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NOTE: This preview is for a preproduction sample of the packaging for Anchor Bay's upcoming Evil Dead: Limited Edition DVD. It is essentially the final packaging, but a few of the pages may be changed slightly.
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Imagine someone actually doing a preview for what is essentially the packaging to a DVD. This isn't just any packaging, however. This is the Book of the Dead that will be part of Anchor Bay's upcoming Evil Dead: Limited DVD. The Book of the Dead, as any Evil Dead fan knows, plays a crucial part in the movie. When passages from the book are translated and read aloud, evil spirits arise and all hell starts to break loose. When Anchor Bay first announced their Evil Dead, I was definitely skeptical. I mean, how is it possible to compete with Elite's Evil Dead: Special Edition DVD, which contains commentary tracks with Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi, an impressive transfer, a 5.1 mix, various behind-the-scenes footage, and more. But now, as Anchor Bay's release draws closer and reports of extras are surfacing, coupled with me getting a first hand look at the Book of the Dead packaging, I have to say Anchor Bay's looks to be headed in the right direction. |
What a surprise it was to go into work today, a day that is my half day since I have school in the morning, and find a package from Anchor Bay waiting for me. Receiving any package from Anchor Bay is always exciting, but I'm normally expecting the package and know what's going to be in it. This package was a total surprise. I had no idea what it was. Well, I had an idea since I expected it to be DVDs, but I was only half right. Yes, there were some DVDs, but there was also something wrapped up in bubble wrap as well as a small yellow note. I picked up the note and read it, which indicated a preproduction sample of their new Book of the Dead packaging was enclosed, and that they thought I'd like to check it out. I can't even begin to tell you the goose bumps that began to run up and down my arms and neck. Being a huge Evil Dead fan (it's my favorite movie) and not having a clue this was being sent, well, I was practically in shock. Anxiously, I ripped open the bubble wrap. There it was before my very eyes - The Book of Dead. My impressions? Read on...
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First, let me give my thoughts on the packaging. The book is a molded rubber piece with latex paint. It feels exactly like one of those rubber Halloween masks. Of course, the book has a solid backing under the rubber. At first I wasn't sure what too think about it. I guess I was expecting a plain old book, or perhaps a cloth-like material. Then I realized what I should have already realized to begin with - this book is bound in human flesh! Taking that into account, I think the molded rubber piece works rather well. I can't really think of any other feasible and affordable implementation Anchor Bay could have done in terms of making the book look and feel more like human flesh. Tom Sullivan, the special effects artist for The Evil Dead and the man responsible for creating the original book for the movie, created this Book of the Dead packaging for Anchor Bay. Tom is a devout fan of the genre and of The Evil Dead; I believe 100% that he's done everything possible to give fans the best damn Book of the Dead we could ask for.
To be fair, I should point out that the scans I've done for the outside of the book don't do it justice. The scan is too bright - the book is darker and has more brown to it than the scan does. The teeth in the scan are white and squished, whereas on the actual book they are brown and are not squished. I'm going to take some actual pictures with a camera and include them here, but for now the scans must suffice. Point is, even with the other scans I've seen on the Internet, the book looks better in person! With a scanner, all of the physical characteristics of the book are squished.
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There's no room for complaint on the pages themselves. They are all gorgeous. Each one accurately reflects the pages shown in the movie. If anything, the pages look better here as they have more red to them. I only noticed one page from the movie that was missing in this book. Here is a shot (61 kb) of the page in question. Not sure why it was omitted.
Final Thoughts
As an Evil Dead fan, I feel that the book alone, without the DVD, is worth the $49.98 MSRP. It's absolutely beautiful on both inside and out! It's better than the book in the movie. Readers of this site know I always express my true opinion, good or bad. I've done a complete 360 on this too. When first announced, I wasn't all that excited about Anchor Bay releasing The Evil Dead. I had no plans on previewing this packaging either. But after getting a first hand look at this book, along with obtaining the final specs to their DVD, I felt compelled to do a preview and share my thoughts with you. I'm just dying with anticipation for this DVD now. Just take a look at these specs:
- Widescreen 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced, THX Approved
- DTS 6.1, Dolby 5.1 EX, Dolby 2.0, French 5.1, French 2.0
- Within the Woods - short film starring Bruce Campbell, directed by Sam Raimi. Created to obtain financing for The Evil Dead
- Fanalysis, a new documentary by Bruce Campbell
- Additional featurette with Evil Dead interviews and more
- Two commentary tracks (Sam Raimi / Bruce Campbell) [Elite DVD]
- Behind-the-scenes footage [Elite DVD]
- Still Gallery - expanded
- Trailer
- Never-before-seen TV spots
- Scheduled release date: March 5, 2002
- MSRP $49.98, available for a limited time (*no limited edition run here [i.e. no numbers], just available for a limited time)
Anchor Bay's sure looks like it's going to be the new definitive version of The Evil Dead. Having said that, let me give congratulations to Tom Sullivan and Anchor Bay - I'm very impressed with their Book of the Dead. I've never felt this way about DVD packaging before. Honestly, I've never liked DVD packaging to begin with. Too damn small. I'm a laserdisc man - I love the larger artwork that was always included with those big 12" discs. I used to get this almost magical feeling of excitement and joy when opening a new laserdisc. Well, I finally got that feeling with DVD thanks to this Book of the Dead. It just works, and it works well. It's a small book that's perfect for a DVD release. I look forward to the day when my Book of the Dead has what is sure to be a fantastic DVD in it.
In reality, there's one word that summarizes this Book of the Dead packaging. That word is the exact word my five year old son exclaimed after I showed him the book, let him take a look at a few of the pages, and told him that when I read it monsters would come out of the wall. The word my son exclaimed with a face full of fascination was: "Cool!"
Other Pictures
[DVD back cover] [Full view - 125 kb]
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