecdotes and gives his insight
into one of the classic horrors of all time.
*
Additional Footage - Entitled 'Bits & Pieces'
this is raw footage of alternate takes and behind-the-scenes.
Selected by Sam Raimi especially for this Elite Collectors
Edition, Evil Dead fans should be aware that this footage
is not available on any other release. Being raw footage,
the picture and sound suffer a little but overall this is
an excellent inclusion. 18 mins 25 secs.
*
Trailer- The theatrical trailer.
*
Picture Gallery - A comprehensive stills gallery.
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