Evil Dead (Special Edition)

Evil Dead (Special Edition)
by Sam Raimi

Our Price: $31.40
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.16 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details

DVD details

DVD Reviews of Evil Dead (Special Edition)

DVD Review: Probably the most important independent film of all time
Summary: 5 Stars

Sam Raimi (Director of Spider-Man) made the Evil Dead with his friends when he was just little more than a teenager. He made a short film called (Within In The Woods) which you can find using P2P sharing programs. It is only available in bootleg format and has only been released on the Laser Disc version of this film. It was also released on a special DVD package but was revoked because of distribution copyright problems. Sam Raimi took that Super 8mm film around to dentists and rich people in his area to get enough money together to make a feature film called "The Book of the Dead". The distributors changed the title because they felt that people did not want to "read" a film.

The Evil Dead is low budget through and through but you must give it credit for the sheer creative energy that is on display. The story is also not bad. What makes this film stand out is the special effects. Although they are hammy, they are also excellently done for what is effectively a student film. The last scene features some really insane stop-motion effects. The camerawork is also a way above average. Raimi tilts the camera, bends the lens, flies the camera through a forest and even manages to hover it above the rafters. This is all daring and bold filmmaking coming from people who had nothing. Effectively this is the benchmark for all students attempting to make a horror feature film which is a good point of entry for them.

The film has not been banned for twenty years in the US but had been banned in the UK and then severely cut when it got its release. The MPAA refused a certificate in the US. It is only recently that it managed to acquire the NC-17 rating. The censors apparently laughed their way through it. They loved it, but it does have some very brutal scenes, one of them is sexual and involves a tree, and certainly it was released at the wrong time when video nasty opposition groups where very active. The truth be told the Evil Dead is a film that did a way better on video than it did on the cinema screen. It was the advent of household VCR systems that jettisoned the Evil Dead into the limelight.

The premise is simple. Five youths go to a log cabin in the woods to have a good time but manage to awaken the undead. Cue lots of scares, action, gore and amazing camera work.

This is a first rate horror movie with plenty of suspense to boot. It is marred by low production values and a list of relatively unknown actors for their time but who cares? This is all great fun from start to finish and well worthy of its cult status and fanboy appeal. Fans watch this at least once a week. Can't say I blame them either. It is a gem of a great fun film. Perfect for viewing at parties. It always gets a laugh.

Description of Evil Dead (Special Edition)