Need Major Help with Evil Dead - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

MooglePorn · 10-20-2002, 11:38 PM

Ok, I've been talking with Hollow Man about this, but I think I need some more opinions...

I have never seen any of the Evil Dead movies because I never used to like horror movies. Recently I've started to really like horror, and I want to pick up Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness all in one blind bundle.

Unfortunately, there are like 30 versions of each film on DVD. Director's cuts, different companies, $30 versions and $10 versions, Open Matte and Widescreen.

Can you guys let me know what versions to buy of each film? Keep in mind these are blind buys, and commentaries are my favorite special feature...

Thanks in advance

ILSA · 10-21-2002, 12:19 AM

Hi there!

The two best versions of Evil Dead are Anchor Bay's Book of the dead (Widescreen) and the Special Edition from Elite which is fullscreen (OAR). The pictue of the Elite is a bit brighter than the BOTD, however the BOTD has the better sound. The 2 audiocommentaries on both discs are identical. The BOTD also has 2 cool documentaries. And sureley nothing beats the ultra groovy packaging of the BOTD

As for Evil Dead 2, get the Limited Edition Tin from Anchor Bay.
It just looks rad and you get the ultimate version of the movie.
A must have!

Now Army of darkness, I can't help you out on that one, since I never really liked that flick. I always thought it's just too hokey.
Maybe another user can give you some useful info on what discd to buy.

Swallow this,
ILSA

DVDog · 10-21-2002, 01:35 AM

Check out this thread that shows the Anchor Bay DVD vs the Elite Edition:

Anchor Bay vs Elite

Crow T. Robot · 10-21-2002, 07:51 AM

Well On Army Of Darkness The Only Ones Still In Print Are The Bootleg DVD and And The One I Have That Just Says Army Of Darkness ,The Best One If You Can Find It Is The Two Disk Set But Its OOP And Sells For This Much On Ebay
Here

AnonomusBob15 · 10-21-2002, 12:11 PM

Get both versions of Evil Dead, the Elite disc is around 11 dollars at most etailers and the Book of the Dead is worth having since it's so groovy.

They are both keepers. Evil Dead II, get the SE or the Tin, doesn't matter, same disc.

godmoney · 10-21-2002, 12:15 PM

Word.

Evil Dead:
1. Book of the Dead Edition

Evil Dead II
1. SE

Army of Darkness
1. Bootleg Cut

That'll do pig.

Lord Crumb · 10-21-2002, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MooglePorn
Recently I've started to really like horror

Welcome to the darkside, my friend!

MattmanOmega · 10-21-2002, 06:29 PM

I actually wrote a paper for some friends a while back.

On the original "Evil dead," I vouch for the standard THX release from Anchor Bay. It has more features than the Elite edition. And even though it has less features than the Book of the Dead Edition, it costs way less and the case is far more practical (the Book of the Dead case looks cool, but is out of place on a shelf). The only downfall to both of Anchor Bay's latest releases are that they are cropped to be widescreen, as opposed to the original full-frame.

For "Evil Dead II", Anchor Bay's THX release (sometimes called the Special Edition) is the only choice. It's a cleaner print and has more features than the previous edition. Just avoid the Limited Edition of the DVD--it's pretty useless to pay extra for a tin case.

Now, "Army of Darkness" is a little tricky. The best versions are from Anchor Bay. Their theatrical cut is a better print and has more features than Universal's release. Anchor Bay's other release, now called The Bootleg Edition, has good features and a longer version, but it is not a Director's Cut. It is a cut poorly pasted together from various international prints--it's missing footage, uses alternate dialogue the director didn't like, and has poor picture quality. But, like I said, it is longer and interesting to watch. I would purchase both, but if you're only going to get one, stick with the theatrical cut.

Hollow Man · 10-21-2002, 06:56 PM

Cool, someone resurrected my old screenshots.

First you should be aware that there are very old copies of ED2 (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) and AoD (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/07...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) floating around. They don't have any extras and are probably non-anamorphic. They're out of print, thus, tough to find, but every now and then I see them hiding in stores like Media PLay. Don't buy them.

My votes, if you only chose to get one of each, would be for:

The Evil Dead, Elite: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Evil Dead 2, non-tin, SE, Anchor Bay: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Army of Darkness, Theatrical Edition, Anchor Bay: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

If you become a fanboy, the next step would be to buy the Book of the Dead edition of The Evil Dead (for the great packaging and DTS sound) and the "Bootleg" edition of AoD (contains extra footage of so-so quality cut back into the film, original ending cut back into the film, deleted scenes, only Dolby 2.0 sound, and a commentary).

-HM

machine ghost · 10-22-2002, 01:34 AM

Haven't seen any of the special editions of Evil dead 2 or Army of Darkness (not a fan of either movie) but I do have the Book of the Dead and the Elite Special edition of ED. If I were to buy only one version on spec (never having seen the movie) I would get the Elite version.The picture is much better but because there is less processing than the Book of the Dead version you get more dirt and grain but at least you won't be rubbing your eyes thinking you're losing your sight because the BOTD is really soft.
As someone said earlier If you really love the movie after buying the cheap version then shell out the money for BOTD as it is the finest packaging I've seen yet .

MooglePorn · 10-24-2002, 12:13 AM

Well... what I got (for better or worse) was all three at once at K-Mart for $12.99 each. Here's my little reviews...

The Evil Dead - Anchor Bay keepcase edition. I couldn't resist the $12.99 price tag. I probably should have gotten the Elite release from the sounds of it, but the price was right. Even though I love the movie now, I don't think I'll get the book. The case is cool looking, but in the end all you get is one more featurette and a bigger booklet. I think this release is fine for me.

The Evil Dead 2: Dead Before Dawn - I got the Anchor Bay SE without the tin. This was only $12.99 as well and a great deal. I don't see the point of the tin, so this will stay in my collection.

Army of Darkness - I think I made a mistake here. I got the bootleg cut because it had a commentary and I usually like Director's Cuts. Well, this is not a Director's Cut. The footage is UGLY, and on the commentary they even say the other version was better in most cases. Really, they only like the ending, and everything else they seem to say "watch the theatrical". So, I'm bummed on this one, but I guess the commentary was worth it. I'll get the theatrical cut for $12.99 here soon.

Hollow Man · 10-24-2002, 12:28 AM

Yeah, if you have never seen Army of Darkness, the Director's Cut is not the first thing to see, because a lot of the footage and the sound is inferior to the theatrical cut.

If you've determined that you like the movie, however, than I can safely say you won't be disappointed by buying the theatrical release. You'll get to see different ending on that too.

-HM

DVDog · 10-24-2002, 01:09 AM

What's wrong with the Evil Dead 2 DVD that came in a TIN?

Nyarlathotep · 10-24-2002, 01:20 AM

Well, it's the same disc that comes in the tin, but costs a lot less..

If I had seen the movie when the tin was readily available, I probably would have picked it up, but I hadn't. Now, it's my favorite of the three..

As for AoD, I have the "Director's Cut" LE ("Conan" cover), and while the picture is atrocious, I actually like the added footage and alternate ending. I LOVE the extension to the windmill scene, where the beams of sunlight shift around the room. It is actually one of my favorite parts of the movie, now, and explains why he runs into the windmill during the day and the next exterior shot shows that it's nighttime.. That part now ranks up with the laughing furniture scene in EDII for "Nyar's Favorite ED scenes".

Is the theatrical cut DVD better looking all around? Because I thought that the picture quality on pretty much the whole movie was bad.

StinkPalm · 10-24-2002, 02:19 AM

what is so great about evil dead?
ive been interested in it lately so i borrowed my uncle's disk cuz he is a big fan of evil dead and has every type of evil dead dvd.
so anyway i didnt really like it that much. i just wasnt scared at all really and i found myself laughing through pretty much all the "scary" parts.

MooglePorn · 10-24-2002, 03:39 AM

Well I never really got scared, but I hardly ever get scared at the movies. I've been watching horror movies a lot in the last few weeks and none of them have really scared me. Dunno why.

I like ED, ED2, and AOD, mainly because the last two are funny as hell and the first one is a pretty cool little movie. Not scary per-se but a little creepy and has some cool effects. The best thing about the series is the humor though... rent the two sequels and you'll see...

Nyarlathotep · 10-24-2002, 04:26 AM

Evil Dead did not seem to be an attempt to make a funny horror movie, so much as an attempt to make a true horror movie on a shoestring budget. There are many scenes that I didn't find horrific, but that seem like they would have been, had the money been there. Evil Dead II was bigger budget, and it shows, and it seems that there was a balance between horror and comedy. The balance shifted more toward comedy on AoD, but IMHO, EDII had it nailed perfectly.

MattmanOmega · 10-24-2002, 06:27 AM

I for one wish Anchor Bay had never acquired the rights to "Army of Darkness". I had heard the Universal was planning a souped-up edition with a true Director's Cut. But, rumor has it that when Anchor Bay got their hands on it, Universal wouldn't give them their print of the Final Cut.
Anchor Bay began pasting together their own "Final Cut" from alternate versions found around the world. In fact, even more rumor has it that there was some additional footage to add (as well as the dialogue that Sam Raimi preferred from the Theatrical Cut), but whoever was in charge of Anchor Bay at that time ordered it to be printed and shipped "as-is" because he felt they were "losing money" by waiting so long. The result is what I now call "Anchor Bay's Special Crappy Edition".
In fact, 2 of the so-called "deleted scenes" on the disc ("Ash Confronts Arthur" and the "Extended Windmill Sequence") can be seen in perfect quality on the TV version that airs on the Sci-Fi and USA channels. Let's hope that Universal gets the distribution rights back in the near future.

**SilentBob** · 10-24-2002, 06:49 AM

The Ulitimate Evil Dead DVD FAQ website. Hope this helps some people on the boards with their purchases.

10-20-2002, 11:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
MooglePorn Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA	Need Major Help with Evil Dead Ok, I've been talking with Hollow Man about this, but I think I need some more opinions... I have never seen any of the Evil Dead movies because I never used to like horror movies. Recently I've started to really like horror, and I want to pick up Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness all in one blind bundle. Unfortunately, there are like 30 versions of each film on DVD. Director's cuts, different companies, $30 versions and $10 versions, Open Matte and Widescreen. Can you guys let me know what versions to buy of each film? Keep in mind these are blind buys, and commentaries are my favorite special feature... Thanks in advance

10-21-2002, 01:35 AM	#3 (permalink)
DVDog Actor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Unfortunately, "in the hood" surrounded by morons.	Check out this thread that shows the Anchor Bay DVD vs the Elite Edition: Anchor Bay vs Elite __________________ "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and and philosphers of today. But the core of science fiction--it's essence--has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all." --Isaac Asimov

10-21-2002, 07:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
Crow T. Robot Actor Join Date: Feb 2002	Well On Army Of Darkness The Only Ones Still In Print Are The Bootleg DVD and And The One I Have That Just Says Army Of Darkness ,The Best One If You Can Find It Is The Two Disk Set But Its OOP And Sells For This Much On Ebay Here Last edited by Crow T. Robot : 10-21-2002 at 07:55 AM.

10-21-2002, 12:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
AnonomusBob15 Actor for over 4 years now! Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Auburn University	Get both versions of Evil Dead, the Elite disc is around 11 dollars at most etailers and the Book of the Dead is worth having since it's so groovy. They are both keepers. Evil Dead II, get the SE or the Tin, doesn't matter, same disc. __________________ The Revised DVD Collection

10-21-2002, 12:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
godmoney Actor Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Orlando, FL	Word. Evil Dead: 1. Book of the Dead Edition Evil Dead II 1. SE Army of Darkness 1. Bootleg Cut That'll do pig. __________________ "I am un CHIEN Andalusia!"

10-21-2002, 12:19 AM	#2 (permalink)
ILSA Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: L.A.	Hi there! The two best versions of Evil Dead are Anchor Bay's Book of the dead (Widescreen) and the Special Edition from Elite which is fullscreen (OAR). The pictue of the Elite is a bit brighter than the BOTD, however the BOTD has the better sound. The 2 audiocommentaries on both discs are identical. The BOTD also has 2 cool documentaries. And sureley nothing beats the ultra groovy packaging of the BOTD As for Evil Dead 2, get the Limited Edition Tin from Anchor Bay. It just looks rad and you get the ultimate version of the movie. A must have! Now Army of darkness, I can't help you out on that one, since I never really liked that flick. I always thought it's just too hokey. Maybe another user can give you some useful info on what discd to buy. Swallow this, ILSA

10-21-2002, 06:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
MattmanOmega Banned Join Date: Oct 2002	I actually wrote a paper for some friends a while back. On the original "Evil dead," I vouch for the standard THX release from Anchor Bay. It has more features than the Elite edition. And even though it has less features than the Book of the Dead Edition, it costs way less and the case is far more practical (the Book of the Dead case looks cool, but is out of place on a shelf). The only downfall to both of Anchor Bay's latest releases are that they are cropped to be widescreen, as opposed to the original full-frame. For "Evil Dead II", Anchor Bay's THX release (sometimes called the Special Edition) is the only choice. It's a cleaner print and has more features than the previous edition. Just avoid the Limited Edition of the DVD--it's pretty useless to pay extra for a tin case. Now, "Army of Darkness" is a little tricky. The best versions are from Anchor Bay. Their theatrical cut is a better print and has more features than Universal's release. Anchor Bay's other release, now called The Bootleg Edition, has good features and a longer version, but it is not a Director's Cut. It is a cut poorly pasted together from various international prints--it's missing footage, uses alternate dialogue the director didn't like, and has poor picture quality. But, like I said, it is longer and interesting to watch. I would purchase both, but if you're only going to get one, stick with the theatrical cut.

10-21-2002, 06:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
Hollow Man Not Kevin Bacon Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Connecticut	Cool, someone resurrected my old screenshots. First you should be aware that there are very old copies of ED2 (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) and AoD (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/07...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) floating around. They don't have any extras and are probably non-anamorphic. They're out of print, thus, tough to find, but every now and then I see them hiding in stores like Media PLay. Don't buy them. My votes, if you only chose to get one of each, would be for: The Evil Dead, Elite: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg Evil Dead 2, non-tin, SE, Anchor Bay: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/63...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg Army of Darkness, Theatrical Edition, Anchor Bay: http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg If you become a fanboy, the next step would be to buy the Book of the Dead edition of The Evil Dead (for the great packaging and DTS sound) and the "Bootleg" edition of AoD (contains extra footage of so-so quality cut back into the film, original ending cut back into the film, deleted scenes, only Dolby 2.0 sound, and a commentary). -HM __________________ "I see a Hollow Man, gun in hand, it points my way." - The Cult Band Chat

10-22-2002, 01:34 AM	#10 (permalink)
machine ghost Actor Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Vancouver/Canada	Haven't seen any of the special editions of Evil dead 2 or Army of Darkness (not a fan of either movie) but I do have the Book of the Dead and the Elite Special edition of ED. If I were to buy only one version on spec (never having seen the movie) I would get the Elite version.The picture is much better but because there is less processing than the Book of the Dead version you get more dirt and grain but at least you won't be rubbing your eyes thinking you're losing your sight because the BOTD is really soft. As someone said earlier If you really love the movie after buying the cheap version then shell out the money for BOTD as it is the finest packaging I've seen yet .

10-24-2002, 12:13 AM	#11 (permalink)
MooglePorn Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA	Well... what I got (for better or worse) was all three at once at K-Mart for $12.99 each. Here's my little reviews... The Evil Dead - Anchor Bay keepcase edition. I couldn't resist the $12.99 price tag. I probably should have gotten the Elite release from the sounds of it, but the price was right. Even though I love the movie now, I don't think I'll get the book. The case is cool looking, but in the end all you get is one more featurette and a bigger booklet. I think this release is fine for me. The Evil Dead 2: Dead Before Dawn - I got the Anchor Bay SE without the tin. This was only $12.99 as well and a great deal. I don't see the point of the tin, so this will stay in my collection. Army of Darkness - I think I made a mistake here. I got the bootleg cut because it had a commentary and I usually like Director's Cuts. Well, this is not a Director's Cut. The footage is UGLY, and on the commentary they even say the other version was better in most cases. Really, they only like the ending, and everything else they seem to say "watch the theatrical". So, I'm bummed on this one, but I guess the commentary was worth it. I'll get the theatrical cut for $12.99 here soon.

10-24-2002, 12:28 AM	#12 (permalink)
Hollow Man Not Kevin Bacon Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Connecticut	Yeah, if you have never seen Army of Darkness, the Director's Cut is not the first thing to see, because a lot of the footage and the sound is inferior to the theatrical cut. If you've determined that you like the movie, however, than I can safely say you won't be disappointed by buying the theatrical release. You'll get to see different ending on that too. -HM __________________ "I see a Hollow Man, gun in hand, it points my way." - The Cult Band Chat

10-24-2002, 01:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
DVDog Actor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Unfortunately, "in the hood" surrounded by morons.	What's wrong with the Evil Dead 2 DVD that came in a TIN? __________________ "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and and philosphers of today. But the core of science fiction--it's essence--has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all." --Isaac Asimov

10-24-2002, 01:20 AM	#14 (permalink)
Nyarlathotep Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: So. Cal.	Well, it's the same disc that comes in the tin, but costs a lot less.. If I had seen the movie when the tin was readily available, I probably would have picked it up, but I hadn't. Now, it's my favorite of the three.. As for AoD, I have the "Director's Cut" LE ("Conan" cover), and while the picture is atrocious, I actually like the added footage and alternate ending. I LOVE the extension to the windmill scene, where the beams of sunlight shift around the room. It is actually one of my favorite parts of the movie, now, and explains why he runs into the windmill during the day and the next exterior shot shows that it's nighttime.. That part now ranks up with the laughing furniture scene in EDII for "Nyar's Favorite ED scenes". Is the theatrical cut DVD better looking all around? Because I thought that the picture quality on pretty much the whole movie was bad. __________________ The Crawling Chaos' DVDs and favorite movies.

10-24-2002, 02:19 AM	#15 (permalink)
StinkPalm Loves chocolate covered pretzels Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: New York City.....recognize	what is so great about evil dead? ive been interested in it lately so i borrowed my uncle's disk cuz he is a big fan of evil dead and has every type of evil dead dvd. so anyway i didnt really like it that much. i just wasnt scared at all really and i found myself laughing through pretty much all the "scary" parts. __________________ Here's the pulse, alright. Now here's the finger. Far from the pulse jammed straight up your ass, say would you like a chocolate covered pretzel?

10-24-2002, 03:39 AM	#16 (permalink)
MooglePorn Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA	Well I never really got scared, but I hardly ever get scared at the movies. I've been watching horror movies a lot in the last few weeks and none of them have really scared me. Dunno why. I like ED, ED2, and AOD, mainly because the last two are funny as hell and the first one is a pretty cool little movie. Not scary per-se but a little creepy and has some cool effects. The best thing about the series is the humor though... rent the two sequels and you'll see...

10-24-2002, 04:26 AM	#17 (permalink)
Nyarlathotep Actor Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: So. Cal.	Evil Dead did not seem to be an attempt to make a funny horror movie, so much as an attempt to make a true horror movie on a shoestring budget. There are many scenes that I didn't find horrific, but that seem like they would have been, had the money been there. Evil Dead II was bigger budget, and it shows, and it seems that there was a balance between horror and comedy. The balance shifted more toward comedy on AoD, but IMHO, EDII had it nailed perfectly. __________________ The Crawling Chaos' DVDs and favorite movies.

10-24-2002, 06:27 AM	#18 (permalink)
MattmanOmega Banned Join Date: Oct 2002	I for one wish Anchor Bay had never acquired the rights to "Army of Darkness". I had heard the Universal was planning a souped-up edition with a true Director's Cut. But, rumor has it that when Anchor Bay got their hands on it, Universal wouldn't give them their print of the Final Cut. Anchor Bay began pasting together their own "Final Cut" from alternate versions found around the world. In fact, even more rumor has it that there was some additional footage to add (as well as the dialogue that Sam Raimi preferred from the Theatrical Cut), but whoever was in charge of Anchor Bay at that time ordered it to be printed and shipped "as-is" because he felt they were "losing money" by waiting so long. The result is what I now call "Anchor Bay's Special Crappy Edition". In fact, 2 of the so-called "deleted scenes" on the disc ("Ash Confronts Arthur" and the "Extended Windmill Sequence") can be seen in perfect quality on the TV version that airs on the Sci-Fi and USA channels. Let's hope that Universal gets the distribution rights back in the near future.

10-24-2002, 06:49 AM	#19 (permalink)
SilentBob Silent Director/Silent Moderator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Burlington, Ontario	The Ulitimate Evil Dead DVD FAQ website. Hope this helps some people on the boards with their purchases. __________________ SilentBob's DVD's Supporting both HD-DVD and Blu-ray XBOX LIVE: luvthempocket8s PS3 ONLINE: pokerlover

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