Rating: 
Summary: MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE HORROR MOVIE!
Review: On Sunday, September 27, 1998, I bought my first copy of THE EVIL DEAD on VHS at Wal-Mart for $7. This was something I had been looking forward to since I first heard about this movie on Houseofhorrors.com and a Leonard Maltin review. Six days later, at five in the morning (after a nightmare about watching a horror movie where the floor turned into quicksand), I watched THE EVIL DEAD for the first time. And I was hooked! This movie was indeed gory, and is still among the goriest horror movies ever made, but it was genuinely scary as well, with a great music score and atmosphere created in the woods! It became a habit to see THE EVIL DEAD late at night when everybody else was asleep. So far I have seen THE EVIL DEAD about 25 times.
In late March of 2002, my sister Flora gave me this Book Of The Dead Limited Edition DVD as a belated birthday present. This is by far the best packaging of THE EVIL DEAD that Anchor Bay Entertainment has provided. It looks just like the Book Of The Dead in the movie right down to the pages! (And no, I have not tried to recite any of the passages in the book.) The DVD has a great widescreen transfer of the film, a fun audio commentary track by the star of the film, Bruce Campbell (I listened to this track on my most recent viewing), as well as one by director Sam Raimi and producer Robert Tapert, a documentary by Campbell about fans of horror and sci-fi, and a documentary on the film's distribution in England, along with a wealth of other cool supplements!
During the weekend of August 16 and 17 of last year, I met special effects artist Tom Sullivan and the ladies of THE EVIL DEAD at the Horrorfind convention in Maryland. They were all really nice; in fact, I learned from Sullivan how he achieved all those effects, saw the props he created, and even learned about how they tried to title and release the film. They also signed my Book Of The Dead and it was one of many wonderful experiences at the convention! All I need now is Bruce Campbell's autograph in my Book Of The Dead (and on my EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS Boomstick Edition); hopefully I'll get it this year! If you still haven't seen THE EVIL DEAD yet, then get with the program and go rent it; better yet, own it! Join Us!
Rating: 
Summary: Not really DTS
Review: A QUICK REVIEW ABOUT THE SOUND.This movie is a horror classic. My review is not about the movie itself. The DVD displays a sharp clear picture for such dated material and cheap production. My main complaint is that this is another one of those many DVD's out there that feature an old movie CLAIMING to have DTS surround sound.First off the movie never had DTS in the theatres, DTS was never used in the sound process in filming the movie besides this DVD's inserting of bogus sound effects and reditributing VERY LITTLE sounds into a faked DTS process.The DTS surround sounds on this one, especially one CLAIMING to have DTS-ES, are just about nothing much.Maybe two or three scences have redistributed sounds in the back & side speakers. I didn't notice much.The sounds quality is not bad, it's just not any form of true DTS surround sound. Most DVD's featuring old movies that never had DTS in the beginning haven't been very good in my opinion.The Dolby Digital EX process is much better when it comes to reproducing and redistributing surround sounds through home theatre sound systems."The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen Before)" was done excellent using the Dolby Digital EX for transfer to DVD.
Rating:
Summary: d-i-s-s-a-p-o-i-n-t-e-d! but still good!
Review: I was expecting this to be hella funny...its not! well it is a little bit! especially when the one girl gets violated by a tree!
Rating: 
Summary: The woods are alive and the girls are possessed.
Review: Five young adults have just crossed the Tennessee border in a yellow car on their way to an old cabin in the woods, but first they had to endure the car going out of control and then crossing a dangerous old bridge. Once inside the cabin and creepy at that, they all sat down to chat when suddenly the cellar door pops open. They find all kinds of neat old stuff down there, including a reel to reel player. They play the tape. Sounds like a professor conducting an experiment. It is the former occupant of the cabin. The male voice on the reels resites a spell. The man knows there are dark spirits outside. Outside in the woods, a spot of ground opens up with smoke and red light (actually it might be a balloon). An unseen force has been released. More strange things happen. For one female victim, tree branches grab ahold of her and tighten around her like a snake. The branches force her legs apart and a big young trunk stabs her down there and attempts to rape her. She manages to break away and finally get inside the cabin. She tells her friends the woods are alive. They won't let her leave, but she wants to now. Ashley decides to drive her away. The car stops. Ashley gets out. They have stopped at the dangerous bridge. Meanwhile, one of the girls becomes possessed. Can these five adults get out of the cabin and the woods alive? Low budget 1983 film, but creepy. Would you believe this is better than that college experimental film, Blair Witch Project? Cast includes Bruce Campbell (NBC's serial, "Generations", in 1989), Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Hal Delrich and Sarah York. VHS Version: after the film, the original theatrical trailer is shown. Followed by: Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1993).
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Package for a Classic Flick
Review: Enough has been said about the movie. You should see it, and you will probably love it. Once you do.....For anyone who really loves The Evil Dead, whether it was then or you just discovered it, this is the DVD package to own. I had never seen the movie with such clarity. I had NO idea that it was so well done. I should have known that it was better than those old copies of copies videotapes made it look! It's Sam Raimi for goodness' sake! But anyway, with the Book of the Dead artwork, the extras, and the article inside, it's a great thing to own and display. I can't tell you how many people have been intrigued by the DVD just propped up on my entertainment center. (It goes really well with the Julia figure from Hellbound, too!) Buy it now. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A horror movie we all agree on
Review: When I first heard of Evil Dead, it wasn't in some upscale, fancy movie mag, like EW or Rolling stone. I heard about it from fans of the other horror films I liked; Night of the living dead, texas chainsaw massacre, etc. They said it was one of the few films which was made up of every element that stuck out in these other pictures and still stood tall to the original source material. In terms of entertainment, the film is a 10+. In terms of filmaking, its a little lower. the film was Raimi's first attempt at a motion picture, and he didn't have a lot to work with. The make up is masterfully implemented by the other worldly camera, a charecter in its own. If you care even slightly about horror, see this and the 2 sequels. Oh, and if you are in the market for a DVD of Evil Dead, get this one, not the expensive Book of the Dead one. This has all the features you need on the Book of the Dead, except a short made by Bruce Campbell about fanboys. This has all the others and its in Widescreen with THX sound, so this is the disc for all the cheapo's (like me) out there.
Rating: 
Summary: the start of something great and unique
Review: Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead"(1979) was the start of one of the most original and great horror series in the genre. Even if you are not a horror fan and like movies that are highly creative, stylish, witty, and have the feel of a cult classic like say Quentin Tarantino's films then you should check out the series. The other two "Evil Dead 2"(which is practicaly a remake of this film) and "Army Of Darkness" were satires but "The Evil Dead" was intended to be a serious horror film. It is hard to take it serious after seeing the other two first but it is well worth seeing and can be appreciated for the amazing cinematography and camera work on such a low budget film. You can see in "The Evil Dead" what was coming in the next two films and while it is worth watching, it is nowhere as brilliant as the next two. I recommend you see "The Evil Dead" last.
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Summary: Probably the most important independent film of all time
Review: First of all this is probably the most important movie a film student could watch. Secondly this is a cult horror classic. Thirdly this is a genre defining film. Forth on the list is that the DVD commentary is absolutely fantastic. If you can get around to reading "If Chins Could Kill" by Bruce Campbell, who plays the protagonist, Ash, in this film then you will also learn a lot more about it and will be happy that you did. Sam Raimi (Director of Spider-Man) made the Evil Dead with his friends when he was just little more than a teenager. He made a short film called (Within In The Woods) which you can find using P2P sharing programs. It is only available in bootleg format and has only been released on the Laser Disc version of this film. It was also released on a special DVD package but was revoked because of distribution copyright problems. Sam Raimi took that Super 8mm film around to dentists and rich people in his area to get enough money together to make a feature film called "The Book of the Dead". The distributors changed the title because they felt that people did not want to "read" a film. The Evil Dead is low budget through and through but you must give it credit for the sheer creative energy that is on display. The story is also not bad. What makes this film stand out is the special effects. Although they are hammy, they are also excellently done for what is effectively a student film. The last scene features some really insane stop-motion effects. The camerawork is also a way above average. Raimi tilts the camera, bends the lens, flies the camera through a forest and even manages to hover it above the rafters. This is all daring and bold filmmaking coming from people who had nothing. Effectively this is the benchmark for all students attempting to make a horror feature film which is a good point of entry for them. The film has not been banned for twenty years in the US but had been banned in the UK and then severely cut when it got its release. The MPAA refused a certificate in the US. It is only recently that it managed to acquire the NC-17 rating. The censors apparently laughed their way through it. They loved it, but it does have some very brutal scenes, one of them is sexual and involves a tree, and certainly it was released at the wrong time when video nasty opposition groups where very active. The truth be told the Evil Dead is a film that did a way better on video than it did on the cinema screen. It was the advent of household VCR systems that jettisoned the Evil Dead into the limelight. The premise is simple. Five youths go to a log cabin in the woods to have a good time but manage to awaken the undead. Cue lots of scares, action, gore and amazing camera work. This is a first rate horror movie with plenty of suspense to boot. It is marred by low production values and a list of relatively unknown actors for their time but who cares? This is all great fun from start to finish and well worthy of its cult status and fanboy appeal. Fans watch this at least once a week. Can't say I blame them either. It is a gem of a great fun film. Perfect for viewing at parties. It always gets a laugh.
Rating:
Summary: A classic born in me at an early age.
Review: I first saw this movie not long after it was released at around the age of 12. All I can say is that over the next couple of years, it haunted me in my sleep...literally! I had nightmares about it for a LONG time. Later in my teens, I saw it again, finally. Didn't scare me as it did when i was younger, but I still appreciated it's raw gore and attempt to simply catch you off-guard for a good jump-from-your-seat scare effect. Now, at 30, I had to order this on DVD. You can bet I'm going to show it to my kids when they hit the age I was when I first saw it. Will it have the same effect? I HOPE SO! If not, at least they'll see what scared the hell out of dad at their age and that's good enough for me. I'll agree it has plenty of bad acting, a silly story-line and plenty of "fake" fake blood, but man, it is what it is...a horror film. To me, this is just one of those pure horror movies that doesn't need anything other than what you see to freak you out. Raimi did alot with a little in this one. Late at night with the lights off and the sound up...only way to see this one!
Rating:
Summary: Thought It Was Banned?
Review: I remember something about this movie being banned but they must have brought it back. It's real gory and real scary. There, does that answer your question?
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