Which Version of Evil Dead? (And Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness?) (1 Viewer)

[Jason Goodmanson]

(No, this isn't the year 2000 - but this question was probably just as valid then as it is now.)

Seeing Ron's recent post about a new upcoming 4k edition of Army of Darkness got me wondering - if I wanted to update my existing DVD versions of these films, which version should I be on the lookout for? (And would I need to keep any of the ones I have?)

In all honesty, I forgot about how complicated it was "back in the day" between all sorts of various versions, and I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was, when I looked on Amazon and was overwhelmed with versions.

What I currently have:

Evil Dead - Elite's Special Collector's Edition
Evil Dead - The Book of the Dead - the latex face-case version
Evil Dead II - Limited Edition Tin Box version from Anchor Bar (THX baby!)
Evil Dead 2 - The Book of the Dead 2 - Special Divimax Edition with the latex face-case (unfortunately when you push the creepy eye, it doesn't scream anymore)
Army of Darkness - Anchor Bay single disc version
Army of Darkness - Limited Edition Director's Cut version (I'll spare you what I paid for this on eBay back when this was THE ONE to buy . . .)

Is there an easy answer to this - it doesn't even have to be 4k - Bluray is sufficient considering how old these films are - which versions to buy?

(I also don't have the Ash vs. The Evil Dead series - so maybe buying The Evil Dead Groovy Collection is the way to go?)

 

[Malcolm R]

I've also been thinking about updating my discs. I don't yet own any of these recent releases, but I would agree that the Groovy Collection is probably the way to go if you also need the TV series. You'll have Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 in both 4K and blu-ray, plus the complete series of Ash vs. Evil Dead in blu-ray, plus an extra DVD of special features. Seems like a pretty good deal for $70 at Amazon (though it has been as low as $50 in the past, and seems to have been a few dollars cheaper just in the last day or two).

You'll always have to buy Army of Darkness separately as it's controlled by a different studio. Any of the Shout Factory releases are probably good, as they include the different versions (I think both the 2015 release and the new 2022 release include most everything). I have the Screwhead Edition blu-ray from Universal from 2009, but that includes only the theatrical cut.

It looks like there's also an upcoming 4K/blu combo release of Evil Dead/Evil Dead 2 on November 1. Not sure if these will include any extras, or are just bare bones. For that price, I'd predict the films only.

 

[BobO'Link]

I have the "basic" 2-fer package of Evil Dead/Evil Dead II on BR - it's good enough for me... And I got it for ~$5 during a Best Buy sale. It's currently $8 at Amazon.

I picked up the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV series "complete set" for ~$30 during a sale (still haven't watched it). Currently $35.49 at Amazon.

For Army of Darkness I have the Shout! Collector's Edition:

Shout! Factory Store

Find All Of Your Favorite Film, TV, & Cult Classics On Blu-Ray Here At Shout! Factory. Featuring Thousands Of Titles, Limited Collector's Editions, Box Sets, & More. Shop Now!

www.shoutfactory.com

It has 3 cuts of the film: Theatrical, Director's, and International, each on its own disc. IMHO it's the one to get.

It's on sale @ 50% off direct from Shout! right now during their "Shocktober" sale (runs through 10/7 @ 11:59pm PDT):

Scream Factory's Shocktober Sale | DVDs

Our Shocktober sale is live, with prices that will shock you! In honor of Scream Factory's 10th anniversary, we're offering 50% off the list price on all included titles! With genres such as slashers, monsters, paranormal, and psychological horror spanning every decade since the 1940s, you're...

www.shoutfactory.com

Free shipping starts at $50.01 (yeah... odd amount) - under that is $6.99. They charge tax.

It's also $21.99 at Amazon right now so basically the same price as at Shout when shipping's added (assuming you have Prime - otherwise, add something else to get to the $25 free shipping threshold). The listing says "2 discs" but it's the 3 disc version.

So... you could go for the 2-Pack of Evil Dead/Evil Dead II, the complete series, and AoD individually from Amazon for just under $66.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

@BobO'Link this is all AWESOME information! Thank you!