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Because there are so many really decent & detailed DVD review sites out there, I have decided to restrict this section to information you might not normally find on standard sites, although I will give a brief outline of the pros & cons of the main DVD versions and a summary of the contents. You can also view detailed information on two fanmade DVD projects via the sub-menu above.
The Definitive DVD Version
There really isn't a definitive DVD release of The Evil Dead yet, they all have their pros & cons depending on what you value most. The film is generally available in two formats; 1:37:1 open matte fullscreen, and a 1.85:1 matted widescreen. Which one to get comes down to personal taste (see further down for more on the fullscreen/widescreen debate).
Best picture quality: No questions here, the version with the sharpest & highest quality open matte picture is the 1999 US R1 Elite special edition DVD, although the colour timing is really too warm, and there have been a number of little editing tweaks supervised by Sam.
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Best extras: If you want a really decent set of extras, then get either the Anchor Bay 2003 UK R2 Evil Dead Trilogy boxset, which has the film in both open & matted formats and extras over two discs, or the Anchor Bay 2007 US R1 Ultimate Edition, which has both formats of the film and extras spread over three discs. On balance, the Ultimate Edition comes out top, although each release has some of its own exclusive extras, so they're both worth owning. The full screen version on the UK box-set is the same transfer as was used on the earlier Anchor Bay 1-5 picture disc DVD releases, and has the Cheryl zoom tweak, but the lightning shot has been put back in. Both the widescreen versions, and the full screen version on the Ultimate Edition are virtually identical, and the untampered versions. The picture quality isn't as sharp or clear as the Elite DVD, and they suffer from overly high contrast making the reds bleed on screen in places, this is especially apparent when compared to the Elite transfer. The differences really noticeable on the title screen, here.
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Elite Special Edition
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Anchor Bay Ultimate Edition
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Purest transfer: By that I mean the movie transfer closest to the original theatrical release, without any visual or audio tweaks or alterations. The best version, if you don't mind getting fanmade material, is The Evil Dead - The Treasures Collection DVD. This release uses a transfer taken from the 1985 Japanese Herald Videogram Laserdisc, which was arguably the best transfer of The Evil Dead ever made available, and it's in the original open matte 1.37:1 aspect ratio. The drawback of this release is unremovable Japanese subtitles (as does the source laserdisc), although they're fairly unobtrusive. Two major things separate this version from every other; its colour timing, and its picture framing. It's worth just noting that although there are a fair number of different DVD releases of The Evil Dead, in terms of colour timing & picture framing they're all basically identical. The colour timing on this transfer is much bluer & colder than either the Elite or Anchor Bay transfers which are too warm, with their white balance appearing pink in places. This subtle colder change seems to alter the whole 'feel' of the movie and the film seems much scarier because of it. Additionally there is also quite a difference in picture framing between this, and all the other versions. The standard DVD transfer seems to have been zoomed in by around 5%, meaning the laserdisc version has more visual information on each side of the frame. The 1982 Palace Pictures VHS, 1995 Japanese Beam laserdisc, 1999 US Elite laserdisc, along with every DVD version all seem to be basically identical, only differing very slightly on colour timing, brightness levels.
1985 Japanese Herald Videogram Laserdisc -Vs- 1999 US R1 Elite special edition DVD
Here is a comparison screenshot with the Herald Videogram Laserdisc in the background and the Elite DVD overlaid with a red border showing the zooming/cropping. You can see that while the Elite DVD is sharper & clearer than the laserdisc, the off colour balance is making the [white] sky, appear pink. This DVD release also has the original untouched mono audio track, before it was re-mixed first to stereo and later Dolby Digital 5.1 surround & DTS-ES 6.1, and has a number of interesting and very rare extras which can't be found on any of the retail versions.
Sam Raimi's DVD Tweaks
A number of releases have been tweaked at Sam Raimi's request. The 1999 US Elite special edition laserdisc & R1 DVD have a number of little editing changes supervised by Sam during the remastering process. At about 17m 10s, you see a zooming close-up shot of the book of the dead, which then should cut to lightning striking a tree, then an exterior shot of the cabin at night, but the Elite version cuts straight from the book, to the shot of the cabin, leaving out the lightning. These screenshots are taken from the 1985 Japanese Herald Videogram Laserdisc.
Zooming close-up shot of the book
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Lightning strikes a tree outside
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Exterior shot of the cabin at night
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Allegedly, Sam was unhappy with this effect and asked for it to be edited out. The lightning shot was put back in to the 2002 Anchor Bay Book Of The Dead DVD, and has remained in all subsequent releases.
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At 35m 55s there is a shot where Cheryl is first possessed and turns round to the group watching with a loud scare chord. In the original version this is a completely static shot throughout; from her looking out the window, turning round, until it cuts to the next shot. The Elite version (digitally) zooms in just as she turns, to emphasise the 'shock' in the shot. You can see the difference in zooming from these two screenshots.
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1999 US Elite Special Edition DVD
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1985 Japanese Herald Videogram LD
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The 2002 US R1/2 Anchor Bay The Evil Dead: Book Of The Dead DVD sparked a debate over whether The Evil Dead should be seen in widescreen of fullscreen. Just to clarify, there is no 'widescreen' or 'pan & scan' version in the conventional sense, the widescreen print is simply the normal fullscreen print with the top & bottom sections of the picture matted (chopped off). The film was originally shot to be matted into a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, but fully unmatted it would display as 1:37:1 (4:3). It was shown theatrically at its initial première in that full 1:37:1 ratio, although it was shown in both ratios upon its general theatrical release. When released around the world on home video, laserdiscs and early DVD, it was almost exclusively fullscreen. In 2002, Sam requested that Anchor Bay matte the film into a 1.85:1 aspect ratio for The Evil Dead: Book Of The Dead DVD, that print was then labelled as the 'widescreen' version, and they have done this with most subsequent releases. It's worth adding that because the same commentary tracks are used on both the 1:37:1 & 1.85:1 versions, things are referred to on screen that you can't see in the 1.85:1 version because they're hidden under the black bars.
Fullscreen - 1999 US Elite Special Edition DVD
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Widescreen - 2007 US Anchor Bay Ultimate Edition DVD
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Some people have cynically suggested that Anchor Bay is simply using widescreen for widescreens sake, with no real thought about how this affects the film itself. DVD purchasers may see 'anamorphic widescreen' on the cover, without realising that black bars have just been put on the top and bottom of the original 4:3 open matte print, meaning you see less picture in the 'Widescreen' version than in the 'Full Screen' version. That said, Anchor Bay did do this at Sam's request, and may not have done it otherwise.
This is much the same situation for the 2000 US R1 Anchor Bay Evil Dead II DVD, which has two transfers of the film, labelled in the DVD menu as 'widescreen' and 'full-frame', but the thumbnail image above makes the 'Full-Frame' version look like a 'pan & scan' print, although the 'full-frame' version was actually a full 1:37:1 open matte transfer and the 'widescreen' version was that 1:37:1 version simply matted into 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
DVD Release Details
Because there have been so many 'Carbon Copy' DVD releases of The Evil Dead around the world, I have decided to restrict this section to especially distinctive DVDs really worth trying to get. If a particular DVD you are interested in isn't covered here, or you want more detailed information on one that is, then look it up using a search engine. There are many excellent and highly detailed DVD review sites out there.
The Evil Dead (Special Edition)
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Studio:
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Elite Entertainment
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Release Date:
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March 30, 1999
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Region:
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1 (US & Canada)
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Format:
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NTSC
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Number of discs:
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1
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ASIN:
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B00000G3Q4
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Disc 1:
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The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DD 5.1 / DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
Theatrical Trailer
Still And Photo Gallery
Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes
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Notes:
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This DVD contains The Evil Dead in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and is by far the highest quality transfer you can buy. As detailed above, this DVD does have a number of little editing changes supervised by Sam during the remastering process, but they are professionally done and most people would be hard pressed to spot them.
The 'Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes' runs at 18m 29s, and consists of randomly ordered raw footage & retakes of shots that ended up in the finished film, although there is some previously unseen material in there as well. The Sam, Rob & Bruce audio commentary tracks have been recycled across numerous releases, but were recorded specifically for this DVD. Both are very interesting, but Bruce's commentary is especially good. The DVD comes with a colour insert card with liner notes by Bruce Campbell
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The Evil Dead (Book Of The Dead Limited Edition)
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Studio:
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Anchor Bay Entertainment
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Release Date:
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March 5, 2002
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Region:
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1 (US & Canada)
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Format:
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NTSC
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Number of discs:
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1
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ASIN:
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B000WC3864
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Disc 1:
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The Evil Dead
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0 / French DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
Theatrical Trailer
4 TV Spots
Poster And Still Gallery
Talent Bios
'Fanalysis' documentary
'Discovering Evil Dead' featurette
Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes
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Notes:
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This release has the matted widescreen version only, which does suffer from the contrast problem as detailed above, but plays as the original version without any editing tweaks. The DVD comes in a replica Book Of The Dead illustrated by Tom Sullivan, and although a mass produced item, the quality is really still quite decent. The 'skin' of the book is made of latex and will smell quite badly for a few weeks, but this will wear off. If not stored appropriately the latex can degrade over time. It should ideally be stored in a cool room away from sunlight. The DVD disc itself is in a slipcase attached to the last page of the book. If you intend on using the disc regularly, you might want to keep it in a separate DVD or jewel CD case instead, as sliding it in and out of the slipcase will build up scratches over time, no matter how careful you are.
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The Evil Dead Trilogy (4 Disc Box Set)
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Studio:
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Anchor Bay Entertainment
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Release Date:
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July 28, 2003
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Region:
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2 (Europe)
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Format:
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PAL
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Number of discs:
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4
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ASIN:
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B001ARNWP2
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Disc 1:
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The Evil Dead
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0 / French DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
Theatrical Trailer
4 TV Spots
Poster And Still Gallery
Talent Bios:
(Bruce Campbell / Sam Raimi / Robert Tapert)
'Fanalysis' documentary
'Discovering Evil Dead' featurette
Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes
THX Optimizer
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Disc 2:
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Evil Dead II
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DD 5.1 / German, Italian & Spanish DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Raimi, Campbell, Spiegel & Nicotero)
Theatrical Trailer
The Gore The Merrier featurette
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Disc 3:
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Army of Darkness (Director's Cut)
(1.66:1 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Raimi, Campbell & Ivan Raimi)
4 Deleted Scenes (with Optional Commentary)
The Creature Concept Art
Director's Storyboards
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Disc 4:
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The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
The Living Love the Dead
Dead Good Marketing featurette
Bruce Campbell: Geek or God? featurette
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
Antihero - Evil Dead inspired Music Video
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Notes:
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This box-set brings together a number of previous standalone releases, and comes with a bonus disc. Disc 1 is just the UK PAL version of the US NTSC Book Of The Dead DVD as above, but the bonus disc contains the open matte version of The Evil Dead, which is the same transfer as was used on the earlier Anchor Bay 1-5 picture disc DVD releases, and has the zooming editing tweak as previously mentioned. This release also comes with some interesting new extras, a couple of which can only be found in this box-set. For more information on the other two discs, please see the 'DVD' sections of each film.
Two things of note; The Evil Dead disc in the 2005 R2 UK Anchor Bay 'Box Of The Banned' collection is identical to the bonus fourth disc here, and in both 'The Incredibly Strange Film Show' has been edited to remove all Super-8 shorts clips, along with some other material such as The Three Stooges, running at 34m 9s, down from an uncut running time of 37m 38s.
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The Evil Dead (Ultimate Edition)
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Studio:
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Anchor Bay Entertainment
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Release Date:
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December 18, 2007
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Region:
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1 (US & Canada)
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Format:
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NTSC
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Number of discs:
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3
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ASIN:
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B00005RYLE
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Disc 1:
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The Evil Dead
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
One By One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga Of The Evil Dead
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Disc 2:
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The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DD 2.0 / French DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
The Evil Dead: Treasures From The Cutting Room Floor
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Disc 3:
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Life After Death: The Ladies Of The Evil Dead
The Ladies Of The Evil Dead Meet Bruce Campbell
Discovering The Evil Dead
At The Drive-In
TV Spots
Reunion Panel
Still Gallery
Unconventional
Make-up Test
Poster & Memorabilia Gallery
Trailers
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Notes:
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This box-set has all three of its discs devoted solely to The Evil Dead. Although much of the content is different, the widescreen transfer is identical to the Book Of The Dead DVD above, but the open matte transfer is new and also looks the same. They both suffer from the contrast problem as detailed above, but are free of any editing tweaks.
Most of the extras here are new, and exclusive to this release. The documentary 'One By One We Will Take You' contains interviews interspersed with film clips & raw footage, and is an interesting introduction to the making of the film. 'The Evil Dead: Treasures From The Cutting Room Floor' runs at 59m 22s, and consists solely of raw footage played in chronological order. There are some shots that wound up in the finished film, but a good percentage is previously unseen material. The easter egg; 'Book Of The Dead The Other Pages' is a single unedited shot showing of Ash thumbing through each page the Book Of The Dead.
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The Evil Dead - The Treasures Collection
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Studio:
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N/A
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Release Date:
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December 2, 2008
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Region:
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0 (Worldwide)
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Format:
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NTSC
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Number of discs:
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1
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ASIN:
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N/A
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Disc 1:
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The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DD 1.0)
'Book Of The Dead' to 'The Evil Dead' - The version differences.
Within The Woods, a superior quality copy
Book Of The Dead workprint trailer
PC viewable Evil Dead DVD-ROM folder
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Notes:
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This is a fanmade DVD, and you cannot buy it in stores. If your interested in getting a copy, check out the forums and see if someone can help. This DVD is meant as a companion to the above retail DVDs, not as a pirated/free option. It only contains material which has never been released on DVD.
For the first time this release brings together & preserves some of the rarest Evil Dead treasures. The film itself is transferred from the Japanese 1985 'Herald Videogram' laserdisc, as detailed above. The superior quality copy of the short film Within The Woods is a big upgrade to the standard internet VCD version. The PC viewable DVD-ROM folder is packed with over a gigabyte of rare Evil Dead trilogy material painstakingly collected over many years, with major contributions by a number of die hard Evil Dead fans. This has been superseded by subsequent DVD-ROM releases, but is still worth looking through.
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