THE EVIL DEAD (Ultimate Edition) Review

[We welcome new contributor Tim Janson on board with this, his first review. And he's picked a dandy to look at for us, the new Ultimate Edition of Sam Raimi's classic The Evil Dead.]

The Evil Dead seems to have as many lives on DVD as it’s demon-possessed antagonists of the film had. The latest incarnation from Anchor Bay is a 3 disc “Ultimate Edition” that boasts over four hours of new extras as well as featuring both the widescreen and fullscreen versions of the gory classic from Director Sam Raimi. Like Night of the Living Dead in the 60’s and Halloween in the 70’s, The Evil Dead is an iconic masterpiece of low-budget filmmaking. Costing (depending upon which account you believe) between $350,000 and $500,000, this is a film that puts others with far larger budgets and experienced cast and crew members, to shame.

I saw the film at a drive-in theater when it was first released and I don’t mind admitting that it scared the crap out of me. There simply wasn’t anything truly like it at the time when the Horror genre was churning out one slasher film after another. The film is also special to me because it was made by a group of fellow Detroiters and even had its “world” premiere at a local theater. This would be just the start of very successful careers for Director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell.

The plot, what there is of it, is gallingly simplistic. A group of five friends Ash (Campbell), his sister Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss and raise your hand if you knew Ash and Cheryl were supposed to be brother and sister), Scott (Rich DeManincor), Linda (Betsy Baker), and Shelly (Theresa Tilly), have arrived at remote cabin for a little fun and partying. What immediately sets Evil Dead apart from similar films is that they aren’t your traditional eye-candy. Not that they are unattractive, but they also aren’t there just to get naked and get killed such as the cast in your average horror film.

They discover an old book and tape recorder in the cellar. The tape recorder has the voice of a man reciting some odd chanting, obviously Lovecraftian-inspired. Soon after, all Hell breaks loose as one-by-one, all but Ash become possessed by demonic entities.

That’s the plot but its not important. What’s important is how expertly the film was produced. Lacking professional effects, Raimi made due with whatever he could. Tom Sullivan’s special effects and make-up (which included buckets of sticky Karo syrup substituting as blood) still make an impact today. The scene where Cheryl is first possessed is truly terrifying. Raimi’s camera work is mesmerizing…the low trailing camera, gliding around obstacles in the forest was pure genius. We don’t see or even know what the heck its supposed to be, but we know whatever it is, we don’t want to encounter it face-to-face.

If it’s even possible, you’ll gain an even greater appreciation for the film when you watch the various special features and hear what the cast and crew went through during the 12 week shoot. In fact, as you’ll hear, there were numerous scenes shot with just Bruce Campbell and stand-ins long after the rest of the cast had returned home.

Disc one features the widescreen version of the film with optional commentary by Sam Raimi and Producer Robert Tapert. Also on disc one is new documentary “One by one we will take you. The untold saga of The Evil Dead”. This near one hour documentary explores the making of the film, its influences, and its legacy today and includes comments from numerous cast and crew members (alas, but not Campbell or Raimi) as well as cult movie maven Joe Bob Briggs, and directors Eli Roth (Hostel) and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead). It’s really one of the best making of documentaries that I have ever seen.

Disc Two features the Full-frame version of the film with commentary by Bruce Campbell. “Treasures from the cutting room floor” is another nearly one hour long feature, this one featuring various outtakes and behind the scenes footage.

Disc Three is the extras disc that features a bevy of new featurettes:

“Life After Death: The Ladies of The Evil Dead” The three ladies of the Evil Dead talk about how they finally reunited after almost 25 years, surprised by the cult following the film has amassed.

“The Ladies of The Evil Dead Meet Bruce Campbell” The ladies of Evil Dead are joined by Bruce Campbell and reminisce about their experiences in making the film.

“Unconventional” The Cast, including Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi all talk about their experiences on the convention circuit and the oddest requests that they’ve had from fans.

“At the Drive-In” The entire cast visits a drive-in showing of ‘Evil Dead” to pass out copies of the DVD and ask trivia questions of the fans in attendance

“Reunion Panel”– The entire cast gathers for panel Q&A session at Chicago’s Flashback Weekend Horror Convention.

“Discovering The Evil Dead” A look at the British home video release of The Evil Dead and it’s place in the “Video Nasties” debate.

There are also trailers, TV Spots, still galleries, and if you look hard enough, there’s a couple of Easter eggs on the third disc as well.

Even if you already own Evil Dead on DVD, with all the new features, this Ultimate Edition is the one to own.

Review by Tim Janson.