EUUUUUUU!!! That's the first thing half a dozen people said when they picked up my cold, fleshy feeling copy of Evil Dead: The Book of the Dead edition DVD. You see, this special edition disc not only includes one of the best low budget horror movies ever made, the packaging looks just like the book of the dead from the movie. And here's the kicker, if you put the packaging in the fridge for a while and take it out, it is supposed to feel like dead flesh!!!

The Movie
Before I tell you if the package really does feel like dead flesh, lets talk about the movie, shall we? Chances are you've already seen it so I won't spend too much of your valuable Internet surfing time talking about it. But for those of you newly born horror movie fans, here's the story.

Five twenty somethings go to a remote cabin in the woods for a little R&R. In the basement of the place they find an ancient book, a tape recorder, and a creepy knife. The book is the aforementioned "Book of the Dead" and the knife is the "Knife of the Dead" naturally. The tape recorder holds the final record of an archaeologist who found the book and translated the passages. By reading the book, he unleashed an ancient evil that comes to possess the bodies of the living. Naturally, our five young friends start coming to unpleasant ends.

The movie is directed by the now infamous Sam Raimi, who also directed movies like A Simple Plan, Dark Man, and the upcoming Spiderman. What most people don't know, is that the Coen brothers also helped out on the film before their indie success.

	Things that make you say Eeuuu!

The movie is easily one of the most inventive, gory and fun low budget horror movies ever made. The queer, canted angles are all creepy and threatening, the effects are sickening and totally overboard, and Exorcist like sound effects unnerving. Although it isn't as polished as the follow up sequels, Evil Dead is one of the classics of the genre.

8 out of 10

The Video
Looks great! The DVD is mastered from a cleaned up negative print and it looks great. The fist time I saw this movie, have the time you had to squint to make out any detail in the murk, but not with this disc! Vibrant colors, deep, rich black, and lots of shadow detail make this version a joy to watch! There is an occasional instance of compression grain, but not enough to detract from the viewing experience.

The movie is presented in it's original, widescreen aspect ratio and is enhanced for widescreen TVs.

8 out of 10

The Audio
Get this, 6.1 DTS-ES sound! To be honest, I couldn't listen to the 6.1 myself, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound is pretty fantastic so I can only imagine that the 6.1 is spectacular. Like the video, when I first saw this, voices were muffled and often inaudible. Not so the DVD! Crystal clear is what I hear, and the growls and grunts of the evil dead never sounded better!

10 out of 10

The Extras
There are a lot of different version of The Evil Dead out there so you have to do a lot to make a new special edition worth while. What can I say, they did!

First is the fleshy book of the dead container. It looks just like the one in the movie, complete with an ear on the back, and was produced by the original designer of the book in the movie. The interior of the book contains reproductions of the pages of the book in the movie, as well as a fact filled booklet about the making of the book and the movie itself. There's also a history of the many editions the film has been released in from VHS to Laserdisc to DVD.

This disc has audio commentary galore. One track is with Sam Raimi and producer Robert Tapert, the second, and I have to say the one I enjoyed most, is with Bruce Campbell. Both tracks are fun to listen too, but I can't say there is anything new here. If you've heard either Raimi or Campbell speak at length about the film, you're going to hear it again. Still, if you haven't already heard it, they have a hell of a story to tell.

But wait, there's more! Included on the disc is Campbell's hilarious look at cult film fans, Fanalysis, Discovering Evil Dead, a new featurette that documents the films history, behind the scenes footage and out takes, a theatrical trailer, TV spots, and a still gallery.

Or, to put it succinctly, this baby is loaded!

10 out of 10

I've always liked Evil Dead and purchased an earlier edition of the DVD. I'm sure a lot of you have done the same. The question then, is should you buy this edition? Let me answer that with a resounding YES!

Hands down, this is the definitive edition to date. I love the Book of the Dead case and the supporting material is awesome. The commentary is the most comprehensive to date and Fanalysis is a delight.

If you're an Evil Dead, Sam Raimi, or Bruce Campbell fan, do yourself a favor and buy this special edition version before they get sold out.

9 out of 10

And yes, it does feel a lot like dead flesh. Don't ask me how I know, but I do.

The Movie Low budget but oh so good! Plenty of gore and and terror for the horror film fan in you. Movie Score 8 The Video Looks great with a clean transfer and for the lucky few, it is enhanced for widescreen TVs. Video Score 8 The Audio 6.1 Surround Sound Crazy! I could only listen in 5.1 but what I heard was awesome! Audio Score 10 The Extras Creepy fleshy cover, documentaries, out takes, and more! Extras Score 10 OVERALL 9