The Evil Dead
BLU-RAY 
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Director:
Sam Raimi Actors: Bruce Campbell Ellen Sandweiss Sarah York Rating:
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WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Five friends head out to a remote cabin in the woods for a vacation. Rummaging through the cellar they uncover an audio tape that recites passages from the book of the dead, awakening an evil presence hell bent on possessing and destroying them one by one.
IS IT A GOOD MOVIE?
I’ll never forget my first experience with the EVIL DEAD films, granted it came about with EVIL DEAD 2 but still. This was back when VHS was God and Video stores were a plenty. I was fascinated by the cover (a skull with eyes staring at me) and somehow convinced my babysitter to rent it for me (he was a guy so it wasn’t much a battle). The key scene embedded into my young mind was the chick in the seller with the squeaky voice saying, “Someone’s in my fruit cellar, someone with a fresh soul.” Our basement had an unfinished creepy look to it with stairs just like that. Every time I went down there from that point on I could hear that voice in my head and half expected hands to grab my feet. Good times.
THE EVIL DEAD looks great for turning thirty years young and is a welcome on Blu-ray. Sure, there are lots of plot holes, goofs, bad dialogue and piss poor character judgements but hey, it WAS made thirty years ago after all. One thing does remain the same and that’s the solid ghost story vibe surrounding five friends isolated in a cabin surrounded by evil. The séance end of things with the necronomicon is brilliant and though the necronomicon itself was first used in H.P. Lovecraft in his 1924 short story “The Hound”, I’ve always been happy to see it pop up in other works of fiction, the EVIL DEAD series being one of the more memorable. Along with the book itself (which looked fantastically grotesque) there are loads of solid props (like that dagger) to enjoy.
One thing Sam Raimi is famous for is his use of “wet” effects and there’s no end to those here. Ash is covered in every sort of bodily fluid imaginable for the better part of the second half and it just keeps coming. One of the scenes that always stuck with me was the initial rape scene with the tree branches, a bold move back in the day but one that certainly set the tone for this over the top blood bath. I’m a huge fan of The Chin and despite the fact that it’s difficult seeing Ash come off as a pussy for the first half of the movie, it’s quite a blast watching him slowly transform into the evil ass kicking machine I know and love. Admittedly this is the more serious of the EVIL DEAD films, but I’d be lying if I said ARMY OF DARKNESS wasn’t my favourite.
THE EVIL DEAD is a true horror classic, an icon, a base for which something wondrously insane was built and continues to grow. Bruce Campbell may not be the household name I wish he was as some people out there still have no idea who he is but I for one was overjoyed when MY NAME IS BRUCE came calling and though nothing is for sure, I sincerely hope an EVIL DEAD 4 is on the horizon. Over and above wanting to get in on the celebration of this Blu-ray release, there are tons of great special features here that make this an easy twenty bucks to part with. I can’t wait for EVIL DEAD 2 on Blu-ray! And PS: this film is without a doubt the number one reason I will NEVER sleep in a cabin surrounded by woods...ever.
THE EVIL DEAD looks great for turning thirty years young and is a welcome on Blu-ray. Sure, there are lots of plot holes, goofs, bad dialogue and piss poor character judgements but hey, it WAS made thirty years ago after all. One thing does remain the same and that’s the solid ghost story vibe surrounding five friends isolated in a cabin surrounded by evil. The séance end of things with the necronomicon is brilliant and though the necronomicon itself was first used in H.P. Lovecraft in his 1924 short story “The Hound”, I’ve always been happy to see it pop up in other works of fiction, the EVIL DEAD series being one of the more memorable. Along with the book itself (which looked fantastically grotesque) there are loads of solid props (like that dagger) to enjoy.
One thing Sam Raimi is famous for is his use of “wet” effects and there’s no end to those here. Ash is covered in every sort of bodily fluid imaginable for the better part of the second half and it just keeps coming. One of the scenes that always stuck with me was the initial rape scene with the tree branches, a bold move back in the day but one that certainly set the tone for this over the top blood bath. I’m a huge fan of The Chin and despite the fact that it’s difficult seeing Ash come off as a pussy for the first half of the movie, it’s quite a blast watching him slowly transform into the evil ass kicking machine I know and love. Admittedly this is the more serious of the EVIL DEAD films, but I’d be lying if I said ARMY OF DARKNESS wasn’t my favourite.
THE EVIL DEAD is a true horror classic, an icon, a base for which something wondrously insane was built and continues to grow. Bruce Campbell may not be the household name I wish he was as some people out there still have no idea who he is but I for one was overjoyed when MY NAME IS BRUCE came calling and though nothing is for sure, I sincerely hope an EVIL DEAD 4 is on the horizon. Over and above wanting to get in on the celebration of this Blu-ray release, there are tons of great special features here that make this an easy twenty bucks to part with. I can’t wait for EVIL DEAD 2 on Blu-ray! And PS: this film is without a doubt the number one reason I will NEVER sleep in a cabin surrounded by woods...ever.
THE EXTRAS
Commentary: Writer/Director Sam Raimi, Producer Robert Tapert and Bruce “The Chin” Campbell himself get together for this entertaining run through the film. Sure, they’ve gone over these things and answered question upon question about the film for years but listening to them go through it scene by scene is a blast especially with Campbell leading the team.
Featurettes: The real blood and guts of the special features are here, in these four hours of featurettes. There’s reflection on the film in regards to the time it came out and all the controversy surrounding it, we have horror peers like Eli Roth give his two cents about the film and how its impacted horror in general, we’ve got convention interviews with the cast and crew as well as a live reunion panel which is absolutely hilarious. It’s amazing to me just how popular this film still is and how insanely driven the fans still are after thirty years. It’s a beautiful thing.
Photo Gallery: Here we have a bunch of different movie posters as well as loads of cast and production stills from the film. It’s ridiculous how young they all look here.
Previews: There’s a theatrical trailer for the feature film, a handful of trailers and four TV Spots. These are some old ads.
Featurettes: The real blood and guts of the special features are here, in these four hours of featurettes. There’s reflection on the film in regards to the time it came out and all the controversy surrounding it, we have horror peers like Eli Roth give his two cents about the film and how its impacted horror in general, we’ve got convention interviews with the cast and crew as well as a live reunion panel which is absolutely hilarious. It’s amazing to me just how popular this film still is and how insanely driven the fans still are after thirty years. It’s a beautiful thing.
Photo Gallery: Here we have a bunch of different movie posters as well as loads of cast and production stills from the film. It’s ridiculous how young they all look here.
Previews: There’s a theatrical trailer for the feature film, a handful of trailers and four TV Spots. These are some old ads.
FINAL DIAGNOSIS
Knowing how far this film has come and the many grueling obstacles it was forced to overcome make it all the more special. Bottom line, you can’t call yourself a true horror fan if you don’t have this Blu-ray in your collection.
