7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Five friends are holed up in a remote cabin where they discover a Book of the Dead and unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods.
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa TillyHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 40% |
Supernatural | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1, 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
"'Evil Dead' is the most ferociously original Horror film of the year." -- Stephen King.
Is there a better no-budget Horror movie than The Evil Dead? The Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man
trilogy)-directed 1981 genre
icon is a tough picture to beat not only amongst its low-budget contemporaries, but throughout
the
entire spectrum of Horror, from the smallest-in-scope fright flicks to the multi-million-dollar
franchises that have been re-imagined and amped up for modern
audiences.
The Evil Dead understands what makes good Horror, and it isn't a lot of money and a
flashy
story. Sam Raimi's picture is a back-to-basics effort that leaves extraneous elements out of the
picture in favor of a venerable bloodbath of ooey-gooey grotesque goodness built around the
simplest
of plots and the most basic of characters. Raimi leaves nothing to the imagination and gives his
audiences exactly what they crave over 85 minutes of delectable nastiness; a minimalist set-up is
all
that stands in the way between viewers and one of cinema's most gruesomely entertaining
pictures
of all time, and one watch is all that it takes to see why The Evil Dead has withstood its
budget
and the test of time to hold up as one of hardcore Horror's premiere pictures.
Alive and intact for the last time.
The Evil Dead debuts on Blu-ray with two versions of the film found on one disc: a 1.37:1-framed transfer that approximates the picture's original aspect ratio, and a 1.85:1 "enhanced" presentation. Whichever of the two viewers select, Anchor Bay's Blu-ray delivers a high quality image across both versions. Make no mistake, The Evil Dead looks its age and budget; there's nothing shiny, bright, or fresh about this movie, but that roughly-hewn texture is reflective of the original elements. Still, Anchor Bay's transfer delivers an unparalleled Evil Dead viewing experience; the image retains a fair bit of grain while print damage and random other anomalies are kept to a minimum, resulting in what is, generally, a handsome and strong film-like texture. Fine detail is never exemplary, but The Evil Dead wasn't shot with top-end equipment and was captured at 16mm rather than higher-resolution 35mm. With that in mind, what's here looks marvelous, with the transfer bringing out all there is to see in faces, clothes, and the wooden planks that make up the cabin's walls and flooring. Blacks are absorbing and deep without devouring too much in the way of necessary detail, while flesh tones appear accurately rendered. Though there's some obviously soft and smeary elements -- some shots surrounding the sequence where Ash gives Linda the necklace, for instance -- The Evil Dead impresses a great deal on Blu-ray, and fans can rest assured that this is the best the film has ever looked across both of the offered aspect ratios.
Anchor Bay brings The Evil Dead to Blu-ray with a wonderfully satisfying Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Though it's not a perfect track -- some elements, like crunching leaves underfoot, leave a bit to be desired -- it's almost a revelation considering how effortlessly it flows, how natural the various elements play out, and how spacious and clean most of the mix sounds. The track isn't quite as powerful as one might expect; some of the heavier elements, like the hanging bench seat that beats against the cabin's wall upon the group's arrival, is surprisingly understated but no less an effective mood-setting sonic tool. Still, there are some heavier elements later in the film that provide a heftier experience, and the track also handles some of the louder effects -- notably the frighteningly loud shrieking noises made by the demons -- so well that they're capable of sending chills down listeners' spines. Anchor Bay's lossless mix also delivers an absorbing environmental ambience throughout, whether the slight drip-drip-drip sound as Ash enters the basement in search of a missing Scotty early in the film or various creaking wood floorboards and blowing winds that make their presence known at several points during the film. Music plays cleanly and accurately across the front and at just the right volume and power at reference levels, accompanied by a fair but not overbearing amount of surround support in tow. Rounded out by pitch-perfect dialogue reproduction, The Evil Dead's TrueHD soundtrack will impress even longtime fans of the film.
The Evil Dead's Blu-ray debut actually comes with most of the special features plopped onto
a
separate DVD disc; only a new commentary track, recorded in late 2009, with Writer/Director Sam
Raimi, Producer Robert Tapert, and Actor Bruce Campbell is found on the Blu-ray disc. The
commentary is a strong one, with the participants exploring the picture's origins and the state of
filmmaking and the distribution system in the late 1970s, speaking on the people that helped make
the picture possible, the business aspect of filmmaking, technical information, the shooting
schedule,
the general grind of the shoot and the difficulties surrounding it both in front of and behind the
camera, the
casting process and choice of shooting locales, the challenges of applying the makeup, creating the
gore effects, tales from the set, and plenty more. This is a coherent, informative, and easy listen;
longtime fans of the film will want to upgrade for this track alone, though the high quality video and
audio presentations don't hurt, either.
The DVD disc contains a plethora of extras, all presented in standard definition, broken down into
three
categories: "Featurettes," "Trailer & TV spots," and "Photo Gallery." "Featurettes" contains the bulk
of
this package's supplements, beginning with One By One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga of
'The
Evil Dead' (53:46). This is a massive, absorbing, and all-encompassing documentary that
examines
the
making of the film, its effects, its reception, the quality of Sam Raimi's direction, and much more.
'The Evil Dead:' Treasures From the Cutting Room Floor (59:24) is a massive collection of
various raw alternate takes and footage from the making of the film. The Ladies of 'The Evil
Dead' Meet Bruce Campbell (28:55) features Campbell and his three female co-stars
reminiscing on the making of the film. Discovering 'The Evil Dead' (13:06) looks at how
The Evil Dead became a Horror favorite. Next is Unconventional (19:09), a piece
that features
the cast discussing film conventions and their experiences in working them. At the
Drive-In (12:04) features the cast giving away copies of The Evil Dead DVD at a
screening of the film.
Reunion Panel (31:19) sees the cast of the film speaking and answering questions at the
Flashback Weekend Horror Convention in Chicago on July 30, 2005. Book of the Dead: The
Other Pages (1:57) contains footage of Ash flipping through every page in the book. Finally,
Make-Up Test (1:08) is a string of footage testing out some of the film's makeup and
special effects. Also included in this set is the film's theatrical trailer (1:54), four TV spots (0:33
each), and a photo gallery.
The Evil Dead is a watershed picture that's united critics, genre fans, and casual moviegoers alike -- despite its excessive brutality and visual nasties -- as a shining example of how filmmaking done right can overcome even the smallest of budgets. Although it's probably not quite the best example of a micro-budget picture that works better than most other movies many times its size -- that honor goes to Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi -- The Evil Dead is nevertheless a can't-miss movie for its honest and straightforward approach to its genre, getting every element absolutely right even under less-than-ideal conditions and a minuscule budget. The vision and skill of Director Sam Raimi, the eagerness of its cast and the work of Bruce Campbell, and the no-frills Horror storyline packed with scrumptious gore all come together for one of Horror's preeminent pictures, one that's spawned two strong but vastly different-in-tone sequels and made careers for both its director and lead actor. Despite its deserved reputation as one of the more visually grotesque pictures of all time, The Evil Dead is, simply put, a must-see for any film fan. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Evil Dead delivers a 1080p transfer that's easily the best home video release the picture has ever seen. Also in tow is a marvelous lossless soundtrack and a incredible array of thorough, absorbing, and entertaining extra content. No doubt there will be another (or three or four or five) Blu-ray release of The Evil Dead at some point in the future, but this package is well worth the asking price and is worthy of inclusion into every Blu-ray collection. The Evil Dead receives my highest recommendation.
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn
1987
2002
2012
Unrated Edition
2008
Unrated Theatrical and Rated Versions
2013
1982
2018
2016
2013
1981
2007
2011
2016
Unrated Director's Cut
2006
Collector's Edition
1978
Collector's Edition
1981
2012
1988
Director's Cut
2005
2014