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Who would have ever thought that a little film put together over a period of four years by a few friends from Michigan that was hopeful to play in a few Southern Drive-In theaters would be one of the top five selling videocassettes of 1998? I´m sure that absolutely nobody in 1982 ever thought this when "The Evil Dead" made its theatrical debut and showed audiences its unusual mix of over-the-top gore and comedy. The film introduced the world to an entirely new experience in filmmaking, and also acted as the entrance of its talented director Sam Raimi and marked the debut of B-Movie king Bruce Campbell.
"The Evil Dead" has become one of the most marketable trilogies in Hollywood. The original film was a theatrical success, as was the sequel. The third film, "Army of Darkness" only saw moderate theatrical returns. What made this film and its sequels the marketing force it is today is the advent of video. Through its various poorly done VHS releases, to the day when Elite Entertainment and Anchor Bay finally brought superior releases to LaserDisc and DVD, "The Evil Dead" has made its mark on television screens. It is such a powerhouse on the video scene that Anchor Bay has been able to release new versions periodically and see every one of them succeed. The only other franchise to pull this off is a little series by George Lucas featuring a band of space rogues who steal a princess away from a large moon-shaped object.
The latest DVD incarnation from Anchor Bay of "The Evil Dead" is the "Book of the Dead Edition," a limited edition that features the most originally and visually striking packaging to every see release on video format. Made of latex and foam, this latest DVD was sculpted by original artist Tom Sullivan and greatly resembles the Necronomicon ex mortis, the "Book of the Dead." The purpose of using foam and latex is to give the book a feeling of flesh. Though it may not feel exactly like human flesh, it is fairly convincing and will certainly make for quite a conversation piece or the ultimate coffee table book. Unlike the unique "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct" packages from Artisan Entertainment and Anchor Bay´s own tin containers, this is a special packaging gimmick that succeeds in being something worth owning.
I would imagine that a very large number of DVD owners are familiar with the story of "The Evil Dead," but now that DVD is achieving mass-market success, it is probably a good idea to quickly outline the story. Basically, Ash (Bruce Campbell), his sister Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss), girlfriend Shelly (Sarah York), and friends Scotty (Hal Delrich) and Linda (Betsy Baker) decide to spend some time in an old abandoned cottage in the woods. When they arrive, they find a tape recording and ancient book. The book is the Necronomicon ex mortis and the tape recording is of a professor discussing the comments and reading passages from the flesh bound book. Unfortunately, these comments awaken an evil force of demons that seek to possess humankind.
Ash is a coward, and watches back with inaction as his friends are slowly turned to repulsive creatures that can only be stopped by dismemberment. The entire forest seems taken over by the spirits and there appears to be no escape from the isolated cabin. First, Linda is viciously attacked by something in the woods and becomes possessed by the demons. She is promptly locked in the cellar. They decide to stick it out till dawn in the cabin, but the others soon fall. Eventually, Ash finds himself alone in dealing with the evil and taking care of those that were formerly his friends.
"The Evil Dead" is a film that was shot on 16mm cameras. Similar to Tobe Hooper´s "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in appearance, the film is notable for it´s over the top gore, but also for introducing Sam Raimi´s unique style. For being shot on a shoestring budget, "The Evil Dead" is nowhere near the quality of other similarly budgeted films of the day. It is far above them and was way ahead of its time. The unusual angles and masterful editing of the film prove that "The Evil Dead" is not a typical gorefest intended to exploit Drive-In goers pocket change, but a legitimate piece of filmmaking. Scene compositions and camera views seen in "The Evil Dead" gave a glimpse of what "wunderkind" director Sam Raimi was capable of, yet his more successful films ("The Gift," "A Simple Plan") utilize a more mainstream approach.
As far as the notorious gore and infamous tree-raping scene, the film elevates gruesome images and violence to such high levels that it becomes humorous and loses much of its ability to repulse the viewer. If you have ever seen the edited and unedited versions of Paul Verhoeven´s ED-209 Board Meeting scene in "Robocop," you get the same feeling. Raimi is a huge fan of the three stooges, and his embracement of humor is evident in "The Evil Dead" and shows the beginning of an evolution that ended with the slapstick tribute to Ray Harryhausen, "Army of Darkness." Yes, there are moments in "The Evil Dead" that can frighten some viewers, there are moments that will disgust others, but Raimi masterfully mixes the ability to build tension to moments of either horror or humor and this sets "The Evil Dead" apart from any other film of its era and genre.
As an individual, I thoroughly enjoy "The Evil Dead." I also understand that this is a film that can be an acquired taste for some, love instantly by others and always hated by those not covered by the other two groupings. None-the-less, it is a benchmark film that added an all-new element of style and humor to the horror genre. Sam Raimi saw the horror genre as the fastest and easiest ticket into show business. I feel he would have succeeded without first trying out horror, but I am glad he decided to make this film and feel that he and his friends Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert have created something that should be experienced at least once. This DVD may very well be a good way of doing so.
Video :
The video transfer of "The Evil Dead" is a departure from all previous DVD and VHS releases of the film. Formerly, the film was presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio it was originally filmed in. The "Book of the Dead Edition" and the coinciding standard edition are now framed in a 1.85:1 ratio that the film was shown in theatrically. This is done through soft-matting the picture, and information is actually lost on the top and bottom of the frame. Some may disagree with this, but director Sam Raimi supervised the matting process and the DVD release was done by his caring touch. The resulting picture seems a bit crammed compared to the full-frame picture, but does feel more theatrical in its shiny new anamorphic presentation. Compared to the previous Anchor Bay DVD, the colors appear to have lost some of their intensity, but the image is cleaner. Detail is good, as are black levels, and my preference was mixed between the two editions. I liked the widescreen transfer, but thought the colors and detail were slightly better on the previous DVD.
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