The Evil Dead Ultimate Edition!! (1 Viewer)

[Michael Osadciw]

Yes, my friends...another edition! (thankfully with the 1.33:1 version too!)

Starz/Anchor Bay Press Release:

Another Evil Dead DVD release? You bet your Ash!

THE EVIL DEAD ULTIMATE EDITION
GETS THE ³ANCHOR BAY COLLECTION² TREATMENT WITH 3-DISC DVD SET

Sam Raimi¹s legendary horror classic rises December 18th with reconstructed
and restored scenes for the first time ever

TORONTO, ON * Just when you thought you¹d seen it all in The Evil Dead,
Anchor Bay Entertainment will commemorate the film¹s 25th anniversary with
the all-new, three-disc The Evil Dead Ultimate Edition on December 18th,
just in time for the holidays, making it the ³ultimate² stocking-stuffer for
the horror fans in your life. The Evil Dead Ultimate Edition will be
released under the prestigious ³Anchor Bay Collection² brand, which has
previously released comprehensive DVD editions of such horror classics as
Re-Animator, Phantasm and Hellraiser.

Over the years, Anchor Bay Entertainment has released numerous special
editions of The Evil Dead, each one more dynamic and diabolical than the one
that preceded it, in an effort to continually satiate and satisfy the
ravenous hunger of the film¹s worldwide legion of fans. The Evil Dead
Ultimate Edition tops -- and buries -- them all! Celebrate the original Sam
Raimi masterpiece with two versions of the movie (for years, fans have
demanded the release of the original full-frame version), six new
featurettes that revisit the film¹s cast, crew, biggest fans and enduring
legacy, plus never-before-seen production footage, outtakes and deleted
scenes, reconstructed and restored specifically for this edition! That¹s
enough to fill several Necronomicons!

Upon its release in 1982, The Evil Dead was immediately hailed as a new
horror classic. Best-selling author Stephen King called the film ³the most
ferociously original horror film of the year.² In the ensuing quarter of a
century, The Evil Dead is one of the most influential, landmark horror films
of all time.

The film launched the careers of writer/director Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man
trilogy, Darkman, The Quick and the Dead), producer Robert Tapert (³Xena:
Warrior Princess,² The Grudge, the Spider-Man trilogy) and executive
producer/leading man Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep, Sky High, Man With the
Screaming Brain).

Five college friends, including Ash (Campbell) drive to a remote cabin in
the woods for a weekend of fun. Little do they realize that their fun will
soon turn to fear, as an unstoppable supernatural force has been unleashed
and surrounds the woods around them. One by one, they fall victim to the
demonic forces at large, resurrected as murderous demons which can only be
destroyed by dismemberment. Easier said than done. Soon, only Ash is left to
combat the evil before it consumes the world. It¹ll be a fight to the death
S and to the undeath.

The film¹s mammoth success has thus far inspired two equally popular
sequels, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn and Army of Darkness, as well as a series
of popular video games with rumors of an upcoming remake produced by Raimi
and Tapert¹s Ghost House Pictures.

The Evil Dead also stars Ellen Sandweiss (Satan¹s Playground, Brutal
Massacre: A Comedy, the upcoming The Dread), Betsy Baker (the upcoming
Witches¹ Night) and Sarah York (the upcoming Brutal Massacre: A Comedy).

Each disc in the Evil Dead Ultimate Edition contains extensive bonus
features, many exclusively produced for this special edition and featuring
never-before-seen footage:

DISC ONE (WIDESCREEN VERSION) SPECIAL FEATURES
* One by One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga of The Evil Dead * NEW!
* Audio Commentary by Director Sam Raimi and Producer Robert Tapert


DISC TWO (FULL-FRAME VERSION) SPECIAL FEATURES
* The Evil Dead: Treasures from the Cutting Room Floor -- NEW!
* Audio Commentary by Actor Bruce Campbell

DISC THREE SPECIAL FEATURES
* Life After Death: The Ladies of The Evil Dead * At home, on the road and
behind-the-scenes with Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly * NEW!
* The Ladies of The Evil Dead Meet Bruce Campbell * Ellen, Betsy & Theresa
join Bruce for an informal yakfest * NEW!
* Unconventional * Cast and crew reunite to discuss horror conventions and
beyond * NEW!
* At the Drive-In * A no-holds-barred Q&A with a drive-in audience of
hardcore fans * NEW!
* Reunion Panel * The once-in-a-lifetime panel at Chicago¹s Flashback
Weekend Horror Convention * NEW!
* Discovering The Evil Dead * A look at the British home video release of
The Evil Dead and it¹s place in the ³Video Nasties² debate
* Make-Up Test
* Trailer
* TV Spots
* Still Gallery
* Poster & Memorabilia Gallery

You can also rest assured -- and in peace -- knowing that somewhere buried
amongst The Evil Dead will be lurking an Easter Egg or two.

This holiday season, The Evil Dead Ultimate Edition DVD will knock Oem dead!

 

[Michael Elliott]

Yet another release without the short film. :frowning:

I'll hold off until they can get the rights to the short film cleared (or simply replace the music).

 

[Michael Osadciw]

I was hoping for that short film too, Michael. Was really hoping for it in the Book of the Dead release. You'd think with all the money they must be making from the repeat releases, they'd have enough spare change to pay for the rights...unless money isn't the problem...

 

[chas speed]

Anybody remember the great episode of "The Incredibly Strange Film Show" devoted to Evil Dead? They should have stuck that on. It had clips from the short film on it. Does anybody know how many times this movie has been released on DVD?

 

[mike kaminski]

I've held off buying this film on DVD for seven years now but I think I've finally found an edition worth my money that won't be immediately re-released in a better version nine months later. Nice. (Now if they could do the same with AOD I would be even happier).

I wonder if the video transfers will be new or if they will just be porting the previous versions. The last full-frame version is quite old by now. And then there is all the color-timing questions.

 

[ChadMcCallum]

If I recall back when the Book of the Dead dvd was being prepped word leaked online that Within the Woods was going to be on the disc and Anchor Bay had completely restored it so it was actually watchable. I remember seeing pictures online of the film and it looked great but it was rumored to have been removed because Sam Raimi was unhappy with the film and considered it an embarrassment. Personally I think Within the Woods was a fine effort and let's face it, Evil Dead is entertaining and a horror classic it isn't exactly film making at its best. But as I said this is all just rumor so it may not be true.

 

[GuruAskew]

Yeah, it's not a rights issue.

The original "Within the Woods" soundtrack was essentially like a temp track, it was cannibalized from a bunch of score albums and was obviously a rights nightmare.

Anchor Bay actually went through the trouble of removing the soundtrack and having "Evil Dead" trilogy composer Joe LoDuca re-score the film for inclusion on the DVD. If you go through the VOB files on the "Book of the Dead" edition you can even see the menu screen for "Within the Woods".

At the last minute the short was pulled from the DVD with no official reason ever given but the common consensus is that Raimi doesn't want it to be included. It's not a rights issue, it's not that there's not an acceptable version in existence, he just didn't want it on there.

 

[Michael Elliott]

That's interesting as I always heard it was a rights issue and I thought even Raimi said this but I guess he could have just been using it as an excuse. Someone at AB could always slip it online. If that's the real reason then I might go ahead and pick this one up.

 

[RickER]

I have the original Elite version, thats full frame. I also have the Book of the Dead. I think i will pass on this. Bruce Campbell is one funny guy, and i would like to see his new interviews, but not that much.

 

[GuruAskew]

Another erroneous theory that circulated when it was pulled from the Book of the Dead edition was the old cynical "it's being withheld for the next DVD edition" nonsense which is obviously not the case.

 

[Bonedwarf]

The short HAS appeared online. I think it was on YouTube a while back. Not sure if it's still there. I know I've seen bits of it online.

And I too have heard it's a rights issue rather than a "let's save this and gouge them on yet another release".

 

[GuruAskew]

It's not a rights issue and it's not a case of saving it for a later release, it's a case of somebody not wanting it on there.

As for the copies that have leaked online they're low-quality copies with the original copyright-nightmare soundtrack whereas the one Anchor Bay prepared for inclusion on the last release was restored and had a new score.