Here you can view archived news & update entries stretching back to the site's opening on October 31, 2009. As each year passes, the previous years' news & updates will be moved here to keep the main page from getting too large. Just click to expand each heading below.
For the 11th anniversary of BookOfTheDead.ws in October 2020, I offered ten copies of my Evil Dead Database. I didn't re-post it on Facebook as I normally would, as I wanted to reserve it for people who actually checked the site, rather than sell everything on Facebook. By October 31st, only six had been bought, so that is what I made. You can see extensive make-photos and read more information on the Evil Dead Database SSD Project page in the Features section
Also in the Features section, The Evil Dead Replica Clock Project page has been updated to include more information on the clock mechanism used, along with a ZIP download containing photos, screenshots and plans for anyone who wants to make their own clock replica.
Further, a number of other updates have been made in the Features section. Some of the link banners in the main features list have been re-orientated for ease of new additions, but everything works the same as it did before. PDF scans of a Cut-Out Poster, Event Guides & Programs relating to the 2011 British Museum Ancient Egyptian Book Of The Dead Exhibition, have been added to the Book Of The Dead page. Plus, the oldest section of the site; The Evil Dead C64 section, has been updated. New & upgraded images have been added to the The Evil Dead C64 Images & Downloads page & The Evil Dead C64 Review page, a new page has been added; The Evil Dead C64 In-Print page, and information has been added & updated across the pages in that section. Huge thanks to UK fan Michael Witchy for tracking down more information on the BBC Model B version of the game.
Huge thanks to US fan Douglas Roark, who spent time in Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina over two days shooting footage in November 2020, at the tunnel location seen just after the main titles in Evil Dead II. You can watch an edit of his fantastic footage on the Evil Dead II - Locations page. This location was missed off my own personal US locations trip in 2012 as it was unidentified at the time; Evil Dead Fan Trip Of A Lifetime page. A request for footage has now been removed from the Wants page.
Thanks to a cracking piece of research by US fan Alex Maxfield, two document scans have been added to the The Evil Dead - Production page, one of which is a The Evil Dead investor & shares list dated November 9, 1979. This gives a complete list of the original investors, the profit shares they get, and the budgets the production had available.
November 15, 2020 - More Additions & Updates
Five new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; L'Ecran Fantastique #39 - November 1983, Midnight Marquee #36 - Fall 1987, Shivers #101 - December 2002, TerrorZone Vol.1 No.2 - January/March 1992, and TerrorZone Vol.1 No.3 - May/June 1992. Thanks to Australian fan Alex Lanco for the last two. Also an updated scan of The Evil Dead - UK Palace Pictures Press Kit & Release - 1983 added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page; which now has two additional pages obtained from a separate press kit, and Army Of Darkness - In-Print page; Army Of Darkness - French Pressbook - 1994, which is a really nice glossy twenty page french-language book.
One new entry has been added into the Fan Collections page; the collection of Michael Witchy from the UK. Thanks to him for taking the time to do this, and allowing his collection to be added.
Twenty new gallery photos have been added. Eight on the The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 416, 422, 423, 424, 426, 427, 428, & 429. Nine on the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 402, 446, 484, 495, 511, 530, 698, 889, & 891. Lastly, two on the Super-8 Origins - Photos & Artwork page; Mike Ditz with a Canon Scoopic 16mm camera, and Sam, Bruce, Bill Kirk, Mike Ditz & Buzz Luttrell. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
Thanks to further research and more help from French fan Anthony, the Evil Dead Trilogy Newspapers Archive (1976-2009) has been expanded by 170 pages! Find it on the Super-8 Origins - In-Print page, The Evil Dead - In-Print page, the Evil Dead II - In-Print page, and the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page. This is now a PDF containing 611 pages of Evil Dead Trilogy related material ranging from 1976 up to 2009. The majority of material is clustered around the trilogy's three release dates. There is a lot of advertising & short reviews, but there's some very interesting full articles in there too, as well as some horribly obscure references, the inclusion of which will mistify most! The archives cover various Newspapers including The Detroit Free Press, The Lansing State Journal, The Tennessean, The New York Daily News, and The UK Guardian among many others.
Asides the retrospectives on Renaissance Pictures and individual interviews with the cast & crew, you have many more disparate articles. There are pre-The Evil Dead reviews of Betsy Baker's stage acting, a upcoming Within The Woods 1979 screening announcement, interviews with Ron 'The Ghoul' Sweed, a few 1981 'sneak preview' Book Of The Dead screening adverts, information on The Evil Dead at Cannes 1982, articles on The Evil Dead's censorship issues in the UK, Ellen Sandwiess becoming the General Manager of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra in 1982, and much more!
Lastly, the Army Of Darkness section has been upgraded, so clicking each image on a page will display a larger version in a 'Lightbox' window. Use the arrow icons or your keyboard's left/right arrows to navigate through the photos on each page. You can also middle-click an image to open the larger version in a new window. Images will open to a maximum dimension of 1600px by 800px; ideally sized to fit on a 1080p screen. Images which are smaller than this, will be displayed at their original resolution. This update totals nearly two-hundred images, and finally completes this image update across the site.
October 31, 2020 - Huge Anniversary Update
For the site's eleventh anniversary, we have a huge update. To start, backups of three old websites have been added to the Links page. They are; Tom Sullivan's official website DarkAgeProductions.com (saved 11/03/09), the French language website Evil Dead Revival (saved 13/03/09), and the offical LadiesOfTheEvilDead.com website (saved 11/03/09). All three have been offline for a good few years now, but have been saved and re-hosted here simply for posterity. Also, one current website link has been added; The Knights Of Sumaria, which is a forum devoted to Evil Dead resources, prop-making & replicas.
Some may remember a reference in Michael Jonascu's interview, to a hidden message in one of the pages of the Evil Dead II Book Of The Dead, relating to someone who had done something gross and pissed Tom off. Michael didn't elaborate, but thanks to a little detective work, you can see the hidden message, along with who the person was, and what they did, on the Evil Dead II - Special F/X page.
A huge two hundred and sixty-one photos have been added to the galleries across the site. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
Finally five new & upgraded photos added to the Super-8 Origins - Photos & Artwork page; Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi & Rob Tapert #2, Bruce Campbell & Sam Raimi #2, Bruce Campbell #9, Sam Raimi (At Camp Tamakwa #14), Sam Raimi (At Camp Tamakwa #15).
A huge amount of work has been put into the The Rarest Collectables page within the Collectables section. Five items have been added; The Evil Dead UK Palace Pictures Pre-Cert VHS (1983), The Evil Dead UK Palace Pictures Re-Release Dealer Promo Poster (1987), The Evil Dead UK Palace Pictures Re-Release Dealer Promo Tape Standee (1987), The Evil Dead Japanese Herald Videogram LD/VHD (1985), Evil Dead II UK Palace Pictures Promo Posters (1987). Further, nearly every entry has been given an expandable eBay listing section below detailing previous sales, and a number of the other photos have been upgraded, and outdated information updated. Huge thanks to everyone who helped, including Peter Eherer, Nigel Morris, Michael Witchy, Thomas Paul Wilson, Ed Blackburn, Elliot Cowley, Anthony Kess, James Stevens, Ramsey Lawson, and finally Kyle from EvilDead2.com
The whole of the Features section (including all the interviews) has been upgraded, so clicking each image on a page will display a larger version in a 'Lightbox' window. Use the arrow icons or your keyboard's left/right arrows to navigate through the photos on each page. You can also middle-click an image to open the larger version in a new window. Images will open to a maximum dimension of 1600px by 800px; ideally sized to fit on a 1080p screen. Images which are smaller than this, will be displayed at their original resolution. This update totals nearly thirteen-hundred images, and just leaves the Army Of Darkness section left to be updated, which will follow shortly.
Details of Ted Sedlmayr's visit to the Evil Dead II cabin site in Wadesboro, NC, in July 1995 with his friend Chad, has been added to the Evil Dead II - Locations page. Huge thanks to him for getting in touch.
Extensive photos of a fantastic fifth model; Gavin Smith / Make-Me-A's 3D printed Evil Dead II 1:160 scale cabin model set, have been added to the Cabin Miniature Scale Models page in the Features section. The set is as tiny as it is breathtaking in its detail. The cabin itself is only 50mm or 2" across.
Further interesting information has been added to The Evil Dead - Locations page, concerning a hook and chain owned by US fan Dennis Carter Jr, found at The Evil Dead cabin site some years back. If anyone reading this can shed any light on these items, please get in touch.
Three new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; NME - June 27, 1987, Ooh My Brain Hurts #8 - 1992 and Video Week - August 17, 1987. Further, one upgraded scan has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page; Evil Dead 2 - Spanish Synopsis Card - 1988. Huge thanks to French fan Anthony for scanning the card & NME.
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Michael Jonascu. Michael was a PA & assistant editor on Evil Dead II, meeting the group first on Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except, but remaining friends long after. He has a wealth of great anecdotes about his time on both productions, and the preceding years. Michael has also provided scans of nearly one hundred photos he took himself took during his time on Evil Dead II. Most have never been publicly seen before, so huge thanks to him for taking the time to do that.
This interview was actually conducted back in December 2019, but due to the current situation, and how extensive it is, it's taken until now to get online. The interview lasted over three hours and the raw transcription was nearly 30,000 words over thirty-two A4 pages, by far the biggest on this site to date!
Some interesting new information has been added to The Evil Dead - Props page, concerning Rubber Hand owned by US fan Dennis Carter Jr, which could-possibly-may be a actual screen used fake hand from The Evil Dead, or could just be a complete coincidence. If anyone reading this can shed any light on this item, please get in touch.
Three new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Movie Goer - March 1983, Samhain #21 - June-July 1990, and Video World - May 1995.
Finally, a new page has been added to the Within The Woods section; Within The Woods - DVD Film Can page. This details a personal fanmade DVD project from November 2019, to put the best version of Within The Woods on a DVD, with special 'film can' packaging. Ten of these were made in total, and nine were either given away, or traded with other fans. There are currently no plans to make any more.
March 22, 2020 - Collectables Additions
One-hundred-and-five new and upgraded images/item scans have been added to the Collectables section. That breaks down to thirty-two trilogy posters, thirty trilogy VHS releases, twenty-eight trilogy DVD releases, three standees, three promo badges, one t-shirt, one VCD, one OST cassette, and a handful of other assorted bits & pieces. A huge thanks to French fan Anthony for a good few of the entries, along with German fan Peter Ehere, Italian Emanuele Crivello, Australian Harry Ewald, and finally the webmaster of EvilDead2.com; UK fan Kyle Pickup too.
March 8, 2020 - Various Additions
Some interesting new information has been added to The Evil Dead - Locations page, concerning an oil lantern owned by US fan Dennis Carter Jr, which could-possibly-may be the actual screen used lantern from The Evil Dead, or could just be a complete coincidence. If anyone reading this can shed any light on this item, please get in touch.
Extensive photos of a fantastic fourth model; an Evil Dead II 1:10 cabin scale diorama made in 2019 by UK fan Glyn Williams, have been added to the Cabin Miniature Scale Models page in the Features section.
Six new & upgraded magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Screen International #336 - April 3, 1982, Screen International #387 - April 2, 1983, Screen International #487 - March 16, 1985, Screen International #524 - November 30, 1985, Video World Vol.5 No.4 - April 1983, and New Musical Express / NME - February 26 1983. Two further new scans have been added to The Evil Dead - In-Print page; The Evil Dead - LA International Film Expo Filmmex Notes - 1983 and The Evil Dead - Peru Lobby Card - 1986. Thanks to French fan Anthony for scans of the last entry.
Apologies for the lack up recent updates, moving house has taken up so much spare time recently, and a fair collection of material to add to the site has been building up, so expect more additions.
Two new pages have been added within the Features section. The first; Book Of The Dead - A Photobook, details a personal Evil Dead book project worked on over four months; from September 2019 up to the end of January 2020. The page includes a free digital PDF version of the book, along with photos of the production process. The second addition is a page devoted to Alex Lanco's Cellar Display. It details a 2018-2020 project by Australian fan Alex Lanco to create an Evil Dead display room, containing many replica props and set-pieces, as well as displaying his huge collection. It's monumental project, more than worthy of its own page.
One new entry has been added into the Fan Collections page; the collection of David Munoz from Texas. Thanks to him for taking the time to do this, and allowing his collection to be added.
Lastly, the Michael Jonascu interview mentioned in the previous update is being worked on. Michael also has a large number of previously unseen Evil Dead II on-set photos, so expect that addition shortly.
January 10, 2020 - Various Additions
As there are now a number of subsections to the Collectables section, the full/main listings page has been sectioned off, so readers don't have to load the huge full Collectables page, while navigating to one of the sub-pages. The link to load the full Collectables page is at the bottom of the main/root page.
Nine items have been added to the The Rarest Collectables page within the Collectables section; It's Murder Promo Postcard (1978), The Evil Dead Book Of The Dead Titled VHS, The Evil Dead CMV LaserVision German 'Necronomicon' DVD (2001), Evil Dead II UK Palace Pictures Theatrical & VHS Promotion Packs (1987), Evil Dead II UK Palace Pictures Video Shop Standees (1987), Evil Dead II US Press Kit (1987). Further, a number of the other photos have been upgraded, and outdated information updated.
Two upgraded scans have been added. One to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page; Evil Dead 2 - US Press Kit - 1987, which has sixteen new press photos, and a better scan of the outer cover. The second scans to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page; The Evil Dead - UK Palace Pictures Video Store DPP Letter - 1985, huge thanks to Paul for sending a one of his spare photocopies.
Over two-hundred new & upgraded photos have been added to the The Evil Dead - An Immersive Experience page within the Features section; Huge thanks to US fan Alfonso Gonzales for taking them. The page now also includes a ZIP file link, to download all 337 photos in their original full resolution/quality.
Details of a Polaroid taken by Bruce Campbell of The Evil Dead's burned down & overgrown cabin location in Morristown Tennessee in 1983, has been added to the The Evil Dead - Locations page.
Finally, all twenty-five copies of the Book Of The Dead - 24 Years Of Evil Dead Projects, A Photobook on the Online Store page have now sold out. Books one to seventeen have already been mailed out, and book twenty is being assembled as of writing. While this book may be expanded & updated years off in the future, for the moment, no more will be made. A huge thanks to everyone who showed their support. This was one of two projects which has left little spare time for recent site additions/updates. The second is an interview with Michael Jonascu; Sam Raimi's PA and assistant editor on Evil Dead II. The interview lasted over three hours and the raw transcription is nearly 30,000 words! Expect this to be added to the site in the next few weeks.
November 30, 2019 - Competition Winner & Further Updates
The tenth anniversary BookOfTheDead.ws competition is now closed, and the winner is David Munoz from Texas USA, you can see his entry below; a skeleton from Army Of Darkness. The competition was 'The most obscure/best/rarest item in your Evil Dead collection'. It could be anything Evil Dead related from either The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II or Army Of Darkness. The prize was a self-published A5 size hardback book called Book Of The Dead - 24 Years Of Evil Dead Projects, A Photobook; chronicling over twenty-four years of personal Evil Dead related projects, containing nearly 600 photos over 200 pages. Check out the Archived Competitions' page for more information.
November 2019 - The most obscure/best/rarest item in your Evil Dead collection winner; David Munoz from Texas USA's entry
Anyone who wants to, can order the Book Of The Dead - 24 Years Of Evil Dead Projects, A Photobook via the Online Store page. There are only going to be be twenty-five copies made, including my personal copy, and the competition prize. Twenty copies have been sold so far. If you would like it signed, please let me know.
In other updates, one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Detroit Free Press Magazine - June 10, 1990. This extensive ten page interview with Sam Raimi covers his life from childhood, making Super-8 shorts, Within The Woods, The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II, among others.
One new scan has been added to The Evil Dead - In-Print page. The French language 13° Festival International De Paris Du Film Fantastique Et De Science-Ficion Catalogue - 1983, has a double page advertising spread for The Evil Dead. Also a number of the lobby cards scans have been upgraded within The Evil Dead - UK Palace Pictures Press Kit & Release 1983 on the same page.
twenty-eight new or upgraded images have been added across the site. On The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 003, 006, 014, 260, 290, 347. On the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 033, 034, 041, 054, 062, 084, 145, 165, 167, 217, 218, 315, 462, 541, 558, 607, 608, 620, 621, 622. Finally on the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; numbers 034, 327. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
Seventy five new and upgraded images/items have been added to the Collectables section. That breaks down to thirty trilogy posters, twenty VHS tapes, seven misc items, five laserdiscs, five press adverts, three DVDs, two soundtracks, one book, one t-shirt, and one replica Kandarian Dagger. A huge thanks to French fan Anthony for a good portion of that, along with Mike Witchy too.
One new entry has been added at the bottom of the Super-8 Origins - Full Shorts List page; 65. Hefty's (1983). While little is known about this short, two photos from the production have been added to the Super-8 Origins - Photos & Artwork page, along with one new photo for Super-8 Short #44 - The Happy Valley Kid (1977), and a scanned upgrade to the Sam Raimi #1 photo.
Fourty-two further images have been added to the The Evil Dead - An Immersive Experience page within the Features section; numbers, 024, 034, 036, 037, 059, 083, 084, 085, 086, 087, 088, 089, 090, 091, 092, 094, 093, 095, 096, 097, 098, 099, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 130, 131. Huge thanks to Jim McPhearson for taking them, and Elise at the The Deadite Slayer for tracking them down.
October 21, 2019 - Book Of The Dead - 24 Years Of Evil Dead Projects, A Photobook
Anyone who wants to, can pre order the Book Of The Dead - 24 Years Of Evil Dead Projects, A Photobook via the Online Store page. Orders will be dispatched after November 30, 2019, when the latest BookOfTheDead.ws competition closes. There will only be twenty-five copies made, including my personal copy, and the competition prize. If you would like it signed, please let me know.
As this was posted on the Facebook group; Evil Dead Collector's Initiative, yesterday, twelve of the twenty-five copies have already been sold, so get in there quick!
October 12, 2019 - BookOfTheDead.ws 10th Anniversary!
BookOfTheDead.ws is coming up to its tenth anniversary online. Continually bringing new material to the Evil Dead community has been tricky at times, but the site has been getting bigger & better year on year. Thanks to everyone who has contributed in one way or another, and here's to another ten years of fanatic fandom!
You can now head over to the Competition page to enter a competition to celebrate the tenth anniversary (coming up on the 31st of October). To enter all you have to do is send in a photo of the most obscure/best/rarest item in your Evil Dead collection. It can be anything Evil Dead related from either The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II or Army Of Darkness. Something you've bought or even something you've created yourself; an original or replica prop, promotional item, book, magazine, comic, poster, DVD, VHS, Laserdisc, soundtrack, toy, clothing, artwork, or a signed/autographed item. Literally anything related. It can be something you picked up locally, or from a far flung corner of the globe, even something you picked up years ago which is now rare today. Just take a photo of the most obscure/best/rarest item in your Evil Dead collection and send it in. Only one entry per person allowed, so make it count. You can enter from anywhere in the world, and the closing date is November 30th 2019. The winner will be judged & announced shortly after that. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
The prize you can win is something very special, and it's taken nearly two months and a whole lot of work to get to this point. It's a self-published A5 size hardback book called Book Of The Dead - 24 Years Of Evil Dead Projects, A Photobook. This book chronicles over twenty-four years of personal Evil Dead related projects; projects where physical items were created and photos taken along the way, along with a catalogue of my personal Evil Dead collection to date. Detailing over sixty projects; from items made in art class at school in 1995, running EvilDeadChainsaws.com over ten years, travelling to The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II filming locations in 2012, making fanfilms, various models and replica items such as the cabin clock, Kandarian Dagger, lantern, and a cabin scale model, as well as authoring various Evil Dead related DVDs, Blu-rays & VHS preservation projects. It contains nearly 600 photos over 200 pages. The pages are printed double-sided on 200gsm satin laserprinted paper, personally bound as a hardback book with a canvas effect printed cover. Beyond the prize, a few extra copies may be offered later for sale depending on interest.
In other site updates & additions, a new page has been added within the Features section; page devoted to The Evil Dead - An Immersive Experience. Bearded Lady’s Mystic Museum in Burbank California hosted an Evil Dead exhibition from September 7th to December 7th, 2019. Working with Renaissance Pictures LTD, it featured various screen-used & original trilogy props, along with some replica items, extensive original photos, with new Evil Dead inspired/tribute artwork for sale. It was the first time so many Evil Dead trilogy props have been displayed in one place, and it's been a huge help to replica prop-makers, allowing a really detailed look at a number of screen-used chainsaws, mechanical arms, and other various rare items. For the many fans around the world who were unable to see it, and in order to preserve this fantastic exhibition for future years, you can see extensive photos here.
The second addition is another rare script addition; Evil Dead II; a later March 5, 1986 sixth draft. The handwritten notes you can read throughout the script are Scotty Spiegel's; Sam Raimi's script co-writer. You can read it on the Evil Dead II - Production page, with a write-up on the differences from the finished film, along with a downloadable copy on the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. This script has never been publicly seen before. A few specific scenes aside, it adheres pretty closely to the finished movie, and the changes from this draft to the final seventh draft are minimal. While it wasn't cheap, huge thanks go to Scotty Spiegel.
Also from Scotty, you can find a higher quality upgraded scan of the Within The Woods script on the Within The Woods - synopsis page. It's identical in terms of content, however, to the previous version. Scotty also provided scans of a 369 page early first draft manuscript of If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell. The final first edition book runs at 304 pages. It was sent to him by Bruce under the title Confessions to make any notes or corrections in 2000. These scans will not be added to the site for the moment. Further, added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page, you can see a four-page Evil Dead II - Vestron Video Promo Booklet - 1987, and in the Magazines page in the Features section; a new magazine scan of Photoplay Movies & Video - December 1982.
The last scan is another special item, which has been long in the works! A collection of 40 various page/photo scans called The Evil Dead - Renaissance Pictures Promo Package - 1983, has been added to The Evil Dead - In-Print page. It consists of eighteen The Evil Dead promo photos,
the Book Of The Dead 1981 Premiere Program, a two sided US promo slick, the New Line US press booklet, and a typed covering letter signed by Bruce Campbell. This collection of items was sold on eBay US back in May 2010 as 'Ultimate Sam Raimi EVIL DEAD /BOOK DEAD Collectables!' (#160436911441), which was won by US fan Margaret Rushton. I contacted Paul; the seller at the time regarding getting scans, but he wasn't able to do them. A few months later, the seller put me in touch with the buyer; Margaret. Again things didn't work out, and getting these scans was added to the site's long term 'to-get' list and forgotten about. Now; nine years and four months later, I got back in touch with Margaret though Facebook, and she was kind enough to go though and scan everything. Huge thanks to her for taking the time to do this.
Finally, anyone who hasn't already, I'd thoroughly recommend joining the Evil Dead Collector's Initiative on Facebook. There are a number of Evil Dead groups, but this one is by far the most active; run by Elise, owner of the The Deadite Slayer blog, and I do a fair bit of posting there of new material & projects in between site updates.
August 7, 2019 - Tony Elwood Interview & More
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Tony Elwood. Tony was credited for 'Special Props' for Evil Dead II; creating and modifying a number of well-known props at short notice & last minute including the Evil Deer Head, various Chainsaws, and even making the Freddy Glove and squirrel Possessed Ash Bites into. He's also worked on a long list of productions in various capacities since, including writing, producing & directing Road-Kill U.S.A. (1993) & Cold Storage (2009).
Two items have been added to The Evil Dead - In-Print page. The first is an upgraded scan of The Evil Dead - UK Palace Pictures Press Kit & Release 1983, which also adds in some new pages not previously available here. Also added, is The Evil Dead - German VCL VHS Promo Flyer - 1984, a scan kindly provided by French fan Anthony.
A further new page has been added to the Features section;The Evil Dead - Amiga Game Demo. The page details a early 1990's curio; a demo of a The Evil Dead game for the Commodore Amiga. The game seems to be an unofficial release by an unknown company called Possessed Productions, and as far as is known, this demo disc was as far as the game got, but little else is known about it. If you're able to add any further detail to this item, please get in touch.
One new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Video World Vol.5 No.4 - April 1983. The issue interviews Sam Raimi & Tom Sullivan while visiting the UK publicizing The Evil Dead in 1983. Huge thanks to UK fan Michael Witchy for kindly providing these scans.
May 25, 2019 - Various Upgrades & Additions
More of the website has been updated & upgraded, so clicking each image on a page will display a larger version in a 'Lightbox' window. This includes the whole of the The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II sections. Use the arrow icons or your keyboard's left/right arrows to navigate through the photos on each page. You can also middle-click an image to open the larger version in a new window. For the post part, DVD screenshots have been upgraded to Blu-Ray, and various higher quality images have been swapped out for older lower quality ones. Images will open to a maximum dimension of 1600px by 800px; ideally sized to fit on a 1080p screen. Images which are smaller than this, will be displayed at their original resolution. Between this and the previous update, nearly four-thousand images have been updated so far. Gradually, all the photos across the site will be similarly updated & upgraded as needed, although this is a longer term aim.
One new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; L'Ecran Fantastique #83 - August 1987. While entirely in French, it does have a number of nice photos including previously unseen photos of Sam Raimi promoting Evil Dead II.
Two newly released Evil Dead related books have been added into the Collectables section; Me Tragaré Tu Alma - La Historia De La Saga Evil Dead By Álvaro Ruiz de Gauna (Applehead Team - 2019), which is in Spanish, but it's has some really nice pictures, some of which from this website. The second is Evil Dead - Un Viaggio Nel Regno Del Male By Emanuele Crivello (Weird Book - 2019) which is in Italian, but is really comprehensive.
As well as a number of image upgrades mentioned above, two items have been added into the Evil Dead II Props page, While not strictly a 'prop', Ash's boots were identified by Mexican fan Beto Matali, so have been added here should any fans want to track down a pair for an Ash costume. Also a photo of a personally owned 1935 Westclox 'Big Ben' Style 4a alarm clock, as seen in the Workshed.
Detailed scale plans for the Cabin, Workshed and surrounding area have been added to the Evil Dead II - Locations page & Evil Dead II - Artwork page. They were drawn up by US fan David Bartrug back in 2010 while at the cabin location in Wadesboro, before the cabin collapsed, and workshed removed in Operation Uproot. Huge thanks to David for allowing their inclusion here.
Lastly, a video entitled The Evil Dead Book Of The Dead & Lost Pages (Replicas made by Jesper Mørch, Denmark - 2013) has been added into the The Evil Dead - Props page & Replica Book Of The Dead page. It's a guided look through Jesper's truly amazing prop replicas. This footage was personally shot for the 2015 documentary The Evil Dead - A Superfan's Odyssey, but was never used.
April 24, 2019 - Theresa Seyferth Interview & More Rare Additions!
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Theresa Seyferth. Theresa was credited in The Evil Dead as Sarah York, in the Super-8 Short Torro, Torro, Torro! as T. Tilly, and is now best known as Theresa Tilly. The Evil Dead was only her second professional acting job, and she only returned to screen acting in the late 1990s, but has appeared in a long list of TV & film productions since then.
The second addition is another really special early script; Evil Dead II A Scream Play; an early May 1985 second draft of the Evil Dead II script (the shooting script was the 1986 seventh draft). You can read it on the Evil Dead II - Production page, with a write-up on the differences from the finished film, along with a downloadable copy on the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. This script has never been publicly seen before, and very broadly has the same characters playing the same roles in a fairly similar plot, although there are some huge differences to the finished film. While it wasn't cheap, more huge thanks go to Scotty Spiegel.
Information has been added to the Super-8 Origins Releases & Bootlegs page & Within The Woods - Releases & Bootlegs page, regarding a previously unknown early 1990's British Super-8 Shorts PAL VHS tape, different to the widespread US Sam Raimi Shorts compilation VHS & DVD. This tape contains Clockwork & It's Murder, along with a much better quality copy of Six Months To Live, among other bits & pieces.
Along with the images on the above new interview, around a third of the website (so far) has been updated, so clicking each image on a page will display a larger version in a 'Lightbox' window. Use the arrow icons or your keyboard's left/right arrows to navigate to the next photos on the page. You can also middle-click an image to open the larger version in a new window. Gradually, all the photos across the site will be similarly updated & upgraded as needed, although this is a long term aim. So far completed, are the Super-8 Origins section, Within The Woods section, About Us section, along with the The Evil Dead - DVD page (which now includes a 4K section), Evil Dead II - DVD page, and the Army Of Darkness - DVD page.
Lastly, thanks to US fan Paige Barnes, a photo of the cabin's remaining chimney stack as of March 23, 2019, has been added to The Evil Dead - Locations page
March 13, 2019 - Even More Rare Additions!
Some more rare additions, the first is a new page within the Features section; a page devoted to The Evil Dead Companion book by Bill Warren, released by St. Martin's Griffin in 2001. It's arguably the best book devoted to the Evil Dead trilogy ever released. It's highly recommended reading, and formed the basis for the beginnings of this website. While this new page has a number of interesting pieces, the biggest addition is an early rough draft manuscript copy of the book. This was sent out to various people for their corrections, revisions & ideas. While it wasn't cheap, further huge thanks go to Scotty Spiegel. It runs at 175 pages, and is text-only, with no pictures. As detailed on the opening page, the film transcripts, Army Of Darkness chapters, and the end of the book are all incomplete. Even in this incomplete state, it's noted as still running between 12,000 and 15,000 words too long, so there is a significant amount of material here which was edited out of the finished book.
The second addition is a rare 1979 early Book Of the Dead script which you can read on the The Evil Dead - Production page, with a write-up on the differences from the finished film, along with a downloadable copy on the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and integrated into the Bart Pierce Interview page, where this version of the script was mentioned back in 2011. Huge thanks to Matthew Powell for kindly providing these scans. Matthew is the director of Evil Dead Uproot; an Evil Dead documentary still in production. If you want to lend your support, he has a GoFundMe page.
One scan has been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page; an Army Of Darkness - UK Guild VHS Poster - 1993, which would have have been put up in UK video stores to promote the films' release.
Finally, it's worth adding that getting scans of rare material such as this, the regular buying & scanning of magazines, and even hosting this site is not a cheap endeavour. If you enjoy reading this site and regularly checking out the latest updates, please consider supporting this site with a Paypal donation via the button above. You can make a one-off donation, or a recurring monthly donation.
March 10, 2019 - Two Further Big Additions
Two really great additions for this update. To start, You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Betsy Baker. Primarily a stage actor & singer, Betsy played Linda in The Evil Dead (as well as one other role in a 1981 TV movie called Word of Honor), and only came back to screen acting around 2006, but has appeared in a long list of TV & film productions since then. This is this site's first interview with any of 'The Ladies Of The Evil Dead', so huge thanks for Betsy for taking the time to do this.
The second addition is something truly special; The Evil Dead - The Army Of Darkness; an early 1985 first draft of the Evil Dead II script (the shooting script was the 1986 seventh draft). You can read it on the Evil Dead II - Production page, with a write-up on the differences from the finished film, along with a downloadable copy on the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. This script has never been publicly seen before, and very broadly has the same characters playing the same roles in a fairly similar plot, although there are some huge differences to the finished film. While it wasn't cheap, huge thanks go to Scotty Spiegel.
March 6, 2019 - A Huge Site Update
Thanks to a heads up and help from French fan Anthony a huge new resource had been added to the site; an Evil Dead Trilogy US & UK Newspapers Archive (1976-2008). Find it on the Super-8 Origins - In-Print page, The Evil Dead - In-Print page, the Evil Dead II - In-Print page, and the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page. This is a PDF containing 398 pages of Evil Dead Trilogy related material ranging from 1976 up to 2008. The majority of material is clustered around the trilogy's three release dates, and a fair bit is advertising & short reviews, but there's some very interesting full articles in there too. The archives cover US & UK Newspapers The Detroit Free Press, The Lansing State Journal, The Tennessean, The New York Daily News, and The UK Guardian among many others.
Asides the retrospectives on Renaissance Pictures and individual interviews with the cast & crew, you have many more disparate articles. There are pre-The Evil Dead reviews of Betsy Baker's stage acting, a upcoming Within The Woods 1979 screening announcement, interviews with Ron 'The Ghoul' Sweed, a few 1981 'sneak preview' Book Of The Dead screening adverts, information on The Evil Dead at Cannes 1982, articles on The Evil Dead's censorship issues in the UK, Ellen Sandwiess becoming the General Manager of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra in 1982, and much more!
Five new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Films & Filming #339 - December 1982, L'Ecran Fantastique #79 - April 1987, Nexus #2 - June~July 1987, The Face #86 - June 1987, and Video Viewer Vol.2 No.9 - March 1983. Also one scan has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page; an Evil Dead II - French Double Sided Synopsis Card (1987), thanks again to French fan Anthony.
Twelve new or upgraded images have been added across the site. On The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 099, 126, & 158. On the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 047, 255, 424, & 679. Finally on the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; numbers 224, 404, 783, 795, & 796. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
A list of new items have been added to the Collectables page; Evil Dead II VHS tapes; French - FOX Video (1991) (Catalogue Number: 528015), and Spanish - Dister Group (1989) (Catalogue Number: 22151876). Army Of Darkness VHS tapes; Finish - Finnkino (1992) (Catalogue Number: T-98352), and Swedish - SF (1992) (Catalogue Number: None). Props & Replicas; Clapperboard (Evil Dead II), & Books Of The Dead Unofficial Replica - Full Replica (Greg Nicotero). Games Advertisment; Evil Dead C64 UK Quad Poster (1984). Movie Press Advertisements; Book Of The Dead Sneak Preview Newspaper Ad (1981), two The Evil Dead US Variety Trade Ad Prototypes (1983), two The Evil Dead US Variety Films Around The World Ads (1983), Evil Dead II US Ad Trade Ad Prototype (By Jeff Ginyard, 1984), The Evil Dead US Magazine Ad Anchor Bay Best Buy DVDs (2002), The Evil Dead US Magazine Ad Anchor Bay DVDs (2003), & The Evil Dead US Magazine Ad Sunrise Records DVDs (2005). Lastly Misc Items; Evil Dead II Script The Army Of Darkness First Draft (1985), Evil Dead II Script 7th Draft Screenplay (May 5, 1986), Evil Dead II Promotional Mini Coffin (1987), and an Army Of Darkness Mini Spanish Standee.
Lastly thanks to some further research by Jerry Prager, and his friend Leah Leslie, the title of the song under the section entitled 'Shelly & Scott's Singing' on the The Evil Dead - Score page, has been corrected to Word Back Here.
February 15, 2019 - More Additions & Updates
One new entry has been added to Reader's Tales in the Features section, entitled Sam Raimi & The Fixed Competition, submitted by UK reader David. Within that story he mentions a competition prize of a Walkman, customised with Evil Dead artwork. While this specific Walkman was ultimately lost over the years, if anyone else remembers this item or even still has it, please get in touch!
Secondly, two new scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Screen International #430 - February 4, 1984, which covers a legal obscenity ruling against The Evil Dead in the UK courts, along with political coverage of the UK VRA (Video Recordings Act), known then as the Graham Bright Bill. Also Video Week - August 10, 1987, a British trade publication with a large fold-out Evil Dead II poster, review, and further coverage of the VRA.
Finally, in one of this site's non-Evil-Dead inclusions, eighteen scans have been added to the Dizzy
page in the Features section; ZX Spectrum covers & tapes for Fast Food Dizzy (1989), Kwik Snax Dizzy (1990),
Dizzy Panic (1990), Bubble Dizzy (1990), Spellbound Dizzy (1991), and Dizzy Down The Rapids (1991)
January 15, 2019 - A Few Little Updates
Firstly, one correction on the The Evil Dead - Score page, under the section entitled 'Shelly & Scott's Singing'. Prior to this update, the song which Scotty & Shelly sing on their way to the cabin was listed as an "old 'Baby Moses And The Thrillers' song", as per the original shooting script, but this isn't the case. The song was actually called Word Back Here; originally written years before in 1972 by Bruce Reynolds, about his long-time friend Jerry Prager. Jerry in turn, later taught it to Sam Raimi during a canoe trip he guided with Sam as his assistant while they were both at Camp Tamakwa. Sam later used this song in The Evil Dead without the knowledge or permission of Bruce or Jerry. It was only in 2019, nearly forty years later, that Bruce and Jerry discovered this and got in contact with this site. You can read more, and see the song's lyrics in full on The Evil Dead - Score page.
Finally, one new scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Eerie Magazine No.4 - July 1966. While not specifically Evil Dead related, this is a curious entry non-the-less. In a review of The Evil Dead across pages 146-147 of British book See No Evil: Banned Films and Video Controversy Paperback (2000) by David Kerekes & David Slater, the writer mentions a US horror comic strip magazine released in July 1966 called Eerie, as a possible influential source of the film. A number of the basic tenants bear a striking resemblance, The first comic strip story entitled House Of Evil, tells the story of a man who goes to a creepy house in search of his brother. He finds the house abandoned, but discovers a tape recorder with his brother's voice, detailing the house's history, replete with devil worship and demons. The recording summons a zombie creature which attacks him. The following strip; Hatchet Man, tells the story of a maniac, dismembering his victims with a hatchet. In a later strip titled Undying Love!, a man decapitates his lover and she returns from the dead; her severed head talking to him while her body wanders around. Also included is a double page of 8mm movie & soundtrack record adverts, one of which is called Themes From Horror Movies. It includes the theme from The Horror Of Dracula, featured in the soundtrack of the Super-8 shorts It's Murder & Stryker's War, which also uses the theme from The Incredible Shrinking Man, and The Deadly Mantis used in Within The Woods, all among others. While everything here may be entirely coincidental, Sam Raimi would have been nearly seven on the magazine's release, so it's certainly possible.
November 30, 2018 - Tim Philo Interview, Competition Winner & Further Updates
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Tim Philo. As well as working on The
Evil Dead & Evil Dead II, Tim worked on a number of the later Super-8 Shorts, including The Blind Waiter, Torro, Torro, Torro!, Cleveland Smith, Bounty Hunter & Stryker's War, as both a
cameraman and Cinematographer/Director of Photography. Huge thanks to Italian Evil Dead fan Emanuele Crivello for his help in making this interview happen.
The ninth anniversary BookOfTheDead.ws competition is now closed, and the winner is Thomas Bicknell from Virginia USA, you can see his entry below. The competition was to take an Evil Dead themed photo.
It could be anything from a Halloween costume, a spooky cabin in some nearby woods, something you've made, a convention/signing, or something more creative. It just needed to be a photo of something physical. The prize was pretty
special. Created to inspire the same feeling to the winner, that I had twenty years ago when I got my first Uncut bootleg VHS copy of The Evil Dead; a six disc DVD box-set, in a one-off custom made vintage VHS style package.
Check out the Archived Competitions' page for more information and to see all the other entries.
November 2018 - An Evil Dead Themed Photo winner Thomas Bicknell from Virginia USA's entry
Finally, two upgraded scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Cold Sweat #1 - 1988 and Cold
Sweat #2 - 1988. Also, Downloadable plans & photos for a printable framed layered cut-out Dizzy display have been added to the Dizzy page
October 18, 2018 - Anniversary Competition & Further Updates
You can now head over to the Competition page to enter a competition to celebrate the ninth anniversary of BookOfTheDead.ws (coming up on the 31st of
October). To enter all you have to do is take an Evil Dead themed photo. This can be anything from a halloween costume, a spooky cabin in some nearby woods, something you've made, a convention/signing, or something more creative.
It just needs to be a photo of something physical. Only one entry per person allowed, so make it count. You can enter from anywhere in the world, and the closing date is November 30th 2018. The winner will be judged & announced
shortly after that. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
The prize you can win is pretty special. Created to inspire the same feeling to the winner, that I had twenty years ago when I got my first Uncut bootleg VHS copy of The Evil Dead, I've created a six
disc DVD box-set, in a one-off custom made vintage VHS style package. See the Competition page for more information.
In other updates, details of a September 2018 project to personally transfer rare Elite Entertainment material owned by UK fan Michael Witchy is detailed on the The Evil Dead - Deleted Scenes page. That includes eight BetaCam SP tapes containing raw footage from The Evil Dead, and one Digital Betacam tape containing the
master transfer of the 1998 Elite The Evil Dead laserdisc.
Two new pages within the Features section have been added. They're both more nostalgia projects, rather than anything specifically related to Evil Dead. The Fighting Fantasy page, details the series of fifty-nine gamebooks released by Puffin books from 1982 to 1995, created by Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone. The Dizzy page is devoted to a series of primarily platform based adventure computer games released by UK company Codemasters for systems like the Spectrum, Amstrad & Amiga, from the late 80s into
the 90s.
Finally, two new scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Starfix #50 - July 1987 and Mad Movies
#41 - May 1986, both cover Evil Dead II, and both are in French.
September 2, 2018 - Various Scans & Additions
Apologies for the lack of recent updates, other Evil Dead related, along with unrelated projects have taken up a lot of personal spare time recently. One project has taken
much of the past month; filming on a Slow-Motion Showreel for my full time job of making Breakaway Stunt/sugar
glass here in the UK. Another as-yet unannounced project involving UK fan Michael Witchy is also in the works.
To site updates. Extensive photos of a fantastic third cabin model have been added to the Cabin Miniature Scale Models page. Made in 2018 by Italian fan Fabrizio, the model has been detailed inside & out, and lights up too.
A two new scans have been added to the site, a magazine scan to the Magazines page in the Features section; Film Review - June 1987, one scan to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page; an
Army Of Darkness - UK Press Kit - 1992 (scan thanks to French fan Anthony).
Lastly, nine new & updated items have been added into the Collectables page. The Evil Dead VHS tapes; Danish - Jaguar Film
(Unknown) (Catalogue Number: 7511), French - Hollywood Video (1983) (Catalogue Number: Unknown), German - VCL Video (1984) (Catalogue Number: 29040), US - HBO Video (Unknown) (Catalogue Number:
TVB 1979). Evil Dead II VHS tape; Japanese - Cine Cube (198?) (Catalogue Number: CPBV-0039). Army Of Darkness VHS tapes; Australian - Fox Video (1993) (Catalogue Number: 5907),
German - EuroVideo (Unknown) (Catalogue Number: 15147), Japanese - Towa Video (1993) (Catalogue Number: PCVT30158). Huge thanks to French fan Anthony for those eight scans. Finally,
Super8Shorts.com Official Super-8 Shorts DVD3 (2018) to the Super-8 Shorts Official DVDs section.
July 15, 2018 - Interview & Scanned Additions
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with John Bruce Jones for BookOfTheDead.ws by Danish fan Jesper Mørch. John played the afro'd waiter in Torro, Torro, Torro!, one of the natives in Cleveland Smith, Bounty Hunter, as well as helping out on a number of other Super-8 Short productions, along with features The Evil Dead, Crimewave, Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except! and Evil Dead II.
Lastly, two new scans have been added to the site, one new magazine scan to the Magazines page in the Features section; UK publication Melody Maker Vol.59 Issue 6 - February 5, 1983. While more of a music magazine, it has an interesting full page article written while Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert & Tom Sullivan were in the UK publicizing The Evil Dead, and on the Japanese Item Scans page; a Crimewave/XYZ Murders - Japanese Large Foldover Promo Flyer.
June 24, 2018 - Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm Trailer Update
Below you can watch the third and (probably) final edit of the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm trailer. Just to fill in newcomers, the original project was conceived as an Evil Dead inspired fanmade short film in February 2016. It was to be a re-writing/re-telling of the 'The Evil Dead', recycling some of the back-story & myth, plot points, and featured props. It was to be more of a scary ghost story like the first film, as opposed to the action/adventure of the second & third films, and wouldn't feature any of the existing main characters from the trilogy in the body of my short film.
As a short filmmaker, it was to be made simply for the love of film-making. Over three months, the opening credit sequence to lead into the short was paid-for & shot out of my own pocket, to use as a 'trailer' to raise the £2000/$2700 funding to make the full short film via the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. The Indiegogo campaign ran from April to June 2016, but less than a quarter of that financial goal was raised. By September, and after much thought, I came to the conclusion that the best avenue was to refund the money to the backers, and the project was put on hold. In January 2017 I decided to take the project partially forward out of my own pocket. I created a new second trailer by filming specially selected shots from the full fanfilm's storyboards. That allowed the project to move forward, and give some purpose to the number of props & set-pieces which had already been created solely for this fanfilm. That trailer was released online and the project was put to rest once again.
From January to May 2018 I created a scale model of The Evil Dead's cabin & workshed, unrelated to this film project. A few people suggested I could film it as a miniature and edit that into my previous fanfilm footage to add exterior shots of the cabin, which would increase the scope & production-values. I tried a number of shoots over a few weeks; daylight, night, indoors, outdoors, lighting colour combinations, smoke/mist, wind, and eventually I got a few brief shots I felt looked convincing enough to roughly pass as the full size cabin. I edited a third final trailer recycling the editing structure & musical progression of the original credits sequence, cherry-picking the best footage from both the first and second trailers with the new miniature shots, to create one (probably) final trailer.
As it's edited, you have the discovery of the Book Of The Dead, Professor Knowby's translation and the possession of his wife, being tormented in the cellar & killing his wife, the arrival of a new group at the cabin and their investigating the cellar, snippets of what befalls them, and finally the burning of the Book. Throughout this two-year project, all the props & sets were bought/made myself (with the exception of the Books & loose pages, made by Danish fan Jesper Mørch), and the lighting/sound/filming/editing done with my own equipment myself, with help from friend John Mitchison, along with a few unwilling 'actors' roped in for certain shots. This is my third recent short film project. You can see my previous 2015 short film projects on the Personal Short Films page.
The 2018 final trailer is currently as far as this project has progressed. I may eventually try to make a second attempt to raise adequate funding to shoot the whole thing, or just leave the trailer as a stand alone fanfilm trailer in it's own right. Either way, I won't be rushing into anything for the moment. For more information & extensive making-of photos, please see the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm page. Should you wish to, you can get in touch via email at;
.
June 9, 2018 - Super8Shorts.com DVD3 Release & Additions
Super8Shorts.com is proud to present our third official DVD presentation; a 2-Disc DVD Box-Set. It contains eleven further shorts directed or co-directed by Josh Becker, along three of Josh's 2013/14 SpineChillers shorts, and two of his feature film trailers. The vintage shorts play in chronological order, and run at 179m 58s alone, but 221m 35s including the SpineChillers shorts & trailers. This release does not come with a commentary track. The titles, dates & running times are as follows;
1. Public Enemy Revisited (1971) - 7m 47s
2. Additional Footage (1971) - 1m 59s
3. Oedipus Rex (1972) - 6m 20s
4. Super Student (1972) - 8m 52s
5. The Case of the Topanga Pearl (1976) - 5m 59s
6. The Final Round (1977) - 26m 15s
7. Acting & Reacting (1978) - 21m 47s
8. Holding It (1978) - 19m 15s
9. The Blind Waiter (1980) - 17m 29s
10. Stryker's War (1980) - 48m 15s
11. Torro, Torro, Torro! (1981) - 6m 46s
12. Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter (1982) - 9m 08s
13. Sorry I Couldn't Make It... (2013) - 15m 04s
14. Are You On Your Way? (2013) - 8m 43s
15. Estate Sale (2014) - 13m 43s
16. Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except Trailer (1985) - 2m 09s
17. If I Had a Hammer Trailer (1999) - 2m 34s
Josh had these Super-8 shorts professionally transferred & remastered to DVD at CinePost in Marietta, Georgia (with the exception of Torro, Torro, Torro!, which is from a VHS source). It's worth noting that the vintage content available on this release is identical to the five DVDs which Josh sold through his website BeckerFilms.com, between 2010 - 2016. The DVD authoring has been tweaked, menus added, and given proper packaging, but the actual transfers are the same. Further, the Torro, Torro, Torro! & Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter transfers here are the original full edits, unlike the shorter versions on DVD2, and the transfer of Stryker's War has it's original musical score, unlike the version included on the 2012 Synapse Films Blu-ray & DVD Combo release of Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except.
You can place your order via the newly updated Super8Shorts.com, where you'll also find more information on this release. As we're still in the duplicating phase, we expect the first batch of deliveries to be sent out in 1-2 weeks.
The audio player coding across a number of pages has been upgraded to HTML5, to give it better compatibility. It 'should' now work across most modern browsers. this includes the Super-8 Origins - Scores page, Within The Woods - Score page, The Evil Dead - Score page, and the Evil Dead II Score page. Please note; We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to allow fans to listen to material they can't officially buy. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their audio was not included here, please send over an email, and it'll be immediately removed.
Lastly, the older news & update entries stretching back to the site's opening on October 31, 2009, have now been moved over to the Archived News & Updates page. As each year passes, the previous years' news & updates will be moved there to keep this main page from getting too large and reduce loading times.
May 26, 2018 - Within The Woods & Cabin Scale Model Additions
Two projects long in progress, have finally been completed. Firstly, borrowing & re-transferring Demonovation's Super-8 Shorts VHS tapes, along with borrowing DeusExMachina's Super-8 Shorts VHS tapes for the first time, and transferring those too. It is from DeusExMachina's source VHS tape that my current best quality versions of Within The Woods, Torro, Torro, Torro! & Book of the Dead Trailer have been transferred. Both the Super-8 Origins Releases & Bootlegs page & Within The Woods - Releases & Bootlegs page, have been re-worked to add in information on these new transfers, and all the screenshots on both the Within The Woods - Synopsis page & Within The Woods - Stills page page have been updated and are now taken from DeusExMachina's transfer. Huge thanks to both Demonovation and DeusExMachina for loaning out their original source tapes, it's hugely appreciated!
These VHS tapes were digitised to DVD using my most recent and best capture equipment which was assembled at some personal expense; a US NTSC JVC HR-S9500U S-VHS VCR (powered by a Goldsource ST-1500 1500w 240v/110v voltage converter), through a DataVideo TBC-1000 Time Base Corrector using S-Video cables, to a PC with a Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro PCIe Capture Card. Adobe Premiere & Encore were used to create the final DVDs. This rig allows capture of both NTSC & PAL S-VHS/VHS tapes (PAL via a UK JVC HR-S7600 S-VHS VCR), and has transferred NTSC & PAL BetaCam, BetaCam SP & Digibeta tapes in the past (matching players & TBC/Genlock units were borrowed through a friend). If anyone else out there has any rare Evil Dead related material which they'd be prepared to loan out for digital transfer, please get it touch via email;
Lastly, a personally made 1:25 scale model of The Evil Dead's cabin & workshed area, inspired by the excellent Evil Dead II cabin model constructed by Italian fan Antonio Pepe (added to the site a few months back), has been integrated into the pre-existing Evil Dead Cabin Miniature Scale Models page in the Features section. There, in addition to Antonio's project, you'll find a detailed write-up of this new project, with extensive progress and completed model photos. The project took fourteen weeks from start to finish, working a few hours most evenings after work. It's still some way off Antonio's standard, was tricker to make, and took much longer than originally anticipated, but the result is still a pretty decent model. Just to add; I won't be making any duplicate models for sale, so don't ask!
May 15, 2018 - Magazine, Photo & Collectables Additions
Further apologies for the lack of recent updates, again primarily due to two related Evil Dead projects which have been eating up much of my spare time; a personal re-transfer of Demonovation's Super-8 Shorts VHS tapes, along with borrowing DeusExMachina's VHS tapes for the first time, and transferring those too. Also a 1:25 scale model of The Evil Dead's cabin, inspired by the excellent Evil Dead II Cabin Miniature Scale Model constructed by Italian Evil Dead fan Antonio Pepe. Expect them both to be added to the site in the next few weeks as they're completed.
Firstly, one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Starfix No.41 - October 1986. While it's a French language publication, it does have a number of previously unseen photos, and is well worth a look. Further, one new scan has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page; The Evil Dead UK Palace Pictures Video Store DPP Letter - 1985. Although the quality isn't great, this will hopefully be upgraded soon (scan thanks to Paul).
Fifty new & upgraded photos have been added across the site. twenty-two various photos to the Super-8 Origins - Photos & Artwork page. Three to The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 313, 315, & 335. Finally twenty-five to the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 074, 096, 097, 098, 099, 112, 124, 144, 145, 174, 180, 184, 187, 191, 192, 461, 463, 472, 478, 490, 633, 639, 644, 645, & 646 (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
Lastly, ten new & updated items have been added into the Collectables page. These include Army Of Darkness DVDs; Australian - R4 MGM Home Ent. (2011) & US - R1 Universal (2009), along with the Australian Universal (2009) Blu-Ray, all the 'Screwhead' Editions (scans thanks to Anthony/Nailwraps), Army Of Darkness Laserdiscs; French Studio Canal (1994) & US - MCA/Universal Home Video (1993) (scans thanks to Elise Holmes), three Movie Press Advertisements; The Evil Dead Australian Exhibitor's Press Sheet (1983), The Evil Dead UK Palace Pics Video Store Letter (1985), The Evil Dead Chirashi Japanese Flyer Alt (1985), lastly, two Misc Items; The Evil Dead Promotional Shot Glass & Army Of Darkness Japanese Cinema Ticket Alt (scan thanks to Scott Sleeper).
March 22, 2018 - Collectables Additions & Locations Footage Blu-Ray
Firstly, apologies for the lack of recent updates. This is primarily due to two related Evil Dead projects which have been eating up much of my spare time. The first is a personal re-transfer of Demonovation's Super-8 Shorts VHS tapes, along with borrowing DeusExMachina's VHS tapes for the first time, and transferring those too. I wanted to make a better job of the transfer than I did with Demonovation's tapes in 2009, so I bought an upgraded pro capture card. That card also requires a Time Base Corrector/TBC unit which I've sourced, then as they're NTSC tapes, they require a fully NTSC American VCR with an S-Video output to get the best from them, which also needs a US to UK Voltage Converter. The American VCR is the last item I need, and is currently on its way from the US. From tests already done, DeusExMachina's version of Within The Woods is better quality than any version I currently own.
The second Evil Dead project is a 1:25 scale model of The Evil Dead's cabin, inspired by the excellent Evil Dead II Cabin Miniature Scale Model constructed by Italian Evil Dead fan Antonio Pepe. It's taken a month so far, and will probably take one more before it's done. Expect that to be added to the site in the near future.
To site updates, one new entry has been added into the Fan Collections page; the huge collection of Peter Eherer from Germany. Thanks to him for taking the time to do this, and allowing his collections to be added.
Two new and one upgraded scan has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. Firstly a scan of an incredibly rare single sheet synopsis for Book Of The Dead written by Sam Raimi in 1979. Huge thanks for Daniel Culligan's assistance in getting this. Also, there is an upgraded scan of the The Evil Dead - Cannes French Program - 1983, as well as a new scan; The Evil Dead - Cannes French Program - 1982. While the two inside pages are identical on both, the front & back covers are slightly different. Lastly, two scanned items have been removed at the request of Tom Sullivan, they are The Evil Dead script cover artwork (the remainder of the script is still online) & The Evil Dead R1 US Anchor Bay Book Of The Dead DVD artwork scans, both from the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, The Evil Dead - Synopsis page and The Evil Dead - Production page. Tom still sells copies of both at conventions.
A new page has been added; Evil Dead Cabin Miniature Scale Model page in the Features section. This page details a 2017 project by 33 year-old Italian Evil Dead fan Antonio Pepe to construct a 1/28 scale model of the Evil Dead II cabin. The finished item is truly astounding, and well worth it's own BookOfTheDead.ws page. Antonio can be reached directly though his Facebook page; Scare To Scale Miniatures.
Thanks to contact from a relative of the former owners, a small correction has been made to the Within The Woods - Production page, Within The Woods - Locations page, The Evil Dead - Production page, and The Evil Dead - Locations page. It's widely written that Within The Woods along with sections of The Evil Dead were shot at a farmhouse owned by the Tapert family in Marshall, MI. This is not quite the case. The farmhouse was actually owned by friends of the Tapert family. They apparently still get periodical checks to this day for allowing the filming there.
January 21, 2018 - Collectables Updates & Additions
Some additions & updates have been made across the Collectables section. A new page; The Rarest Collectables page has been added. This page details a number of exceptionally rare items that serious Evil Dead collectors might want to track down for their collections. It does not cover more general collectables such as DVDs, Blu-Rays, soundtracks, books, toys, fanmade items and such, or completely one-off, screen used or custom made items. Just items which would have been numerous enough at the time, and might pop up on eBay every few years you might want to watch out for.
Two new entries have been added into the Fan Collections page; the collections of Elise Holmes's (webmaster of the TheDeaditeSlayer.com blog), and avid Evil Dead collector Dennis Carter Jnr. Huge thanks to both for taking the time to do this, and allowing their collections to be added.
Two updated photos have been added towards the bottom of the Webmaster's Collection page; photos which show an overview of my personal Evil Dead display corner, both in daylight, and lit up at night.
Lastly, you might spot some little formatting tweaks here across the site, depending on the browser you use. This site was always designed for display through Firefox, but that has increasingly lead to some little formatting quirks when it was viewed through other browsers. Unhelpfully, every browser displays things very slightly differently. With this site, it's nothing major, just spacing differences mainly. After some work, the website should now look virtually identical, and as it was designed, in Firefox 57, Chrome 63, Opera 49, Internet Explorer 11 & Edge. That's with the exception of the music player plug-in, used on some of the Score pages. This only works in Firefox & Internet Explorer. The JWPlayer plug-in used, has since become a paid product, so upgrading it and restoring functionality is a costly prospect. To keep it simple, the existing player has been left as it is, and a little zipped MP3 download link has been added underneath each player section for those who can't listen to the audio, on the following pages; Super-8 Origins - Scores page, Within The Woods - Score page, The Evil Dead - Score page, and the Evil Dead II Score page. Please note; We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to allow fans to listen to material they can't officially buy. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their audio was not included here, please send over an email, and it'll be immediately removed.
January 7, 2018 - Additions, Updates & Super8Shorts.com
Both the Super-8 Origins Releases & Bootlegs page & Within The Woods - Releases & Bootlegs page, have been re-worked, and much of the information updated, corrected and added-to. The section covering the original 'Sam Raimi Super-8 Shorts' VHS tape has been greatly expanded, with corrections & edits across the remainder of both pages too. Huge thanks to DeusExMachina, Demonovation, Sean King, and Andrew Benjamin for their time in answering questions.
Four new Japanese item scans have been added to the site. On the Magazines page in the Features section; a 70s & 80s Horror Movie Japanese Language Guide - August 2017, & Starlog Magazine #77 - March 1985, and on the Japanese Item Scans page; a Creepshow - Japanese Large Foldover Promo Flyer & Dawn Of The Dead (Version 4) - Japanese 'Chirashi' Promo Flyer.
One new video has been added to the Evil Dead II - Deleted Scenes page; the full 72m of Vern Hyde's Behind The Scenes Camcorder Footage in 480p. Not to be confused with Greg's footage, this behind the scenes camcorder raw footage seems to be taken from tapes shot by Vern Hyde and his effects crew, which leans towards more general on set footage, rather than special effects.
All the related weblinks in the links section have been checked, the fair number of broken ones removed, and a few new ones added in. The short list of Evil Dead trilogy websites & fansites is now unfortunately, even shorter. LadiesOfTheDead.com is gone, as is DarkAgeProductions.com too. It seems like Facebook pages & groups have replaced many of the Evil Dead websites, especially when you compare my links section, with the links page in Morsoth's Evil Dead Collection website, archived back in 2002.
Lastly, some updates to Super8Shorts.com. The text at the bottom of the site has been edited to reflect that while the site will remain online permanently, it's unlikely that any further shorts will be released there in the immediate short term. That may hopefully change down the line, but for the moment, it will stop at the two DVD sets currently available. The twenty-two titles released so far are the bulk of the titles owned/co-owned by Bill Ward & Scotty Spiegel. Releasing further shorts is down to the remaining members of the group. Another Fourteen belong to Josh Becker (of which ten have already been released through his website), around eight further unreleased shorts are owned/co-owned by Bruce, Twenty owned/co-owned by Sam, and one by John Cameron. Still, that's more than half the shorts now available on legal retail DVDs. Further, 'Deluxe' signed DVD1 box-sets have sold out, so only 'Standard' DVD1 sets are available from now on. Super8Shorts.com also has both a Facebook, and a Twitter page, to help spread the word. If you haven't placed your order yet, you can follow the link below. Don't forget, all the profits go directly to the Super-8 Shorts creators.
December 30, 2017 - Various Additions & Super8Shorts.com
Firstly, one updated video has been added to the Evil Dead II - Deleted Scenes page; a marginally upgraded Evil Dead II Workprint Differences Compilation Sequence in 480p. Further, all the Evil Dead locations footage in 1080p has been switched from private to public, so they can be searched for and commented on through YouTube directly. Searchable tags, descriptive text, and links back to this site have been added to each one. Hopefully this will increase traffic to the site, and bring in new fans.
Some up-to-date information has been added on Evil Dead II's workshed preservation project by Mike Pasquale (owner of EvilDeadWorkshed.com). The update details the completion of the project, touring, and most recently the sale of the workshed on Ebay.com. You can read more on the Evil Dead II - Locations page.
Information on four more props have been added to the Evil Dead II - Props page. This includes the pipe wrench, electric drill & electric fan, all seen on the workshed bench, and the clock on the workshed shelf. The clock has been identified thanks to both Tom Fenton & Dominic Hurley.
One new scan has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page; The Evil Dead - Don Campbell's Hospital Insurance Form from 1980. The quality isn't great, but it's readable all the same. Another fanmade Book Of The Dead replica has been added to the Collectables page, made by Payton Petrone, and corrected information has been added for the source of the Evil Dead II - French Trailer on the Webmaster Video Material Collection page, thanks to French fan Jean.
Having been in contact with Bruce, there is some further news regarding Super8Shorts.com; it's unlikely the Shorts DVD project will be progressing any further for the foreseeable future. That may change down the line, but for the moment, it will stop at the two DVD sets currently available. Of the total sixty-four known Super-8 Shorts, the twenty-two titles released so far through Super8Shorts.com, are the bulk of the titles owned/co-owned by Bill Ward & Scotty Spiegel. Another Fourteen belong to Josh Becker (of which ten have already been released through his website), around eight further unreleased shorts are owned/co-owned by Bruce, Twenty owned/co-owned by Sam, and one by John Cameron. Still, that's more than half the shorts now available on legal retail DVDs, certainly come a long way in just the last seven years.
Lastly, Super8Shorts.com have now sold out of 'Deluxe' signed DVD1 box-sets. Only 'Standard' DVD1 sets are available from now on. Super8Shorts.com also has both a Facebook, and a Twitter page, to help spread the word. If you haven't placed your order yet, you can follow the link below. Don't forget, all the profits go directly to the Super-8 Shorts creators.
November 12, 2017 - Scans, Additions & Super8Shorts.com
One new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Cryptic Magazine #3 (Winter 2006), which features an interview with Tom Sullivan.
Finally, Super8Shorts.com only have three 'Deluxe' signed DVD1 box-sets left. Once they're gone, they'll be selling 'Standard' DVD1 sets only. Super8Shorts.com also now has both a Facebook, and a Twitter page, to help spread the word. If you haven't placed your order yet, you can follow the link below. Don't forget, all the profits go directly to the Super-8 Shorts creators.
November 2, 2017 - Eighth Anniversary & Super8Shorts.com Site Integration
BookOfTheDead.ws has just passed its eighth anniversary online. Topically, back in October 2009, there were just fourteen of the total sixty-four Super-8 Shorts out there to be found, and only four of those were available on official retail DVDs; Attack Of The Helping Hand!, Oedipus Rex, The Blind Waiter, & Torro, Torro, Torro!. The other ten could only be found as poor quality bootlegs; Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter, Clockwork, Holding It, It's Murder, Shemp Eats the Moon, Six Months To Live, Stryker's War, The Sappy Sap, William Shakespeare - The Movie, and of course Within The Woods. Today, that number is now up to thirty-eight shorts widely available, and thirty-one of those are official releases. Continually bringing new material to the Evil Dead community has been tricky at times, but the site has been getting bigger & better year on year. Thanks to everyone who has contributed in one way or another, and here's to another eight years of fanatic fandom!
In May 2017, the old MP4 JWplayer plug-in used across the site to play all the hosted video files was replaced with embedded youtube windows, as it seemed no longer to work in Windows 10. JWplayer was also used to stream audio files on a few pages, and it seems this too now no longer works in Windows 10. To keep it simple, the existing player has been left as it is, and a little zipped MP3 download link has been added underneath each player section for those who can't listen to the audio, on the following pages; Super-8 Origins - Scores page, Within The Woods - Score page, The Evil Dead - Score page, and the Evil Dead II Score page. Please note; We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to allow fans to listen to material they can't officially buy. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their audio was not included here, please send over an email, and it'll be immediately removed.
Lastly, all the DVD pre-orders placed through the Super8Shorts.com website, have been sent out. If you haven't placed your order yet, you can follow the link below. Don't forget, all the profits go directly to the Super-8 Shorts creators.
October 23, 2017 - Second Super8Shorts.com DVD Release
Super8Shorts.com is proud to present 'The Metropolitan Film Group Years - Scotty Spiegel's Shorts Part 2'; our second official DVD release; a 2-Disc DVD Box-Set. It contains eleven further shorts directed or co-directed by Scotty, along with some of Bruce Campbell's early TV commercials, intercut with vintage 60's, 70's & 80's intros, credits, trailers, adverts & promos picked by Scotty from his extensive VHS, 8, 16, & 35mm collection.
The list of 'featured' items play in chronological order, and run at 142m 29s alone, but 227m 28s including all the vintage adverts, trailers, promos and such. All the shorts have an optional commentary track by Scotty, as does some (but not all) of the additional material They play in chronological order. The titles, dates & running times are as follows;
1. Half-Wits-Holiday (1974) (10m 58s)
2. All The Worlds A Stooge (1974) (6m 01s)
3. No Dough Boys (1974) (11m 17s)
4. The Singing Nutzs (1974) (7m 45s)
5. I’ll Never Heil Again (1975) (19m 41s)
6. The James Hoffa Story (1975) (12m 52s)
7. James Bombed In 'Here Today... Gun Tomorrow' (1976) (17m 57s)
8. The Ghoul - Ch.62 Show Segments (1978-1979) (11m 29s)
9. Attack Of The Helping Hand! (1979) (4m 58s)
10. Compilation Of Shorts Clips (1974-1979) (6m 57s)
11. The Blind Waiter (1980) (15m 29s)
12. Torro, Torro, Torro! - Scotty's Edit (1981) (3m 28s)
13. Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter - The Producer's Cut (1982) (9m 09s)
14. WHYT Radio Bruce Campbell Snake Commercial (1984) (0m 29s)
15. WHYT Radio Bruce Campbell Puppies Commercial (1984) (0m 30s)
16. Breakdancing Stooges (1984) (2m 50s)
17. WNIC Naturally Funny Bruce Campbell Commercial (1985) (0m 31s)
You can place your order via the newly updated Super8Shorts.com website, where you'll also find more information on this release. As we're still in the duplicating phase, we expect the first batch of deliveries to be sent out in 1-2 weeks.
October 3, 2017 - Super8Shorts.com Follow-up DVD News
Apologies for the lack of updates of late, it's due to the following project; further news regarding Super8Shorts.com, a follow-up DVD should be on sale in the next month or two. You can read the press release below.
The Metropolitan Film Group Years - Scotty Spiegel's Shorts Part 2
This is our second Super8Shorts.com DVD presentation. For those who missed the first; while many have seen the iconic horror movie The Evil Dead, and its sequels Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness, fewer know is that its creators & friends had a legacy of Super-8 Short film making stretching all the way back to their childhood in the late '60s. It's Murder, Within The Woods and The Blind Waiter are among the most prominent examples, but there were nearly seventy shorts made from 1969 onwards.
This second DVD set contains eleven new shorts directed or co-directed by Scotty, along with some of Bruce Campbell's early TV commercials, intercut with vintage 60's, 70's & 80's intros, credits, idents, trailers, adverts & promos from Scotty's own extensive film collection. It's only available as a 'Standard' option, no signed 'Deluxe' version this time. Here is a complete list of everything you will get in the set;
Two dual layer DVDs containing the eleven shorts, each with an optional commentary track from Scotty, motion menus, and full color printed disc artwork.
A black standard DVD case with color glossy DVD sleeve.
An four page handmade vintage style booklet, with notes on each short from Scott.
A random selection of four, from a total of twelve 6" x 4" replica photos.
The list of 'featured' items included runs at 142m 29s, but around four hours including all the vintage adverts, trailers and such. They play in chronological order. The titles, dates & running times are as follows;
1. Half-Wits-Holiday (1974) (10m 58s)
2. All The Worlds A Stooge (1974) (6m 01s)
3. No Dough Boys (1974) (11m 17s)
4. The Singing Nutzs (1974) (7m 45s)
5. I’ll Never Heil Again (1975) (19m 41s)
6. The James Hoffa Story (1975) (12m 52s)
7. James Bombed In 'Here Today... Gun Tomorrow' (1976) (17m 57s)
8. The Ghoul - Ch.62 Show Segments (1978-1979) (11m 29s)
9. Attack Of The Helping Hand! (1979) (4m 58s)
10. Compilation Of Shorts Clips (1974-1979) (6m 57s)
11. The Blind Waiter (1980) (15m 29s)
12. Torro, Torro, Torro! - Scotty's Edit (1981) (3m 28s)
13. Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter - The Producer's Cut (1982) (9m 09s)
14. WHYT Radio Bruce Campbell Snake Commercial (1984) (0m 29s)
15. WHYT Radio Bruce Campbell Puppies Commercial (1984) (0m 30s)
16. Breakdancing Stooges (1984) (2m 50s)
17. WNIC Naturally Funny Bruce Campbell Commercial (1985) (0m 31s)
Most of the items above have not been publicly seen, although a couple have been officially released, and others as bootlegs. As fans will want to know specifics, the Attack Of The Helping Hand! transfer here is better quality than the German DVD bootleg, as is Torro, Torro, Torro!; which is also edited differently. Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter is a different edit to Josh Becker's official release, but The Blind Waiter is largely the same.
The shorts themselves are made up of both footage the group shot themselves, and stock footage they had access to, along with occasional Three Stooges dialog, stock music & sound effects. Scotty transferred many of the huge number of shorts from Super-8 film to S-VHS tape back in the 1990s, and later on to DVD, when he added/upgraded certain stock shots simply unavailable at the time. That aside, the content of the shorts themselves (including any music) remains untouched. This DVD is pretty much the experience you would have had on viewing these shorts when they were first shown back in the early '70s.
This DVD set is not available yet, and anything & everything above could be subject to change, but the set is not far off being completed and should be up for sale on Super8Shorts.com well in time for Christmas!
August 26, 2017 - Various Scanned Additions
One new scan has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page; The Evil Dead - UK Palace Pictures 'It's Back' A3 VHS Poster - 1985, which was created for display in UK video rental shops after the film had been found 'Not-Guilty' in a number of trials throughout 1984, up until it's removal from shelves once the VRA came into force in September 1985.
Fourteen new & updated items have been added into the Collectables page. These include scans kindly provided by Italian fan Emanuele Crivello; Evil Dead II UK That's Entertainment Records Tape (1987 - Catalogue Number: ZCTER-1142), The Evil Dead Companion by Bill Warren (US Cover) - St. Martin's Griffin (2001), Dead Leaves By Andrew David Barker - Boo Books (2015), Evil Dead The Musical - Samuel French (2007), & The Evil Dead US New Line Cinema Press Kit (1983), along with some additional VHS scans provided by French fan Anthony, and English Collector John Downing.
Lastly, thanks again to Italian fan Emanuele Crivello, a high quality scan of the General Motors 1973 Oldsmobile Catalogue has been added to the 'The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Ash's Car' sections of both the The Evil Dead - Props page & Evil Dead II - Props page.
August 1, 2017 - Super8Shorts.com DVD & Scanned Additions
Firstly, one great new item has been added to the The Evil Dead - Props page; The folded map Ash is looking during the car journey to the cabin. It was scanned at 600dpi, but given it was two sides at nearly 3ft x 2ft, even at 85% compression JPEG that still gave a huge PDF over 200mb in size, so it was reduced to 300dpi for download here. If anyone wants a copy of that full quality 600dpi scan, just get in touch. It was tracked down & identfied entirely thanks to the persistent research of Irish fan Conor Jennings.
Lastly, a total of nineteen magazines scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. The first two were scanned personally; L'Ecran Fantastique #30 - January 1983 is a French language title covering The Evil Dead with some previously unseen photos, and Video Business Vol.5 No26 - August 26, 1985 which is a UK title with articles covering The Evil Dead's court battles, palace interviews, and the upcoming VRA, along with some really nice one & two-page posters.
The remainder of the magazine additions are existing internet scans tracked down by UK fan Shaun. The quality does vary, but many are very rare titles. These first thirteen are mainstream titles; Deep Red Alert #1 - Fall 1991, HorrorHound #5 - Spring 2007, Monsters Attack! #4 - September 1990, Shadowland Magazine Vol 1 No 7 - Spring 2013, The Deep Red Horror Handbook - July 1989, Psychotronic Video #39 - 2003, Video Watchdog - No 02 - 1990, Video Watchdog - No 45 - 1998, Video Watchdog - No 46 - 1998, Video Watchdog - No 49 - 1999, Video Watchdog - No 67 - January 2001, Video Watchdog - No 89 - November 2002, Video Watchdog - Special Edition No 01 - 1994. The remaining five are much rarer fanzines; Blackest Heart #2 - 1993, Cold Sweat #1 - 1988, Cold Sweat #2 - 1988, Whiplash Smile #2 - Autumn 1987, Whiplash Smile #4 - 1988.
Most are fairly run of the mill articles, although Video Watchdog (not previously included as it was still in print, now no longer) No 46 has 34 pages of material, and is right up there with Cinefantastique - Vol.23 No.1 - August 1992 as one of the most detailed you can buy (most of the other Video Watchdogs' scanned here are worth a look too). The fanzine Whiplash Smile #2 - Autumn 1987, also has extensive & detailed coverage of the Video Nasty furore.
July 25, 2017 - Super8Shorts.com DVD Now Available
Further news regarding Super8Shorts.com. You can now place your order. As we're still in the duplicating phase, we expect the first batch of deliveries will take 3-4 weeks (possibly longer for signed items), then down to 1-2 weeks (depending on your location) once we get going.
July 5, 2017 - Super8Shorts.com Official DVD Release
Further news regarding Super8Shorts.com. Below you can watch a promo video for this DVD. All the footage is edited from the Super-8 shorts to be included, and it's voiced by Bill Ward.
Just to step back for those who don't know, as many of you will know, before The Evil Dead there were nearly seventy of Super-8 Short Films made from 1969 onwards. A DVD set is in the works containing eleven of the earliest shorts by Bill Ward & Scott Spiegel running at 68m 13s. The finalized list of shorts and running times is as follows;
01. Inspector Clutz Saves the Day (1969) - 9m 00s
02. Pies & Guys (1971) - 3m 22s
03. Corny Casanovas (1971) - 6m 08s
04. Piece of Mind (1973) - 6m 49s
05. For Crymin' Out Loud (1973) - 4m 31s
06. A Night in a Sanitarium (1973) - 10m 13s
07. Loose Loot (1973) - 4m 50s
08. Three Smart Saps (1973) - 7m 39s
09. Three Pests in a Mess (1974) - 7m 35s
10. Booby Bartenders (1974) - 4m 26s
11. Curse of the Werewolf Teaser (1974) - 3m 35s
While a small number have leaked out as bootlegs, and a handful released by Josh Becker, this will be the first time these specific earliest shorts have been seen. While the project is still being finalized, it's planned to come as a single DVD with a commentary track, in a DVD case with printed disc art, sleeve, a very special handmade booklet, and 6" x 4" photos which can be signed by either/both Bill Ward or Scott Spiegel. All of that is subject to change though. Each short has been transferred to DVD from S-VHS, and you can get a good idea of the quality in the promo video above. If this first DVD does well, follow-up DVD sets containing later shorts from other members of the film-making group are possible. If you'd place an order, please get in touch via the email address on the website below, and once the sets are ready to ship, you'll get a reply. These will only be available via this website, nowhere else.
June 28, 2017 - The Locations Of 'A Warning To The Curious'
While not Evil Dead Trilogy related, a personally shot video tour of the locations used in the British 1972 BBC TV drama A Warning To The Curious, has been added to the Personal Short Films page.
It's probably my favourite of the BBC Ghost Story For Christmas TV series and a handful of British readers might get a kick out of seeing the locations as they look today. Check out the Personal Short Films page for a full write up of the project.
June 19, 2017 - Super8Shorts.com Official DVD Release
Some very exciting news. As many of you will know, before The Evil Dead there were nearly seventy of Super-8 Short Films made from 1969 onwards. A DVD set is in the works containing around thirteen of the earliest shorts by Bill Ward & Scott Spiegel running around an hour. This list includes;
01. Inspector Klutz Saves the Day (1969)
02. Pies & Guys (1971)
03. Corny Casanovas (1971)
04. Piece of Mind (1973)
05. For Crymin' Out Loud (1973)
06. A Night in a Sanitarium (1973)
07. Horsin’ Around (1973)
08. Loose Loot (1973)
09. Three Smart Saps (1973)
10. Booby Bartenders (1974)
12. Three Pests in a Mess (1974)
13. Home Movie Hodge-Podge (1971-1974)
While a small number have leaked out as bootlegs, and a handful released by Josh Becker, this will be the first time these specific earliest shorts have been seen. While the project is still being finalized, it should come as a single DVD, in a case with printed disc art, sleeve and a booklet with photos and text from the people involved. There may also be commentary tracks available, and the price might be $30-40. All of that is subject to change though. Each short has been transferred to DVD from S-VHS, so this is not going to be like the grainy VHS bootleg shorts we're all used to. If this first DVD does well, follow-up DVD sets containing later shorts from other members of the film-making group are possible. It would be useful to get an idea of initial numbers, so if you'd place an order, please get in touch via Super8Shorts.com. These will only be available via this website, nowhere else.
June 17, 2017 - Forums
The site's Forums haven't quite looked themselves since the site moved to a new hosting package back in April. The latest version of PHPbb installed at the time, didn't have many styles available for it so it was left in the default bright blue style. A new and more fitting style has been been installed and the old top-banner added back in, so it now roughly looks the same as it did before. Also, the number of broken links, images & videos which have accumulated across the various threads over the years have been fixed, and the handful which couldn't be fixed, were removed. Registrations were closed for a long period when the forums were all but dead and the only people signing up seemed to be spammers, but that seems to have calmed down and new registrations are open again.
May 29, 2017 - New Site Videos & Various Additions
The nine YouTube locations footage videos across the The Evil Dead - Locations page & Evil Dead II Locations page, have all been upgraded to full HD 1080p; the original resolution in which they were shot. Further, the same footage on the Evil Dead Fan Trip Of A Lifetime page within the Features section has also been switched over to 1080p. In addition, you can also watch all 3h 49m 56s of the Evil Dead - A Location Odyssey Unedited Raw Footage there in 480p too.
The Evil Dead II Talent Show Raw Camcorder Footage running at 1h 5m 53s, has been added near the bottom of the Evil Dead II - Production page. In addition, a 7m 30s segment from a TV show called PM Magazine Detroit which covers The Evil Dead's 1983 US theatrical release, has been added to the The Evil Dead - Production page, and finally a rare 5m 54s Tom Sullivan TV interview from 1983 has been added into the The Evil Dead - Special Effects page. While all in 480p DVD resolution, they were personally transferred from VHS and aren't exactly Blu-Ray quality, but this the only way anyone out there will likely see them.
One new and one upgraded scan has been added into the The Evil Dead - In-Print page; The Evil Dead - Spanish Re-Release Lobby Cards - 2006 have been added, and two additional lobby card scans have been added into existing The Evil Dead - German Lobby Cards - 1983. Also, nineteen new photos have been added into Australian Fan Alex Lanco's collection, on the Fan Collections page.
The November 22 Thanksgiving photo taken at the Brock Family home, on the The Evil Dead - Production page has been upgraded. The original photo was taken by Chuck Hale, and was sent over courtesy of Ambria Collins at the Citizen Tribune in Morristown, TN. Thanks for Jesper Mørch for tracking this down.
44 new and updated items have been added to the Collectables page, taking the overall total of items covered up to 1251. This includes 35 new and upgraded VHS trilogy scans, so huge thanks to French fan Anthony for scanning & restoring those, plus three press-kit photos thanks to UK fan Shaun, Spanish lobby cards thanks to Jesper Mørch, and two replica item items created by Australian fan Harry Ewald.
While the Collectables page is extensive, it can never be 100% complete. If you have any photos/scans of new items you think should be listed, or photos/scans upgrades of already listed items, please get in touch via email;
May 25, 2017 - Site Videos' Moved To YouTube
The old MP4 JWplayer plug-in used across the site to play all the hosted video files, seems no longer to work in Windows 10. Rather than upgrading the plug-in, all seventy-five video files have now been uploaded onto YouTube in their original resolution. They're all DVD resolution at 480p, apart from four which are 1080p. This change adds functionality, means viewers can choose their own playback resolution, and should now future-proof the videos against Windows & browser upgrades.
Twelve of those seventy-five videos were picked up by YouTube's automated copyright infringement filter, so those twelve may play with a banner depending on your location. The videos are unlisted, are not searchable within YouTube, and each page's comments have been disabled. Please do not re-post them without permission, as either copyrights belong to their original copyright holders, and no ownership of rights is implied, or to BookOfTheDead.ws, specifically where noted.
There have been a fair list of little tweaks & updates to various parts of the site. To start, the Clock Sketch has been added into the The Evil Dead - Props page, some of the images in the Kandarian Dagger entry have been updated in the Evil Dead II - Props page, and the Mechanical Hand has been added into the Army Of Darkness - Props page
The The Evil Dead - Artwork page, Evil Dead II - Artwork page and Army Of Darkness - Artwork page have been updated. Some images have been added, some removed and some upgraded. Clicking each image will display a larger version in a 'Lightbox' window. Use the arrow icons or your keyboard's left/right arrows to navigate to the next photos. You can also middle-click an image to open the larger version in a new window as previously. This makes flicking through the images, much simpler.
Two sections on The Evil Dead - Censorship page have been updated. More information & links have been added to the 'Video Nasties Newspaper Story Scans (1980-1995)' section, with links to that project's page within the Features section, and information on a further six recommended-viewing censorship documentaries have been added into the 'Further information' section at the bottom.
The 'About Us' section has been expanded and split up. The former 'About Us' main page has been renamed to the About The Webmaster page, and a new About This Site page has been created, detailing the story of how & why this site came about, and how it's progressed over the years to become the huge Evil Dead Trilogy fansite it is today. The Personal Short Films page in that section, remains the same as it did before.
A page many may never had looked at; the Site Design & Content Credits page, has been updated. It's linked to at the very bottom left of every page. This site would be quite bare without people willing to make the effort and contribute their own material. Whether it's making the time for an interview, taking a photo or scanning things, it's all hugely appreciated. Hopefully everyone who's contributed over the years has been credited, but if you haven't, please get in touch.
238 new and updated items have been added to the Collectables page, taking the overall total of items covered up to 1233. The Lobby Cards & Magazines sections' have been entirely re-worked from scratch and are now far more comprehensive. The Toys, Solid Busts, Wearable Latex Masks, Solid Cast Statues & Model Kits have all been brought up to date, and there are further additions in the Various Replica Items, Press Kits, and Official Promotional Badges sections. Expect further updates over the coming weeks.
While the Collectables page is extensive, it can never be 100% complete. If you have any photos/scans of new items you think should be listed, or photos/scans upgrades of already listed items, please get in touch via email;
May 11, 2017 - Updated Collectables Section
The huge Collectables page has finally been updated. It had remained largely unchanged since it's creation back when the site opened in 2009. This was for a few reasons (due to the personal lack of HTML coding experience at the time) which made updating it a real headache. It's taken a week of solid work, but the page & images have now been re-compiled, largely from scratch, many new items scanned, and all sorted so they can much more simply updated from here on.
It looks more or less the same as it did before, with all the old entries, but there are a few new sections & sub-sections (including a Blu-Ray section), and there are around 200 new items listed, and a few hundred more of the old photos/images have been upgraded, making a new total of 1113 items. There are still a handful left to do, which will be updated as people do scans & take photos and send them over.
Further to this, clicking any of the images will display a larger version in a 'Lightbox' window. You can use the arrow icons or your keyboard's left/right arrows to navigate to the next photos. You can also middle-click an image to open the larger version in a new window. larger images will display at 1000 by 1000px, anything originally smaller than that will display at it's original resolution. If you want a full-resolution version of any of images, or more information on anything featured, then please ask.
While the Collectables page is extensive, it can never be 100% complete. If you have any photos/scans of new items you think should be listed, or photos/scans upgrades of already listed items, please get in touch via email;
May 1, 2017 - Fan Collections & Scanned Additions
The recently added Fan Collections page has had rolling additions since it's creation a week-or-so ago. As of today, there are now five collectors; Forrest Batson (USA), Emanuele Crivello (Italy), Harry Ewald (Australia), Jesper Mørch (Denmark), and Alex Lanco (Australia), with a further few people in-progress. Their time & effort in photographing their collections is hugely appreciated. If you're interested in cataloguing your collection and showing it off to the wider internet, please get in touch. The photos can be as detailed as you want, and be of anything from trilogy media releases, magazines & posters, to location artefacts, fanmade & original props.
Two new rare scans have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. The Evil Dead - UK Palace Pictures Press Kit - 1983; huge thanks to UK Evil Dead collectors John Dowding & Kyle Pickup for both scanning this. John & Kyle had differing versions, one tailored for the Scottish Press and a later copy for the English Press. They've both been merged into one kit. Also, The Evil Dead - US Press Kit - 1983 (huge thanks to Italian Evil Dead collector Emanuele Crivello for scanning this too).
This site is coming up to it's eighth anniversary this year. Many of the scanned items added to this site so far, have been bought & scanned personally. Finding new items to add is becoming increasingly difficult, not only due to the fact that most of the 'low-hanging-fruit' has now been added and much of the known & unknown material left is really rare, adding a scan depends on said-item actually coming up for sale, and the costs involved in buying each item. The relatively recent Ash Vs Evil Dead TV show has bought many new collectors to Evil Dead, which has greatly increased competition and pushed up prices across the board.
If you have any material which isn't featured on either the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, Evil Dead II - In-Print page, or the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page, please get in touch. Items such as programs, brochures, flyers, lobby cards, newspaper clippings, press kits, press releases, and scripts. Further, some of you may be able to make additions to the Magazines page with any magazine titles no longer in print. Each scan there consists of just the front page, and only the specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine.
Scans are requested to be 600dpi of possible, but you can just send over the raw unedited scans, and I can do the rest. I have a fair personal list of rare & unreleased Evil Dead Trilogy DVD/Blu-Ray video material available to trade in return. If you can help, please get in touch via email;
April 22, 2017 - Hosting, Lightbox & Various Updates
Firstly, as of now, the site has been migrated over to a newer/better hosting package. It's cheaper, should be a little faster, and more reliable. If you still find anything which doesn't work, please let me know. All the galleries across the site have been changed. Clicking each image will display a larger version in a 'Lightbox' window. Use the arrow icons or your keyboard's left/right arrows to navigate to the next photos. You can also middle-click an image to open the larger version in a new window as previously. This makes flicking through the many photos across the site, much simpler.
Further huge thanks to Ryan Thiessen & Frank Holt, more previously material has been added to The Evil Dead - Production page; a photo & information taken from two local Morristown newspaper clippings written at the time of filming in 1979, and The Evil Dead - In-Print page; where you can read scans of the original clippings themselves
Secondly, A scan has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page; a set of Evil Dead 2 - US Unedited Press Notes - 1986. The upload consists of a covering letter addressed to Rob Tapert, with a further twelve pages of production notes used in the creation of the US press-kit. It's likely the set is incomplete, as the final page indicates at least one further page not present. Also, a set of scans have been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page; Army Of Darkness - German Lobby Cards - 1993.
Ten new & upgraded photos have been added to the site. Five to The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 13, 116, 313, 314 & 315. Four to the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 462, 463, 464 & 465. Finally one to the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; number 132. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
Lastly, while the site has a general physical Evil Dead Collectables page (which will be updated at some point), along with the webmaster's personal Evil Dead physical Collectables page, a new section has been added; a Fan Collections page. While currently a little sparse, this section will showcase photos taken by Evil Dead collectors from around the world. If you're interested in cataloguing your collection and showing it off to the wider internet, please get in touch. The photos can be as detailed as you want, and be of anything from trilogy media releases, magazines & posters, to location artefacts, fanmade & original props.
March 19, 2017 - Various Updates
Two rare British video trade magazines scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section;
Screen International #336 - April 3, 1982 covering the American Film Market & 'Films Around The World's' line up of releases, including a full page advert for The Evil Dead. Palace Pictures picked up the UK rights for The Evil Dead at that AFM. Also, Screen International #448 - June 9, 1984 which covers the aquittal of Palace Video & Thorn EMI at Leeds Crown Court over charges under the 'Obscene Publications Act'.
Lastly a little addition to 'The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Cabin Clock' section on the The Evil Dead - Props page & Evil Dead II - Props page, thanks for US fan Marc, covering his restoration & ownership of an original screen-matching clock.
February 21, 2017 - Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm & More Updates
More Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm news; the Book Of The Dead second trailer is now complete. You can watch it below. It consists of entirely new material drawn from the full fanfilm's storyboards. This may eventually lead to a second attempt to raise adequate funding to shoot the whole short film, or just stand alone as a fanfilm trailer in it's own right. Either way it allows the project to move forward, and give some purpose to the number of props & set-pieces which have already been created soley for this fanfilm. Check out the newly updated Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm page for more information, along with many new photos covering the trailer's production.
Secondly, two scans have been added to the site, one to the Magazines page in the Features section; Screen International #393 - May 14, 1983, a rare British video trade magazine, and one to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page; an Evil Dead 2 - German Flyer - 1988. More additions to scan are on their way, so expect more updates in the coming week or two.
Finally, thanks entirely to Ryan Thiessen, a previously unseen photo has been added to The Evil Dead - Production page. On January 24, 2017, Morristown newspaper 'The Citizen Tribune', published a photo of The Evil Dead's cast and crew at Thanksgiving dinner on November 22 1979 in their 'Backwards Glance' feature. Among others, you can see Ellen Sandwiess, Don Campbell, Bruce Campbell, Josh Becker, Dave Goodman, Hal Delrich, Sam Raimi, Betsy Baker, Tom Sullivan, Theresa Tilly, John Mason, Tim Philo, & Rob Tapert, (Gary Holt is taking the photo, so he's not in it).
February 7, 2017 - Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm News
More Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm news; In the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm page in the Features section, you can see four screenshots from The Evil Dead fanfilm new trailer currently in production. The original 2016 'trailer' was created as a lead-in sequence to the fanfilm, briefly re-telling the events prior & during The Evil Dead, without showing any footage from the main body of the fanfilm itself. This new trailer will consist of entirely new material drawn from the full fanfilm's storyboards. This may eventually lead to a second attempt to raise adequate funding to shoot the whole thing, or just stand alone as a fanfilm trailer in it's own right. Either way it allows the project to move forward, and give some purpose to the number of props & set-pieces which have already been created soley for this fanfilm.
A full small scale 'trailer' is in the works, which may eventually lead to a second attempt to raise adequate funding to shoot the whole short film, or just stand alone as a fanfilm trailer in it's own right. Either way it allows the project to move forward, and give some purpose to the number of props & set-pieces which have already been created soley for this fanfilm. Stay tuned for further updates, and for more information about the original fanfilm project,check out the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm page.
January 17, 2017 - Various Additions
Four magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; all British titles. Screen International #440 - April 7, 1984 has a lead story on the prospective UK Video Recordings Act (VRA), with comment & letters, as well as information on The Evil Dead's current British legal woes and theatrical re-release. Screen International #508 - August 10, 1985, covers The Evil Dead's aquittal in Snaresbrook Crown Court over charges under the 'Obscene Publications Act'. Screen International #511 - August 31, 1983, has an article about prosecution of video nasties in general under the 'Obscene Publications Act', and the removal of The Evil Dead specifically from the DPP list following it's court aquittal a few weeks before. Finally, Video The Magazine, Best Of - Autumn 1987 contains a number of related reviews and other assorted items.
Lastly, many of you will remember the personally created Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm IndieGoGo project from April of 2016. Well, there is finally some news. Just to roll back, less than a quarter of the financial goal needed, was raised. In the end, rather than trying to press forward with the prospect of having to supplement the project with substantial personal funds, it was put on hold and most of the money was refunded (three of the investors never replied, so if you didn't get a refund, please get in touch).
Back to the present, and the project is partially moving forward. The original 'trailer' was created as a lead-in sequence to the fanfilm, briefly re-telling the events prior & during The Evil Dead, without showing any footage from the main body of the fanfilm itself. Currently a second small scale 'trailer' is in the works, but this one will consist entirely of specifically filmed shots from the full fanfilm's storyboards. This may eventually lead to a second attempt to raise adequate funding to shoot the whole thing, or just stand alone as a fanfilm trailer in it's own right. Either way it allows the project to move forward, and give some purpose to the number of props & set-pieces which have already been created soley for this fanfilm. Stay tuned for further updates, and for more information about the original fanfilm, check out the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm page.
January 1, 2017 - Various Additions
Happy New Year to all the Evil Dead fans out there!
Firstly, many of you will already have seen the page detailing the July 2015 creation of a replica of Tom Sullivan's 'Kandarian' dagger seen in The Evil Dead; Evil Dead Replica Dagger page in the Features section. As an update to this project, in December of 2016, I decided to have a second attempt, to both correct some of the errors in the previous version and take more time over the construction of the hilt. Check out the above link to see process & final photos of the second dagger.
Lastly, three magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Network Video #19 - August 1989, VST - May 1990, and Video For You #9 - July 1986. They're all rare British video trade magazines.
One magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Video Hits - October 1987, a video trade magazine available from local video rental stores previewing upcoming VHS releases. Secondly, one scan has been added to The Evil Dead - In-Print page; The Evil Dead - Large Mexican Lobby Card - 1985.
Lastly, a fair number of new item photos have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Various DVD & VHS Releases; Book Of The Dead II Fanmade DVD (2016), Greg Nicotero's Evil Dead II Raw Footage DVD (2016) & Evil Dead II UK Betamax VHS (1987), Various related magazines; Screen International #352 (1982), Screen International #366 (1982), Screen International #371 (1982), Screen International #383 (1983), Screen International #384 (1983), Screen International #387 (1983), L' Ecran Fantastique #82 (1987), Video Today (1990) & Shock Xpress Vol2 #1 (1987), Various promotional items; Evil Dead II UK B&W Lobby Card Set (1987) & Army Of Darkness US Promo Ad Slick (1992), Original US 35mm trilogy trailers; The Evil Dead US 35mm trailer, Evil Dead II US 35mm trailer & Army Of Darkness US 35mm trailer, an Original Federal Hi-Power shotgun shells box, fired & inert shells, and replica The Evil Dead distressed shells box, and finally The Evil Dead Fireplace Replica Poker.
October 31, 2016 - Seventh Anniversary & Various Additions
Firstly, today marks BookOfTheDead.ws's Seventh anniversary online. Back on October 31, 2009, the site was opened while still incomplete, and with a fraction of the content now available. As of this update, the site now spans 140 pages, with 9030 images, 232 PDF files, 76 videos, at a site total of 12.7GB in size. It's great to still be able to present new & previously unseen material to the fan community seven years after opening and thirty-five years after The Evil Dead first premièred. Even though it's still young by Evil Dead fansite standards, it'll be built upon for years to come to become even bigger and better. Thanks to everyone who has contributed in one way or another, and here's to another seven years of fanatic fandom!
As some will already know, on October 12, 2016, the president of Elite Entertainment offered a few items for sale on the 'Evil Dead Collector's Initiative' Facebook group. Among them were six Fuji 90min BetaCamSP tapes, labelled as 'Evil Dead II, Behind The Scenes Bump UPS'. A French fan bought the set and forwarded it to myself for transfer to DVD (thanks entirely to Ash in the Shepperton Sound Department who had the professional equipment), and as hoped, it turned out to be 8h 35m of Greg Nicotero's Evil Dead II prep & on-set camcorder footage shot between March to September 1986. It's entry in the Evil Dead II - Deleted Scenes page has been greatly expanded & updated, to include detailed information, screenshots, and information on a personally made DVD box-set.
Thanks to Mexican fan Rogelio Matamoros, the Evil Dead II - Different Versions page has been extensively updated. This page details the incredibly rare TV version of Evil Dead II. This was thought forever lost, until the long dismissed rumours of the Mexican TV airing with many additional scenes proved actually to be true, including the burning of the Book of the Dead, Ash eating a squirrel, a new time vortex sequence, and a whole host of extended and alternate scenes. Previously the page had used an incomplete poor quality 2009 YouTube upload as it's source. This page as been upgraded using a proper VHS to DVD transfer provided by Rogelio, including all the screenshots, the edited clips, and filling in the missing sections. Head over to the Evil Dead II - Different Versions page to read more.
Combined with the previous news post, scans of a number of issues of the UK film trade publication 'Screen International' have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. As a set, they chronicle The Evil Dead's path though international film markets & UK cinemas. They are; Screen International #352 - July 17, 1982 which contains a feature on Palace Video announcing The Evil Dead's UK release in November '82. Screen International #366 - October 30, 1982 contains a full page advert for 'Films Around The World' and covers their films at 82' MIFED including The Evil Dead. Screen International #371 - December 4, 1982 covers The Evil Dead's showing at the 82' London Film Festival by Palace Pictures. Screen International #383 - March 5, 1983 covers the national UK opening of The Evil Dead along with information on the cast/crew & filming. Screen International #384 - March 12, 1983 covers 'Films Around The World's' inclusions at the 83' AFM as well as Palace Pictures attendance. and finally Screen International #387 - April 2, 1983 contains a Palace Pictures advert for The Evil Dead.
There is also a further known issue; Screen International #385 - March 19, 1983 which features an article entitled 'Palace Pictures lets loose The Evil Dead'. Although this has not yet been obtained, it may hopefully be added in the future.
Lastly, twenty-eight new & upgraded phtotos have been added to the site. Four to The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 062, 156, 191 & 192. Eight to the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 127, 157, 158, 160, 161, 408, 506 & 669. Finally sixteen to the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; numbers 238, 266, 405, 408, 407, 409, 456, 462, 482, 483, 488, 492, 533, 735, 739 & 741. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
October 11, 2016 - Book Of The Dead II DVD Completed
After a lot of work, the Book Of The Dead II fanmade DVD is now complete. You can read more about this release on the Book Of The Dead II DVD page within the Evil Dead II DVD/Blu-Ray page. Created as an Evil Dead II centred follow up to the 2012 Book Of The Dead DVD, this two-disc set brings together all the rarest Evil Dead elements in one package.
Thanks to a good friend, and their friend in Mexico, a decent VHS to DVD conversion of the Evil Dead II: "Severely Edited For Television" TV edit has been obtained. The source for this is an original VHS recording complete from start to finish, and not one of the various YouTube versions which have been uploaded over recent years. This was the last piece I was waiting for before starting this project.
The set contains a composite edit of Evil Dead II's 'TV & theatrical versions with 16mins of alternate takes & additional footage, along with the original mono audio track. It also contains 140mins of Vern Hyde's on-set & Talent Show camcorder footage, a copy of the Evil Dead II Workprint (huge thanks to Anthony for this), Attack Of The Helping Hand & Torro, Torro, Torro Super-8 Shorts, The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II - A Location Odyssey locations footage, laserdisc documentary Evil Dead II - Behind The Screams, trailers, and much more.
September 18, 2016 - The Mexican TV Cut & Book Of The Dead II DVD
Firstly, some big news. Thanks to a good friend, and their friend in Mexico, a decent VHS to DVD conversion of the Evil Dead II: "Severely Edited For Television" TV edit has been obtained. The source for this is an original VHS recording complete from start to finish, and not one of the various YouTube versions which have been uploaded over recent years. This was the last piece I was waiting for before creating a follow up to the Book Of The Dead DVD. It'll be called Book Of The Dead II, and will feature some of the rarest Evil Dead II elements, which have never been given a formal retail DVD release.
It will contain a composite edit of Evil Dead II's 'TV & theatrical versions with 16mins of alternate takes & additional footage, along with the original mono audio track. It will also contain 140mins of Vern Hyde's on-set & Talent Show camcorder footage, a copy of the Evil Dead II Workprint, Attack Of The Helping Hand & Torro, Torro, Torro Super-8 Shorts, The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II - A Location Odyssey locations footage, laserdisc documentary Evil Dead II - Behind The Screams, trailers, and much more. The DVD itself isn't 100% finished yet, will take another few weeks, but check back for future updates. The entry requesting a copy of Evil Dead II: "Severely Edited For Television" has been removed from the Wants page.
Secondly, a little more information has been added to the The Evil Dead - Deleted Scenes page, regarding the rare Elite Entertainment Raw Footage VHS Tapes, covering original elite masters sold to a fan in April 2016.
Also, two magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Screen International #371 - December 4, 1982, and Screen International #387 - April 2, 1983, both UK film industry trade papers covering the release of The Evil Dead in the UK back in '82/83, along with box office details.
Lastly, huge thanks to Casey Fann, a photo taken on September 5, 2016 of the remainder of The Evil Dead cabin's chimney stack has been added to the The Evil Dead - Locations page. It's getting progressively shorter each year unfortunately, but it's still there.
Secondly, a section in The Evil Dead - Deleted Scenes page has been added with information & screenshots covering 10 incredibly rare Elite Entertainment Raw Footage VHS Tapes, probably created in the late 1990's, containing 3h 49m 17s of The Evil Dead raw film footage. Only four sets of these tapes are thought to exist; one owned by Sam Raimi, the second by Elite Entertainment, the owner of the third is unknown, and the fourth is owned by a friend of the site.
Two magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; UK magazine Video Today (June 1990), and French language magazine L'Ecran Fantastique #82 (July 1987).
Firstly, the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm Indiegogo project has now closed. While the amount of money raised was some way off the target, the project is still going ahead, with a prospective shooting aim of December. See the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm for future updates and more information.
Also, six new scans have been added to the Japanese Item Scans page in the Features section. They are; Japanese 'Chirashi' Promo Flyers for Bad Taste, Capricorn One and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2016 Re-Release, Japanese Large Foldover Promo Flyers for Dawn Of The Dead & The Fog, and finally a 16 page Japanese Movie Programme for Zombie. In searching out the many Japanese Evil Dead Trilogy items seen in the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section, other select Japanese horror & sci-fi movie related promotional items such as flyers & programs have also been acquired. While these are not Evil Dead Trilogy related, given their rarity in the west many people may still be interested to see high quality scans.
Japanese movie artwork has long been of personal interest, it's quite unlike anything else in the world. Most specifically (but not limited to) items called 'Chirashi' (or 映画チラシ). They are 7"x10" flyers placed in cinema lobbies in Japan to promote current and future movie releases. They often take the form of a miniature replica of the movie's poster with promotional photos and information on the reverse. They're usually a single double-sided page, but two or four page versions are sometimes produced. See Wikipedia for a more detailed explanation. Another interesting item specific to Japan are Movie Programs (or パンフレット). These are only usually sold during the original theatrical run of a given film in Japan. They often contain many unique colour and black and white photos & artwork, information on the film, the cast & crew, all written in Japanese over around 10 to 40 pages. A4 (295mm x 210mm) is the most popular size, but many can be found in B5 (7" x 10") and B4 (14" x 10") formats too.
Secondly, one updated magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; UK publication Shock Xpress Vol.2 Issue 1 - Summer 1987. Also, one scan has been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page; an Army Of Darkness - US MCA Universal VHS Promo Sheet - 1993.
Also, six new scans have been added to the Japanese Item Scans page in the Features section. They are; Japanese Movie Programmes for Alien, Aliens & The Thing (with lots of rare photos), and Japanese 'Chirashi' Promo Flyers for Outland (two versions) & Creepshow/Crimewave (double-sided). In searching out the many Japanese Evil Dead Trilogy items seen in the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section, other select Japanese horror & sci-fi movie related promotional items such as flyers & programs have also been acquired. While these are not Evil Dead Trilogy related, given their rarity in the west many people may still be interested to see high quality scans.
Japanese movie artwork has long been of personal interest, it's quite unlike anything else in the world. Most specifically (but not limited to) items called 'Chirashi' (or 映画チラシ). They are 7"x10" flyers placed in cinema lobbies in Japan to promote current and future movie releases. They often take the form of a miniature replica of the movie's poster with promotional photos and information on the reverse. They're usually a single double-sided page, but two or four page versions are sometimes produced. See Wikipedia for a more detailed explanation. Another interesting item specific to Japan are Movie Programs (or パンフレット). These are only usually sold during the original theatrical run of a given film in Japan. They often contain many unique colour and black and white photos & artwork, information on the film, the cast & crew, all written in Japanese over around 10 to 40 pages. A4 (295mm x 210mm) is the most popular size, but many can be found in B5 (7" x 10") and B4 (14" x 10") formats too.
Finally, dowloadable 1080p cropped 16:9 widescreen versions of the previously available open-matte The Evil Dead, Evil Dead IIArmy Of Darkness 35mm 2K trailer scans have been added to the Evil Dead Trilogy 35mm Trailers page in the Features section. Now you can watch & download all three trailers in both 1080p 16:9 and 4:3 open-matte there.
Secondly, a 2K scan of a personally owned Evil Dead II 35mm trailer, along with an Army Of Darkness 35mm trailer have been added to the site alongside the existing 2K scan of a The Evil Dead 35mm trailer, to the Evil Dead Trilogy 35mm Trailers page in the Features section. You can watch & download all three trailers there.
Some up-to-date information has been added on Evil Dead II's exterior cabin location in Wadesboro, North Carolina courtesy of Mike Pasquale (owner of EvilDeadWorkshed.com). The update details the complete clearing of the cabin area and his preservation of some of the structures. You can read more on the Evil Dead II - Locations page. Also, various new information & photos have been added/updated on the The Evil Dead - Props page.
April 13, 2016 - Book Of The Dead Indiegogo Campaign & Site Updates
As many will know, I've been working on an Evil Dead short fanfilm for some months. The script is more ambitious than anything I've done to date, and involves building one large & one small set and paying actors, but is beyond my financial means to fund to a sufficient level, so I have decided to crowdfund this project using Indiegogo. For more information on this project, see the Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm page in the Features section.
Also, a fair number of new item photos have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Various related magazines; Video The Magazine (1983), Video The Magazine (1983), Video World Special (1987), Killing Moon #1 (1991), Killing Moon #7 (1993), Video Today (1987), Fangoria #120 (1993), Fangoria #115 (1992), Dark Side #58 (1996), Dark Side #70 (1998). Various promotional items; Army Of Darkness UK Promo VHS (1993), Army Of Darkness OST Cassette (1993), Evil Dead US Thorn Betamax (1983), Evil Dead II Slides (1987). Finally other items; A personally made The Evil Dead replica axe, The Evil Dead Deactivated Winchester 37A 20-gauge shotgun, An original working Homelite XL, close to the model of Chainsaw used in The Evil Dead, in a workshed display, A burned version of the Book Of The Dead, also created for me by Jesper Mørch (With permission from Tom Sullivan), A The Evil Dead cellar table display.
Lastly, having recently obtained an Evil Dead II 35mm trailer, this along with my existing Army Of Darkness 35mm trailer are currently being 2K scanned & transferred, and will be uploaded to the site in the next few weeks, which will go with the existing 2K scanned Evil Dead Trilogy 35mm Trailers page in the Features section.
April 3, 2016 - Scanned Additions & Evil Dead Fanfilm Updates
Two magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Video The Magazine - March 1983, which is a short & simple VHS review, and the following issue; Video The Magazine - April 1983, which contains a little gem of an article covering Tom Sullivan's special effects demonstration at a press conference in London's West End, during Tom & Sam Raimi's British promotional tour for The Evil Dead back in 1983.
Finally The Evil Dead fanfilm title sequence/trailer I'm currently working on, is nearly complete. There are just two sequences left to shoot which should be finished in the next two weeks. The script for that full short film has already been written (which will come in around the 20-30 minute mark depending on the budget raised), a budget calculated, and set & prop designs finalized. Once editing is completed, the title sequence/trailer will be released and the quest for funding for the full short film will begin, probably using Kickstarter. To give people an idea, the minimum budget needed to get the script shot as envisioned would be around £700-£1000 ($1000-$1400 USD) which is not a huge amount in terms of a film budget, but the more that is raised, the better the final result can be.
In the new Book Of The Dead, An Evil Dead Fanfilm page in the Features section, you can see four screenshots from The Evil Dead fanfilm title sequence/trailer I'm currently working very hard to create. As mentioned previously, this project treats the first film; The Evil Dead, as a single event (ignoring Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness), My film is a continuation of these original events. This title sequence skims over the events of The Evil Dead, as well as covering some additional material. It'll be more of a scary ghost story like the first film, as opposed to the action/adventure of the second & third films, and won't feature any of the existing main characters from the series.
Expect further updates over the next month or two, before the final title sequence is released. This will act like a 'trailer', which will give people an idea of the production values & standard of the finished project. Once this is complete I'll put the whole project out there for crowdfunding to raise the funds to make the full short fanfilm.
If anyone out there is interested in getting involved in this project, please get in touch via email;
As mentioned before it would be shot in London/England, so anyone who wanted to physically help out in person would need to be around that area.
February 16, 2016 - New Interview & News
To start, apologies for the lack of updates. Other recent projects have been taking up personal time leaving little time left for this site. So firstly, You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Kurt Rauf. Kurt was credited as a 'Fake Shemp' in The Evil Dead, appearing on screen as well as helping out behind the scenes. He also worked on a number of the later Super-8 shorts including Torro, Torro, Torro!, Stryker's War & Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter, later progressing in the film industry as a professional & versatile crewmember. The interview was entirely the work of Danish fan Jesper Mørch, so huge thanks to him.
Some of you may know that I've been doing prep work for an Evil Dead fanfilm for some months. While I can fund this project out of my own pocket to the tune of a few hundred pounds, I thought I'd gauge the viability of crowdfunding the project, either through a public crowd-funding website and making something more ambitious. While this is still just an idea, I'm just putting it out there to see how much interest there would be. Equally if I decide to fund it myself, I'd still be interested to hear from anyone who'd be interested in helping out in other ways. It would be shot in London/England, so anyone who wanted to physically help out in person would need to be around that area.
At the end of it all, I'll have an independent short film which I can sell on Blu-Ray & DVD, and return the profits to the investors, or (as many other crowd-funders do) offer certain perks for specific investments. I'm not talking a lot of money either, for example if 60 people put up £25, then that's £1500, more than I'd be prepared to spend on the film out of my own pocket. For that amount I could make the film, and give every investor a copy of it on Blu-Ray (or DVD), maybe along with a copy of my 'The Evil Dead: A Superfan's Odyssey' Documentary, and my Evil Dead locations footage on Blu-Ray too.
The two main areas of actual cost, would be paying the actors, and building the set. My previous short used two main actors; one from the Richmond Shakespeare Society and the other from the Kenton Light Operatic Society, both experienced stage actors. I already have a specific set in mind I want to build, but making it from scratch will cost a few hundred. I work in film & TV special effects so that would be more or less covered except for materials, and I also own all my own lighting, camera and sound equipment, so there would me no hire costs. As well as that, many will know I already have a huge collection of Evil Dead items, including a number of replica props which I could feature.
I'm keeping the fanfilm's details under wraps at the moment, but I can reveal that my project treats the first film; The Evil Dead, as a single event (ignoring Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness), and my film is a continuation of these events. It'll be more of a scary ghost story like the first film, as opposed to the action/adventure of the second & third films, and won't feature any of the existing characters from the series. I should add that I've already been in contact with Tom Sullivan regarding his copyright and permission to show the book and dagger. I also have a 'The Evil Dead' screen accurate Winchester 37A 20-ga shotgun being specially de-activated for me at the moment and should have that in a few weeks.
Just as a further note to this, after some thought I'm currently working on filming the fanfilm's title sequence, funded out of my own pocket. This will act like a 'trailer', which will give people an idea of the production values & standard of the finished project. Once this is complete I'll put the whole project out there for crowdfunding. This may well take a good few weeks to make as two mini-sets need to be constructed, along with some location shooting, but stay tuned for more updates.
If anyone out there is interested in getting involved in this project, please get in touch via email;
As mentioned above it would be shot in London/England, so anyone who wanted to physically help out in person would need to be around that area.
November 8, 2015 - Scans & An Ash Vs Evil Dead Update
One scanned addition has been made; the Evil Dead 2 - Italian Photobustas Set - 1987 to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. Thanks to fan Dizz Russo for scanning those. A list of further little additions and updates are in the queue, and will be added in the next week or two.
Finally, given the huge interest in Ash Vs Evil Dead, a "why is there no Ash Vs Evil Dead section" section has been added to the The Trilogy section, which outlines the reasoning behind this. Should you want information, you can read a little more on the Evil Dead 4? page which covers various rumours & interviews leading up to the release, and check out the links section to browse other sites.
October 29, 2015 - Scanned Additions, Interviews & An Evil Dead Short Film
Two magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Video Today - November 1987 and Video World Special - Videos For '88 (which is just a reprint some of the pages available Video World - September 1987), both of which feature UK coverage of Evil Dead II.
The site has received a number of Ash Vs Evil Dead press interview requests in recent weeks, one in print which you can already read here; Fans keep 'Evil Dead' franchise alive and bleeding by Julie Hinds - Detroit Free Press, and a second for the NPR (National Public Radio) TV Critic Eric Deggans which as yet to be broadcast. For the benefit of journalists, this site does not cover The Evil Dead 2013 remake, nor Ash Vs Evil Dead, but I'm happy to give interviews regarding the original trilogy and their endearing popularity, and can also redirect requests to more suitable webmasters if needed.
Also, just to keep it from being bumped down the page with more recent news updates, and to make it more prominent, The Evil Dead: A Superfan's Odyssey Documentary has been permanently moved to the top of this page, as well as the About Us page too. As of writing it's had 367 YouTube views since being uploaded eight days ago, so thanks to everyone for taking the time to have a look!
Lastly, some may know I've already made a number of short films (which you can read about on the Short Films page in the About Us section), most recently The Evil Dead: A Superfan's Odyssey Documentary released this month. The possibility of making an Evil Dead fan film is mentioned at the end of that documentary. Well quick update; it's already in the works. The basic outline has been written, the script will follow and it will hopefully be shot next year. It's set today, but takes place within the 'Evil Dead' world, using the events of The Evil Dead as backstory. Expect more updates on this as it progresses.
October 21, 2015 - The Evil Dead: A Superfan's Odyssey Documentary
The Evil Dead: A Superfan's Odyssey Documentary has been added to the About Us page, and above, to this page. Read on for more information. The Evil Dead: A Superfan's Odyssey is a personally made extensive & detailed 58 minute documentary, covering the vast majorty of my life in terms of Evil Dead.
This documentary chronicles my journey as a British Evil Dead superfan. How seeing it changed my life, sparking an interest in making my own short films and experimenting with gore effects, leading me onto a career in special effects in film & TV.
From 1992 to 2015, this is my journey so far . . .
When I started working on this documentary around the beginning of October 2015, it was only intended to be a few brief shots of my Evil Dead collection display, along with a bit of commentary over the top, which I shot myself for the Canadian Hail To The Deadites documentary.
While that's still likely happening next year, once I started editing my own footage to get an idea of how Steve (HTTD Director) could cut the material together, then and filming & adding in new bits here and there over a few weeks, it got way longer than could ever reasonably be included in the few minutes allocated in his project, as well as including some material which wouldn't entirely fit with that either. I thought that there would be people out there who would be interested to see a standalone documentary. Not just Evil Dead fans, but also people interested in special effects and low budget film-making in general.
I shot over seven hours of entirely new footage, not including all my pre-existing video and photographic material, which was all edited down to the final documentary running at 58mins. It contains a lot of material which people will not have seen before, along with elaborating & expanding on some things people will, all in 1080p. If anyone is interested in a higher quality physical Blu-Ray disc version, shoot me over an email. I won't be selling this as I've used a couple of little clips of footage to which I don't own the copyright, but I'm sure a like-for-like trade can be worked out.
September 8, 2015 - More Scans & Physical Items Collection Additions
A number of scanned additions have been made; a Parkfield Entertainment VHS Catalogue - May 1990 to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and three magazine scans to the Magazines page in the Features section; Cine-Zine-Zone 16 - July 1982 (a rare french language title released during The Evil Dead's showing at Cannes '82), Video World - September 1987 (which contains extensive coverage of the UK release of Evil Dead II), and Video World - July 1989.
Also, a fair number of new item photos have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Various related magazines; Video World (1987), Video World (1989), Video World (1992), Video The Magazine (1983), Video The Magazine (1987), Video Viewer (1983), Fangoria #23 (1982), Parkfield Ent Cat (May 1990), Cine Zine Zone #16 (1982), The Video World Movie Guide (1984). Various related magazine adverts; The Evil Dead VHS Ad, The Evil Dead Article, The Evil Dead DVD Ad, The Evil Dead DVD Ad, Evil Dead II VHS Ad, Evil Dead II VHS Ad, The Evil Dead DVD Ad, Army Of Darkness Theatrical Ad, Army Of Darkness DVD Ad. Various promotional items; Scala Cinema 10th Anniversary Poster (1991), The Evil Dead French Movie Programme (1983), The Evil Dead Spanish Synopsis Booklet (1983), Evil Dead II French Pressbook (1987), Army Of Darkness Slides (1992). Various Japanese promotional items; Film Festival Flyer (199?), XYZ Murders 'Chirashi' Foldover Poster (1985), The Evil Dead 'Chirashi' Foldover Poster (1985), The Evil Dead VCD (1985), Thou Shalt Not Kill VHS (1985). And finally Original US 35mm trailers; The Evil Dead & Army Of Darkness.
August 21, 2015 - EvilDeadChainsaws.com News & Scans
A few weeks back, the Medieval Chainsaw had it's own photo backdrop added to EvilDeadChainsaws.com, along with new chainsaw photos. That news aside, I've been getting orders in quick succession in recent months (eleven chainsaws made so far this year, not including individual parts orders, compared to six in the whole of last year, plus I have a full time job), so I'm not taking any new orders for a few months to take a break. If you're interested in placing an order then you can email me though EvilDeadChainsaws.com, and I can add you to the waiting list.
A number of scanned additions have been made; The Evil Dead - Japanese Large Foldover Promo B&W Flyer - 1985 (a black & white variation of the existing promo flyer), and The Evil Dead - Japanese Film Festival Flyer #4 to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, an Evil Dead 2 - UK Palace Pictures VHS Magazine Advert - 1987 to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page, and two magazine scans have been added into the Magazines page in the Features section; Video Viewer - April 1983 & Video World - February 1992. Finally, a scan of the Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except 1985 Japanese Apollo VHS Cover has been added to the bottom of the Super-8 - Scores page.
July 25, 2015 - Scans & Updates
Four scanned additions have been made; upgraded scans of an The Evil Dead - French Double Sided Synopsis Card - 1985 and The Evil Dead - Spanish Synopsis Booklet - 1983 have been added at the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and two magazine scans have been added into the Magazines page in the Features section; Video The Magazine - June 1983 and The Video World Movie Guide - 1984, both UK publications. Video The Magazine - June 1983 also has some extra pages concerning video nasties and the introduction of a voluntary certification code for VHS tapes introduced over two years before the UK Video Recordings Act.
Secondly, the About Us page now has a sub-page; Short Films, in which you can read information about & watch recent personally made short films. There are currently only two; Who Is This Who Is Coming... and The Lateness Of The Hour, but the list will grow in the future as more are made, and a third film is already in it's early development stages.
Further exciting EvilDeadChainsaws.com news. New 'Workshed' chainsaw photos have been added to the site using the recently built fake-workshed photo backdrop. These replace the old chainsaw photos taken back in 2008. The 'Cabin' chainsaw also recently had it's own fake-cabin-desk photo backdrop created, leaving the 'Medieval' chainsaw & 'Mechnical Hand' photos still to update with their own respective backdrops, which will be done in due course.
Back when EvilDeadChainsaws.com started in 2006, it was always intended that the three models of chainsaw would each have their own style of photo backdrop, but given the amount of work which would have been involved, the fake-workshed backdrop was the only one of the three which was actually built. That original fake-workshed photo backdrop was then cut to bits back in 2009 when EvilDeadChainsaws.com closed, and since it re-opened in 2013 it's had no proper photo backdrop since then. That was why all the proper chainsaw photos were of the original 2008 style of chainsaws, and many of the newer photos simply used a plain white background. Eventually the 'Cabin', 'Workshed', 'Medieval' chainsaws & 'Mechnical Hand' will all have their own specifically themed photo backdrops.
Lastly, an upgraded version of The Evil Dead 35mm Trailer 2K/HD transfer has been uploaded. The previous version was a little dark and the colours still a bit off towards the red, so more a good few more hours work was put into coaxing more life out of the scan and the result is now a fair improvement over the original upload, more towards a blue colour timing as per the retail DVD version of the trailer. See more on the Evil Dead Trilogy 35mm Trailers page in the Features section.
July 10, 2015 - The Evil Dead 35mm Trailer 2K/HD Preservation
Firstly, one new major addition to the site, which has been in the making for a few months now; A page has been added which details the personal preservation & HD digital transfer of an original 1982 35mm trailer for The Evil Dead, which was listed on Ebay in May, 2015, bought, then sent on to a company in London called 'i-dailies' for a 2k digital transfer. That transfer can now be downloaded from this site in 1080p 24fps MP4 format. As of the date of writing, this transfer is the only HD version of the trailer available anywhere in the world. It's included in standard definition on a plethora of DVD & Blu-Ray releases, but none of these are in high definition. It's freely available for personal use and fanmade DVD/Blu-Ray projects. Should anyone want access to the untouched 2K transfer, or should any professional media companies wish to include this trailer on a retail release, please contact me first. As detailed on the page, this transfer cost around £350 all told, so it was by no means a cheap venture. See more on the Evil Dead Trilogy 35mm Trailers page in the Features section.
Secondly, one little scanned addition has been made; a scan of an Evil Dead 2 - UK Palace Pictures VHS Video Trade Advert - 1987 has been added at the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. This page would have been included in an industry magazine sent to video rental shop owners informing of new releases available for rental.
July 6, 2015 - EvilDeadChainsaws.com News, 'Kandarian' dagger & other additions
Firstly more exciting EvilDeadChainsaws.com news. It took a lot of hard work, but a second photo backdrop has been created; a fake-cabin-desk for the 'Cabin' model chainsaws. It's a replica of the cabin desk & wall cabinet, with the desk lamp, tape recorder, Book of the Dead, lost pages, 'Kandarian' dagger, and a number of other little touches that many fans will pick up on. The 'Workshed' model chainsaws will now use the recently made fake-workshed backdrop (expect that update in the next week or two), and the 'Medieval' backdrop is yet to be made. Further detailed photos of this new backdrop have been added into the EvilDeadChainsaws.com gallery section, along with creating two desktop-background versions right at the bottom of that page too.
Back when EvilDeadChainsaws.com started in 2006, it was always intended that the three models of chainsaw would each have their own style of photo backdrop, but given the amount of work which would have been involved, the fake-workshed backdrop was the only one of the three which was actually built. That original fake-workshed photo backdrop was then cut to bits back in 2009 when EvilDeadChainsaws.com closed, and since it re-opened it's had no proper photo backdrop since then. That was why all the proper chainsaw photos were of the original 2008 style of chainsaws, and many of the newer photos simply use a plain white background. The 'Cabin' chainsaw photos have now been updated, the 'Workshed' photos will be updated in the next few weeks, with the 'Medieval' chainsaw photos to come in the future.
Secondly, a page detailing the creation of a replica of Tom Sullivan's 'Kandarian' dagger seen in The Evil Dead, to be used in the 'Cabin' chainsaw photo backdrop detailed above for EvilDeadChainsaws.com, has been added to the site. While technically this Evil Dead II themed backdrop required the revised design dagger shown in the sequel, rather than the plain metal bladed original, the first film's plainer dagger has always been personally more appealing. See more on the Evil Dead Replica Dagger page in the Features section.
Finally, two magazine scans have been added into the Magazines page in the Features section;
Fear Magazine #6 - May-June 1989 and photocopy-fanzine Fiend Magazine #1 - 1988, both UK publications. Also, one more musical cue has been identified & added to the Super-8 - Scores page; 'Alien OST - 16. It's a Droid' which was used during the beginning swamp sequence in Stryker's War.
While updates have been quiet recently, keep checking back as there are further items to be scanned on their way, along with a very special addition to the site which is currently being worked on.
May 24, 2015 - EvilDeadChainsaws.com News & The Lateness Of The Hour Short Film
Firstly some exciting news. The EvilDeadChainsaws.com website has been given an upgrade. It took over a month of hard work, but a new fake-workshed photo backdrop has been created. Some will know that the original photo backdrop was cut to bits back in 2009 when EvilDeadChainsaws.com closed, and since it re-opened it's had no proper photo backdrop since then. That was why all the proper chainsaw photos were of the original 2008 style of chainsaws, and many of the newer photos simply use a plain white background. The 'Cabin' chainsaw photos have now been updated, and the 'Workshed', 'Medieval', & 'Mechanical Hand' photos will be updated as each item is made for future orders.
Far more effort has been put into matching the original set, and finding the various parts. The electric drill, stilson wrench, electric fan, & oil squirty can, are all exact matches to what's on screen all imported from the USA. The remainder has been filled in as accurately as possible by buying, modifying & creating various replica items, along with adding a fair number of items bought at car boot sales to populate the rest of the gaps. Using high resolution Blu-Ray as opposed to DVD screenshots made life a lot easier this time round, as so many of the finer details are much clearer. It's somewhat of an amalgamation of the various shots shown in the film as various items move around from shot to shot and scene to scene. A much better job has been made of ageing everything this time round, and the result is so much better than the old one which was somewhat rushed together just to get it done.
Further, some of the site's graphics have also been updated & upgraded, all the larger clickable photos are now much bigger and show far more detail than before, and the FAQ page has been updated. See EvilDeadChainsaws.com for more information.
Finally, I've just completed directing a short 15 minute British zombie horror film called The Lateness Of The Hour, You can view it on YouTube here, as well as read more at the BookOfTheDead.ws forums.
May 16, 2015 - New Interview & Various Additions
Firstly, You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Bill Ward. Bill was childhood friends with Scott Spiegel and they worked together on a number of the earliest Super-8 Shorts between 1969 to 1974, latterly including Bruce Campbell, before drifting away from the group to pursue musical interests.
Secondly, three scanned additions have been made; a scan of a The Evil Dead - French Press Release Sheet - 1983 has been added at the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and both scans of the Evil Dead 2 - Japanese Studio Canal Blu-Ray Booklet - 2015 & Evil Dead 2 - French Pressbook - 1987 have been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. The Evil Dead 2 - French Pressbook - 1987 had suffered some water damage, but given it's rarity, another copy to scan may not be found for some time.
Lastly, fourteen new & upgraded phtotos have been added to the site. Three to The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 330, 337, 338. Fourteen to the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; numbers 006, 051, 052, 053, 121, 136, 258, 275, 510, 511, 540, 541, 548 & 593. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
April 12, 2015 - Scanned Additions
Two little but really nice scanned additions have been made; a scan of a Scala Cinema July 1991 10th Anniversary Listings Poster (1991) has been added at the bottom of the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. It lists The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II as being shown as part of a zombie movie all-nighter on July 27. The Evil Dead was re-released by Palace Pictures on VHS only a year earlier on May 21 1990 after almost five years of unavailability following the VRA and the BBFC's refusal to pass the film.
Lastly a scan of the Evil Dead 2 - UK Palace Pictures VHS Poster (1987) has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. This poster was send out to video rental stores to advertise the VHS release of Evil Dead II. It's an increasingly rare and highly sought-after UK poster, probably second only to the larger UK cinema quad.
April 4, 2015 - Various Additions
Firstly, the long delay since the last update is due to two things. The first is directing a short horror film called The Lateness Of The Hour, which is currently in editing and will be uploaded to YouTube once it's completed in a few weeks. The second is a project that while complete, will have to remain under wraps for the moment.
So, a number of new item photos have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Various releases; The Evil Dead R1 US 3-Disc Ultimate Ed. DVD (2007), The Evil Dead R4 2-Disc Ultimate Ed. DVD (2008), The Evil Dead Trilogy R2 UK 4-Disc Boxset DVD (2003), Book Of The Dead Fanmade 4Hr Raw Footage DVD (2014), and the new Evil Dead II Japanese Blu-Ray (2015). Magazines; Starfix No.1 (1983), Masters Of Horror #3 Sam Raimi (1999), and huge thanks to Emanuele Crivello; a new Italian book called My Name Is Ash (2015). Two The Evil Dead items; a French Special Effects Card (1982) & French Synopsis Card (1982), and various promotional items; an Army Of Darkness Credits Card (1992), Army Of Darkness US Press Kit & B&W Lobby Card Set (1992), and Hollywood Merchandising Catalogue (1992). Finally an original working Homelite XL, close to the model of Chainsaw used in The Evil Dead.
Secondly, one updated item has been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page; more scans have been added into the previous upload of the Army Of Darkness - US Press Kit - 1992, including the rest of the Lobby Cards and a Credits Card. Also, one scan into the Magazines page in the Features section; Masters Of Horror #3 - Sam Raimi - 1998-1999, a German language magazine mainly covering Evil Dead II
Finally, seventeen new or upgraded images have been added to the The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 011, 098, 128, 224, 251, 260, 268, 269, 280, 287, 281, 289, 291, 292, 297, 298, & 381. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
Lastly, a few bits & pieces are in the works, including a possible new interview, so keep checking back.
February 26, 2015 - Ryan Meade, And Various Scanned Additions
Firstly, my attention has been drawn to a post which Ryan Meade (director of Invaluable) has made on his Invaluable Facebook feed, making a number of downright bizarre and untruthful comments about myself personally. Prior to this I know he's been saying similar things to people in personal emails, but this is the first time he's made things public. While it seems there is no way to get Facebook to remove Ryan's post (they suggest contacting him, which is patiently silly since he is the agressor), I can however set the record straight. You can read a full explanation behind this situation on the
Deadites.net Forums. From the Five years of hard work and money I've put into BookOfTheDead.ws, you can read both posts and see who you believe.
Secondly, and less dramatically, a few scans have been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page; An Army Of Darkness - US Press Kit - 1992, and an Evil Dead Trilogy - Hollywood Merchandising, Inc Catalogue - 1992. The catalogue has an interesting background. In 1992 Sam, Rob & Bruce formed a company called 'Hollywood Merchandising, Inc.' to sell merchandise to aid in the promotion of Army Of Darkness. They started with T-shirts, posters & photos related to the Evil Dead Trilogy, with the idea of expanding to other movies. After a couple of years the company folded, and this is the only catalogue the company ever produced. Lastly, one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Starfix No.1 - February 1983, a French language publication, it has a number of rare images covering the Special Effects of The Evil Dead.
January 24, 2015 - Various Additions
Firstly, number of new item photos have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. They are as follows; The Evil Dead US HBO/Weintraub VHS (1991) & Japanese Cineasta VHS (199?), new Italian book My Name Is Ash (2014) thanks to Italian fan Emanuele, Magazines; Cinefantastique Vol.17 No.5 (1987), Cinefantastique Vol.22 No.5 (1992), Cinefantastique Vol.22 No.6 (1992), Eiga Hiho Magazine Vol.7 (2006), Fangoria #62 (1987), GoreZone #11 (1990), Shivers #4(1992), Famous Monsters Of Filmland #277 (2015), and lastly two Evil Dead II original Lithographic vintage prints; White Crowned Sparrow' & 'Yellow Bellied Sapsucker' both by John James Audubon.
A few other little additions; Two new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; GoreZone No.11 - January 1990 (which is a higher quality upgrade), and UK publication Shivers #4 - December 1992, which includes a letter on it's letter's page from WithinTheWoods.co.uk webmaster Mark asking about the availability of Sam's Super-8 Shorts. An updated scan of The Evil Dead's 1985 French Double Sided Special Effects Card has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. A new link has been added on the Links page for the Evil Dead Fan Club. Lastly, fourteen new images have been added to the site. Six to the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 604, 605, 613, 614, 615, & 676, and eight on the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; numbers 114, 115, 116, 213, 534, 535, 536, & 537. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
This site's review of Ryan Meade's Invaluable DVD has been 'modified' over the original which was overly flattering and not wholly truthful for self serving reasons which won't be discussed here. You can read the modified review on the Online Store page.
Finally courtesy of French fan Anthony, scans of a 1985 The Evil Dead French Synopsis card, along with higher quality upgrades of the French set of 1983 French Lobby Cards have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. He's also supplied a scan of a Army Of Darkness 1993 French Synopsis card for the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page too.
January 1, 2015 - Competition Retirement
Between June to November 2014, BookOfTheDead.ws ran Evil Dead themed competitions; from simple questions everyone could enter, to best entry contests aimed at more die hard fans. Each month's Evil Dead Trilogy related prize was something on the rarer and interesting side, not something you can easily pick up on Amazon for peanuts, with the prize reflecting the difficulty of the competition. The harder the competition, the better the prize.
The Competition page has now been retired and integrated in to the Features section. The competitions were created to increase interest in the site and grow it's fanbase. While it was an interesting experiment, unfortunately it didn't really do that, as each competition only attracted an odd few entries (and some only one). Either way, you can still read through the six entries on the Competition page. The competition may come back to the site at some point, but for the moment it's being retired. Lasty, well done to those six winners!
December 1, 2014 - November's Competition Winner & New Competition
You can now head over to the Competition page to enter December's competition to take; An Evil Dead Themed Photo. Now, this can be anything from someone in a cosplay costume with an appropriate background, a spooky cabin in some nearby woods, a replica prop you've made with the right background, to a fanmade scale model diorama. It just needs to be a photo taken of something physical (not a computer generated or manipulated image). The closing date is Wednesday December 31, 2014. The winner will be announced. shortly after that, along with the winner and the next competition, all of which will be posted here. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
As it's Christmas, we have a special prize up for grabs this month, it's a copy of the rare Japanese magazine Uchusen (Vol.37 No.8) from 1987. While in Japanese language, it contains many behind the scenes photos which were never released in western magazines of the time, and some of the photos have never been otherwise released at all.
November's competition was to write a short story based around the Evil Dead trilogy. The winner is Missy from the East Coast of the USA. A Japanese copy of a The Evil Dead R2 JVD DVD (2000), with all the inserts included will be on it's way to them. Thanks to everyone else who entered too!
Secondly, a number of new item photos have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Various UK & US VHS Releases (a couple of which are quite rare); The Evil Dead UK Palace Pictures Pre-Cert V2000 (1982), The Evil Dead US UAV VHS (1991), The Evil Dead US Anchor Bay Limited Ed VHS (1998), Army Of Darkness UK Polygram VHS (1992)
Finally, a new page has been added to the site; it's Bill Peason's Portfolio & 35mm Photo Scans page in the Features section. Bill Pearson is a British modelshop supervisor, and model & prop maker for film & TV, who's been working in the industry for over fourty years. He's worked on a list of films including; Alien (1979), Dr Who (various), Flash Gordon (1980), Dan Dare, Day Of The Triffids (1981), Outland (1981), Space Precinct (1994), Masterminds (1997), Lost In Space (1998), Red Dwarf (various), The Astronaut's Wife (1999), Wing Commander (1999), Battlefield Earth (2000), Die Another Day (2002), Thunderbirds Movie (2004), Alien Vs Predator (2004). You can see his IMDB Entry here, and his official Showreel here. He's also been a good friend of mine for some years now. What's it doing on an Evil Dead fansite? Well I've posted the scanned material around a number of internet forums, but forums being what they are, I also wanted to give it a permanent home just in case they ever went down or lost content.
October 31, 2014 - Fifth Anniversary, October's Competition Winner & New Competition
Firstly, today marks BookOfTheDead.ws's fifth anniversary online, back on October 31, 2009, the site was opened while still incomplete, and with a fraction of the content now available. Even though it's still young by Evil Dead fansite standards, it'll be built upon for years to come to become even bigger and better. Thanks to everyone who has contributed in one way or another, and here's to another five years of fanatic fandom!
In more run of the mill updates, head over to the Competition page to enter November's competition; write a short story based around the Evil Dead trilogy. It can be a fully completed idea, or just a brief synopsis, ranging from a few lines, to a few pages. It can be a completely original story which takes place in the world of Evil Dead, or a telling of events which happened outside of one of the films in the trilogy. You could even expand a piece of story within one of the films. The closing date is Sunday November 30, 2014. The winner will be announced. shortly after that, along with the answers and the next competition, all of which will be posted here. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
October's competition was to answer the following question; Name three or more actors/actresses who played or Shemped
for the character of Linda on screen, in The Evil Dead? The winner is Nikolay Yeriomin from Donetsk in Ukraine. Two The Evil Dead (2003) & Evil Dead II (1987) Japanese 'Chirashi' promo flyers are on their way to him. Thanks to everyone else who entered too!
With BookOfTheDead.ws's fifth anniversary coming at the end of the month, here are a few little additions. Firstly, a number of new item photos have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. An Evil Dead II German Press Kit (1988), Various Evil Dead II Japanese promotional items; Shochiku Home Video VHS (1988), B&W Lobby Card set (1988), Phonecard (1988), & Cinema Ticket (1988), an Evil Dead II 'Road To Coast' by Marius Hubert Robert (Painting framed & aged, with blood splatters), The Evil Dead A2 reproduction artwork-only UK Quad poster (by Graham Humpreys), and finally two rare postcards; It's Murder (1978) & The Evil Dead (1990).
Next, an Evil Dead II - German Press Kit - 1988 has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page, which includes high resolution scans of the eight lobby-card slides. Also one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Screens Magazine - Vol.1 Issue 7 - 1987.
Finally thanks to Elise Holmes, three new images have been added to the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 438, 439 & 674. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
September 30, 2014 - September's Competition Winner, New Competition & More
Head over to the Competition page to enter October's competition; a simple trivia question which anyone can answer. It may take a little research but the answers are out there, either on this website, another site, or in one or more of the many books & DVDs on the film. The question is as follows; Name three or more actors/actresses who played or Shemped for the character of Linda on screen, in The Evil Dead? The closing date is Friday October 31, 2014. The winner will be picked at random from all the entries with three or more correct and verified answers, and announced. shortly after that, along with the answers and the next competition, all of which will be posted here. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
The winner of August's competition is Gianni Crivello from Italy, father to huge Evil Dead fan Emanuele Crivello. A photo of Gianni's entry can be seen on the Competition page; a pencil scretch drawn around a year ago. A well deserved copy of a 1987 Evil Dead II 24-page Japanese Movie Programme is on it's way to him. Thanks to everyone else who entered too!
In further site updates, thanks to research by Danish fan Jesper Mørch, the three Evil Dead II paintings on the Evil Dead II - Artwork page have now been identifed, and more information about each one has been added. Also, scans of a The Evil Dead Postcard sent from Josh Becker on Holiday in England to Sam Raimi back in California in 1990, have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page.
August 31, 2014 - August's Competition Winner, New Competition & More
Head over to the Competition page to enter September's competition; the 'Best fanmade Artwork'. It can be anything Evil Dead related from either The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II or Army Of Darkness. It must be a physical artwork you've created yourself, although it can be a drawing, painting or collage. Computer created images will not be considered, handmade artwork only! It doesn't have to be something created specifically for this competition, it can be something you did years ago, just as long as it's your own work. Take a photo and send it in. The closing date is Tuesday September 30, 2014. The winner will be announced shortly after that, along with the next competition, both of which will be posted on this page. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
The winner of August's competition is Danish fan Jesper Mørch, see the bottom of the Competition page for photos of his entry. It's his The Evil Dead 'Book of the Dead' prop replica. Probably the best and most accurate Book replica created by a fan, with fantastic attention to detail. If you want to read more about the creation of this item, Jesper actually provided a write-up of this project (with photos) to the site in 2013 which you can read on the Replica Book Of The Dead page within the Features section. A well deserved copy of a 1985 The Evil Dead Japanese Large 'Chirashi' Foldover Promo Flyer is on it's way to him. Thanks to everyone else who entered too!
Secondly, a scan of a The Evil Dead - French Double Sided Special Effects Card - 1985, has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, courtesy of Italian fan Emanuele.
Finally, seven new or upgraded images have been added across the site. On The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; number 246. On the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 355 & 387. Finally on the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; numbers 472, 473, 474, & 475. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
August 10, 2014 - More EvilDeadChainsaws.com News, & Scanned Additions
Firstly some exciting news. Many of you may know of EvilDeadChainsaws.com. Up to now, it's focused on selling replicas of three types of chainsaw from Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness, but now there is one new additional item for sale. It's been a few months in the making and it's taken a whole lot of money & work to get to a sellable product. it's a carefully crafted replica of Ash's Mechanical Hand from Army Of Darkness. it is priced at £800 (UK Pounds) plus shipping, which is roughly $1375 (US Dollars) or €1000 (Euros). Check out the 'Chainsaws' section on EvilDeadChainsaws.com for information and how to order, and you can read more about how this project came about on this forum thread; EvilDeadChainsaws.com Army Of Darkness Mechanical Arm.
Also, a few little scanned additions. A Super-8 Origins - In-Print page has now been created, and a new It's Murder Promo Postcard - 1978 scan has been added, as well as The Lansing Star Newspaper #166 - May 22, 1980 which has been moved over from the Magazines page in the Features section, as this page is more applicable. Also scans of The Evil Dead - R1 US Anchor Bay Book Of The Dead DVD - 2002, and The Evil Dead - R1 US AB Book Of The Dead DVD 'Bringing The Dead Home For Dinner' Booklet - 2002 have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page.
July 31, 2014 - July's Competition Winner, New Competition & More
Head over to the Competition page to enter August's competition; 'The Best fanmade or fan-found replica prop'. It can be anything Evil Dead related from either The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II or Army Of Darkness. Either something you've made yourself, or something you've bought which was made as a prop-replica, or even an original item you've found somewhere which matches something shown on screen. Examples include the 'Book of the Dead', a 'Kandarian Dagger', a chainsaw, lantern or necklace, one of the trilogy's various firearms, or even the infamous Delta 88 'Royale' Oldsmobile car! Literally anything related. It can be something you picked up locally, or from a far flung corner of the globe, even something you've had for years. Just take a photo and send it in. The closing date is Sunday, August 31 2014. The winner will be announced shortly after that, along with the next competition, both of which will be posted on this page. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
The winner of July's competition is Anthony K from France, see the bottom of the Competition page for photos of his entry. A well deserved copy of the 1987 Japanese Shochiku Home Video Laserdisc of Evil Dead II, with OBI & insert (SF078-5254) is on it's way to him, along with a DVD transfer copy in there as well. Thanks to everyone else who entered too!
Secondly, photos of a fair number of new items have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Magazines; Rue Morgue #25 (2002), Films Vol.3 No.6 (1983), Blitz Magazine #9 (1983), and Stopmotion Monsters Of Filmland #9 (1998), The Evil Dead items; the German Press Kit (1986), and a French Re-Release Program (2003), large 'Chirashi' Foldover posters for Evil Dead II (1987) & Army Of Darkness (1993), along with three Japanese Film Festival Flyers', the Japanese Cineasta VHS release of The Evil Dead (199?), along with the Japanese Herald Videogram VHD Disc (1985), an Army Of Darkness Towa Video Laserdisc (1995) & Signapore Jei Wea Co LTD Laserdisc (199?), some Evil Dead II Scanned Replica Wall Paintings, and finally various The Evil Dead related rare items; a Film Festival Sales Brochure (1981), American Film Market Screening Invite (1982), Red Premiere Ticket (1981), a Red Promo Badge (1983), and a Black Promo Badge (1983).
Also, a few little scanned additions. Scans of three The Evil Dead - Japanese Film Festival Flyers' have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. Secondly, a scan of the magazine Stop Motion Monsters Of Filmland #9 - Summer 1998 has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. Stop Motion Monsters of Filmland was a Japanese language magazine published by Studio 28 in Japan. It was a short-lived but popular title devoted to all things stop motion, for the most part filled with retrospectives looking back to the glory days of stop motion animation. It only had a short 9½ run from 1994 to 1998, although the same publisher also put out two editions of the Monster Makers book too.
Finally, this site is now on Facebook. It's really just being used to promote the competition, but check out the BookOfTheDead.ws Facebook Page all the same!
July 20, 2014 - More Scanned Additions
Firstly, a few little additions. Scans of an incredibly rare fifteen page The Evil Dead - Film Festival Sales Brochure - 1981, and upgraded scans of the Book Of The Dead - Premiere Tickets - 1981 have both been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. Secondly, a scan of an Evil Dead 2 - French Press Sheet - 2003 has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page courtesy of French fan Anthony.
Fifteen new or upgraded images have been added on The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 043, 049, 051, 088, 096, 098, 099, 102, 132, 186, 187, 200, 228, 304 & 363. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.). If you have any photos which aren't on any of those pages, please get in touch.
July 15, 2014 - Exciting EvilDeadChainsaws.com News, Plus Some Scanned Additions
Firstly, a few little additions. Scans of the Anchor Bay Limited Edition Journal Booklet from The Evil Dead's US 1998 VHS release have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, this booklet has a few photos which haven't been published anywhere else, so it's certainly worth a look. Also thanks to French fan Anthony, scans of The Evil Dead's set of six French 2003 Re-Release Lobby Cards have been added to the same page, as well as scans of Evil Dead II's six French Lobby Cards on the Evil Dead II - In-Print page.
Finally many of you may know of EvilDeadChainsaws.com. Up to now, it's focused on selling replicas of three types of chainsaw from Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness, but shortly there will be one new additional item for sale. It's been a few months in the making and it's not quite ready yet, but it's a carefully crafted replica of Ash's Mechanical Hand from Army Of Darkness. You can see some roughly assembled photos of the current progress in this DropBox folder.
There is still a fair 'to-do' list, which includes the task of moulding all the grey coloured parts so they can be reproduced in plastic resin, but these photos will give you a good idea of the finished item. Once it's put on sale in a few weeks, it will be priced around £800 (UK Pounds) plus shipping, which is roughly $1375 (US Dollars) or €1000 (Euros). If you want to receive an email once I start taking orders, please let me know at
And your name will be added to the mailing list.
June 30, 2014 - June's Competition Winner, New Competition & More
Head over to the Competition page to enter July's competition; 'The most obscure/best/rarest item in your Evil Dead collection'. It can be anything Evil Dead related from either The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II or Army Of Darkness. Something you've bought or even something you've created yourself; an original or replica prop, promotional item, book, magazine, comic, poster, DVD, VHS, Laserdisc, soundtrack, toy, clothing, artwork, or a signed/autographed item. Literally anything related. It can be something you picked up locally, or from a far flung corner of the globe, even something you picked up years ago which is now rare today. Just take a photo of the most obscure/best/rarest item in your Evil Dead collection and send it in. The closing date is Thursday, July 31 2014. The winner will be announced shortly after that, along with the next competition, both of which will be posted on this page. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
The winner of last month's competition is Bri Cummings from the USA, see the bottom of the Competition page for photos of her entry. A 1983 UK PAL VHS copy of The Evil Dead released by Palace Pictures is on it's way to her. Thanks to everyone else who entered too!
Secondly, one really interesting addition to the site; a PDF called 'Evil Dead 2 - Cabin Wall Painting Scans' has been added to the Evil Dead II - Artwork page. The origin of these paintings is a little hazy. These were bought personally from Canadian fan called Joel, who in turn bought them from an elderly man at a flee market in Nova Scotia in June 2014. Joel came across one painting which this man claimed was a duplicate of one of the paintings used in Evil Dead II, and he had a couple more. Joel got in touch for an opinion, and upon returning to the market the following week picked up three paintings. Between us we found both the bird paintings are visible on the wall behind Ash as he cries holding Linda's necklace around 17m 06s in Evil Dead II, and the scenic house painting can be seen best as Ed's head hits it around 41m 35s. Having personally inspected & scanned them for this site, they are almost certainly not screen-used originals. The two bird images shown on screen are cropped differently, if these same images were put in those frames, they would be too big on some edges and too short on others. The house painting is also smaller than the one shown on screen. Their quality and accuracy however, makes them quite unlikely to be fanmade replicas either, so they're most likely to be scans of the originals reproduced as colour laser prints. If you have any information on where these images might have come from, then please get in touch via email at
Finally, a note has been added to the The Evil Dead - Score page; about a minor difference between one of the tracks on the The Evil Dead' US Varese Sarabande OST CD, and the two Japanese releases; The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Japanese Soundtrack Listeners Communications CD set and Evil Dead Trilogy Japanese Volcano / Varese Sarabande CD set.
June 23, 2014 - Photo Additions
Seventeen new or upgraded images have been added across the site. On The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 016, 091, 115, 124, 216, 305, 339 & 351. On the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 398 & 471. Finally on the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page; numbers 027, 028, 113, 321, 325, 338, & 339. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.).
Image 124 on the The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page was kindly provided by Kyle over at fellow Evil Dead fansite EvilDead2.co.uk. If you have any photos which aren't on any of those pages, please get in touch.
June 18, 2014 - Various Additions & The Competition
A few additions; The Evil Dead - German Press Kit - 1986 was added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, a few weeks back, this was missing five promo photo slides which had to be professionally scanned. These have just been added and the upload is now complete. Further, The Evil Dead - French Re-Release Program - 2003 has also been added to that same page. Lastly, one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Blitz Magazine #9 - February-March 1983, published during the initial UK theatrical release of The Evil Dead.
One final word, there have only been a handful of entries to this month's competition so far; the 'Best Evil Dead trilogy related fanmade costume', but you can still enter up to the 30th of June. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter. The name of the winner, along with details on next month competition will be posted on July 1st.
June 3, 2014 - Competition & Various Additions
Firstly, from now on a monthly competition will be running. The theme will change each month, with some upcoming competitions involving 'the best fanmade replica Evil Dead trilogy
related prop', 'the most obscure/best/rarest item in your Evil Dead collection', and 'the best Evil Dead trilogy related short film made by a fan or collection of fans'. Each month's prize
will be something on the rarer and interesting side, not something you can easily pick up on Amazon for peanuts, and the prize will reflect the difficulty of the competition. The harder the
competition, the better the prize.
To begin, the first competition is the 'Best Evil Dead trilogy related fanmade costume'. It can be anything from an Ash Halloween costume you made years ago
to some sort of deadite makeup created for a fan film, or even something created specifically for this competition. The closing date is Monday, June 30 2014. The winner will be announced shortly after that, along with the next competition, both of which will be posted on this page. Check out the Competition page for more information and how to enter.
Secondly, a couple of scans have been added to the site; a The Evil Dead - American Film Market Screening Invite - 1982 and The Evil Dead - German Press Kit - 1986 on the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and an Evil Dead 2 - Japanese Large Promo Foldover Flyer - 1987 to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. The Evil Dead - German Press Kit is currently missing five promo photo slides which have yet to be scanned, but should be added within a week or so.
Thirdly, some up-to-date information has been added on Evil Dead II's exterior cabin location in Wadesboro, North Carolina courtesy of producer & director Dan Sellers. He got in contact to say that sadly it's finally collapsed. You can read more on this on the Evil Dead II - Locations page.
Finally a higher quality version of The Evil Dead's iconic artwork by Graham Humphreys has been added to the The Evil Dead - Palace Pictures page. Thanks to Graham for allowing that to be posted. High quality large poster reprints of that artwork, along with others are available directly from Graham's website GrahamHumphreys.com.
April 29, 2014 - Richard de Manincor Interview & Various Additions
Firstly, You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Richard de Manincor. Richard is better known as Hal Delrich, the actor who played Scotty in The Evil Dead. It covers his time on The Evil Dead's Tennessee & Michigan re-shoots, along with working on Crimewave, and his subsequent disappearance from the film industry. Tracking him down took a lot of work, so Richard taking the time to give his unique perspective for this interview is hugely
appreciated.
Secondly, a new page has been added; the Japanese Item Scans page in the Features section. In searching out the many Japanese Evil Dead Trilogy items seen in the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section, other select Japanese horror & sci-fi movie related promotional items such as flyers & programs have also been acquired. While these are not Evil Dead Trilogy related, given their rarity in the west many people may still be interested to see high quality scans.
Japanese movie artwork has long been of personal interest, it's quite unlike anything else in the world. Most specifically (but not limited to) items called 'Chirashi' (or 映画チラシ). They are 7"x10" flyers placed in cinema lobbies in Japan to promote current and future movie releases. They often take the form of a miniature replica of the movie's poster with promotional photos and information on the reverse. They're usually a single double-sided page, but two or four page versions are sometimes produced. See Wikipedia for a more detailed explanation. Another interesting item specific to Japan are Movie Programs (or パンフレット). These are only usually sold during the original theatrical run of a given film in Japan. They often contain many unique colour and black and white photos & artwork, information on the film, the cast & crew, all written in Japanese over around 10 to 40 pages. A4 (295mm x 210mm) is the most popular size, but many can be found in B5 (7" x 10") and B4 (14" x 10") formats too.
Also, one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Films Vol.3 No.6 - May 1983. Further, a scan of the UK 'Book of the Dead' DVD advert in HotDog Magazine from January 2002 mentioning Within The Woods has been added to the Within The Woods - DVD/Blu-Ray page.
April 15, 2014 - Collection & Magazine Additions
A list of new items have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Firstly an Evil Dead II green glass bankers desk lamp; 'almost' identical to the one seen next to the tape player on the cabin table. Next, a UK Palace Pictures The Evil Dead Pre-Cert Beta tape (1982), The Egos Have Landed: Rise and Fall of Palace Pictures book by Angus Finney (1996), and finally a number of magazines; In The Flesh #8 (1990), In The Flesh #9 (1990), In The Flesh #10 (1990), The Dark Side No.35 (1993), The Dark Side No.36 (1993), The Dark Side No.42 (1994), The Dark Side No.90 (2001), Video Watchdog #46 (1998), The Hollywood Reporter - Cannes '84 (1984), Cinefantastique Vol.22 No.5 (1992), Cinefantastique Vol.23 No.5 (1993), Fangoria #27 (1983), Fangoria #122 (1993), Gorezone #6 (1989), and Gorezone #17 (1991).
Also, two new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; In The Flesh #9 (1990) and In The Flesh #10 (1990) each containing one of a two-part Greg Nicotero interview covering Army Of Darkness, among other things.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
April 7, 2014 - Magazine Additions
Two new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. Firstly The Hollywood Reporter - Cannes '84 - Tuesday, May 8, 1984, has a full page advert for Evil Dead And The Army Of Darkness taken out by Irvin Shapiro's film distribution company 'Films Around The World, Inc', timed for the Cannes Film Festival in 1984. This distribution deal never came to fruition, and Evil Dead II wasn't put into production for another two years.
The second set of scans are far more exiting; 40 back issues of Daily & Weekly Variety dated from 1982 to 1992 covering The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness over 94 pages. While there is some run-of-the-mill material such as short film reviews, there are also some gems such as full-page movie adverts timed to the various film festivals such as Cannes & the American Film Market, running news on The Evil Dead's UK 'Video Nasty' legal problems, running distribution updates on Evil Dead II; first to be financed by 'Films Around The World, Inc' in 1984, then 'Embassy Home Entertainment' in 1985, then the 'De Laurentiis Entertainment Group' in 1986 as it went into production, until Dino De Laurentiis finally created the 'Rosebud Releasing Corporation' to release it in 1987. There is also a very special Cannes 1984 two-page advert for Evil Dead II (Evil Dead And The Army Of Darkness), created by 'Films Around The World, Inc' containing artwork which was never used anywhere else, a composited version of which you can now see at the top of the Evil Dead II - Production page. Once Evil Dead II passed from Irvin Shapiro's hands in 1985, the amount of promotional/advertisting material for in later issues drops off, and there is very little promo material in there for Army Of Darkness.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
March 27, 2014 - Various Additions
Firstly, the Online Store section has been redesigned, the A3 posters available to buy have been dropped, and this section of the site now details items which are not and have never been available in stores, which fans may want to buy direct from their creators. It does not cover standard retail Evil Dead Trilogy collectables. Currently this includes this site's The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II 2012 Locations Footage DVD, Ryan Meade's Invaluable DVD, and Josh Becker's Super-8 Shorts DVDs.
For those who don't know, Invaluable is a feature length documentary created by film-maker Ryan Meade about special effects creator Tom Sullivan; from his beginnings as a stop-motion Super-8 animator, to his work on The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and Army Of Darkness and beyond. It features interviews with Bruce Campbell, Scott Spiegel, Josh Becker, Ted Raimi, Rich DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Teresa Seyferth, Ellen Sandwiess, and many others involved, and is highly recommended. It can only be purchased directly from Ryan via his Facebook page or the DVD Purchase page. There are three purchase options; $20 for the DVD, $30 for a DVD & poster, and $35 for a DVD & poster signed by both Ryan & Tom. Postage to locations ouside the USA will come to a little more, but it's worth it.
Finally, four new/upgraded magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; In The Flesh #2 (1990), In The Flesh #3 (1990), In The Flesh #4 (1990), and Film Threat Vol.1 No.9 (1986). Further, a number of images have been added across the site; eight new or upgraded images on the Super-8 Origins - Photos & Artwork page, five on the Within The Woods - Photos & Artwork page, and three on the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page; numbers 052, 084, 471. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.) If you have any photos which aren't there, please get in touch.
March 22, 2014 - Collection Additions
A list of new items have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. These are the Invaluable DVD & Poster (both signed), an Evil Dead II UK Palace Pictures timecoded sample copy VHS (1987), an Evil Dead II UK That's Entertainment Records OST LP (1987), The Evil Dead book by Kate Egan (2012), The Unseen Force: The Films Of Sam Raimi book by John Kenneth Muir (2004), a The Evil Dead Japanese 'Chirashi' Flyer (2002) and finally a number of magazines; Cinema #8 (1982), In The Flesh #2 (1990), In The Flesh #3 (1990), In The Flesh #4 (1990), Starburst No.386 (2013), Film Threat Vol.1 No.9 (1986), Gorezone #9 (1989)
Once they're scanned in the next few days, magazines In The Flesh #2 (1990), In The Flesh #3 (1990), In The Flesh #4 (1990), Film Threat Vol.1 No.9 (1986), Gorezone #9 (1989) will all be added/upgraded on the Magazines page in the Features section.
March 18, 2014 - Collection, DVD & Magazine Additions
Two new items have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. They are the 2001 R0 German CMV Laservision The Evil Dead Limited Edition Necronomicon DVD (numbered #0036) and the 2013 R0 German Studio Canal Evil Dead II 25th Anniversary Wood Edition 3-disc DVD & Blu-Ray Combo (numbered #001511). Expect further updates to that page in the next few days and weeks.
The 2001 R0 German CMV Laservision The Evil Dead Limited Edition Necronomicon DVD has also been added into the The Evil Dead - DVD page. Fans may be interested to note that this was actually the first 'Book Of The Dead' style home release anywhere in the world; in July 19, 2001. The US R1 Anchor Bay The Evil Dead Book Of The Dead DVD designed by Tom Sullivan wasn't released until seven months later on March 5, 2002. The similarities between the two releases are striking (although no conclusions are being drawn here), both are replicas of the book made in a brown rubber, although the US version contains pages on the inside, whereas the German release is simply a black blow-moulded shell with the book cover wrapped around it.
This DVD is limited to 2600 numbered units worldwide (2500 + 100 press copies), so is much rarer and more expensive. The disc contents itself is really nothing special, simply a re-package of an earlier German Astro Filmworks release, which in turn is probably a re-package of the barebones 1999 US R1 Anchor Bay release (the transfers are very similar), although there are some Evil Dead: Hail to the King stills & video material added in there, as well as a number of booklets, cards & replica posters included in the case. The unremarkable disc contents aside, this release is the pride of many fans collections' simply due to it's packaging.
Lastly, one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Cinema Magazine #8 - December 1982, which contains a two page spread on the 'upcoming' movie.
March 11, 2014 - Further Misc Additions
A number of Japanese items bought over the past few weeks have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. these include; 3 Laserdiscs, two soundtracks and a DVD. More material will be added shortly. Also, up to now, all the click-able large images on this page have been reduced in size to fit within 1000px by 1000px, but this did make some of the smaller items hard to see even on these large images. Now, all the large images have been upgraded are now full size from the original photos taken.
Lastly, eight new or upgraded images have been added to the The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page; numbers 003, 015, 016, 019, 114, 199, 214, 215, all rescans of slides which were not the best when professionally scanned first time round. (Please note: every time any of the photo gallery pages are updated, the numbers shuffle up or down to accommodate new images, so if they've been updated since this news entry, these numbers may not match exactly.) If you have any photos which aren't there, please get in touch.
February 27, 2014 - Misc Additions
When the site started back in 2009, it was assembled using the best photos & artwork available at the time. Today, the range of behind-the-scenes & promotional images available from all three films, along with earlier material, is so much broader. With that in mind, many of the images used across the pages of The Evil Dead section have either been upgraded or replaced, including; the Credits, Production, SFX, Locations, and Score pages. The Super-8 Origins section has also been updated, including the Main and Scores pages, and finally seven new or upgraded images have been added to the Within The Woods Photos & Artwork page, with further upgrades on the Credits, Production and Score pages.
Two new items have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Two Evil Dead II workshed shelf items; a blue Fix-Tite rubber repair kit - consumer size can, and a 6oz glass Coca-cola bottle. Expect further updates to that page in the next few weeks. The same two items have been added into a Miscellaneous Workshed Items section within the Evil Dead II Props page. Also, further information and/or photo additions & upgrades have been added to the The Evil Dead Props page; The Lantern, Cellar Projector, and Reel To Reel Tape Recorder.
February 5, 2014 - Don Campbell Interview & Other Additions
Firstly, You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Don Campbell. It covers his time on a number of the Super-8 short films, as a production assistant on The Evil Dead's Tennessee & Michigan re-shoots, along with working on Stryker's War, Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except, and his brief appearances in Army Of Darkness.
Secondly, a number of new items have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. these include; Eiga Hiho Magazine (called 映画秘宝 in Japan) - Vol.38 (February 2003), Shivers #79 (2000), The Evil Dead; Japanese Toshiba VHS (1985), Best/Cineasta Japanese Laserdisc (1982), R2 Japanese JVD DVD (2000), and R2 Japanese JVD SE DVD (2003). Evil Dead II R2 Japanese Beam DVD Ent (2000), and Army Of Darkness R2 Japanese MGM Home Ent. DVD (2008) & R2 Japanese MGM Home Ent. SE DVD (2003), and a large 'Chirashi' red The Evil Dead foldover poster (1985). Also there is a Revere Camera Company 'Model 48' 16mm projector; identical to the one seen in the cellar in The Evil Dead, including the two 16mm reels. The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Panasonic Solid State RQ-706S Reel To Reel Tape Recorder, now has two identical The Evil Dead reels, along with a vintage identical headphone. Lastly at the bottom of the page, the two souvenir display case photos have been updated. Expect further updates to that page in the next few weeks.
Lastly, one new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Japanese publication Eiga Hiho Magazine - Vol.38 - February 2003, which contains a retrospective of The Evil Dead in Japanese language. Plus 18 new images have been added to the Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page. As always, if you have any photos which aren't there, please get in touch.
January 18, 2014 - Webmasters Physical Items Collection Page Additions
A number of new items bought over the past few months have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. these include; an 1987 Evil Dead II gold big-box palace VHS, a The Evil Dead replica clock drawing drawn for me by Jesper Mørch, a persnally designed Evil Dead II replica 'A Farewell To Arms' book cover with original book, a The Evil Dead replica torn Hills Have Eyes cellar wall poster, Seven The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II style replica lost 'Book Of The Dead' pages, also created for me by Jesper Mørch, and finally a The Evil Dead replica Dietz No.2 D-lite lantern. Expect further updates to that page in the next few weeks.
January 05, 2014 - The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Props Additions
A scanned 20 page PDF version of an original Panasonic Tape Recorder Service Manual for the RQ-706S been added to the The Evil Dead Props page, as well as the Evil Dead II Props page, along with a personally created replica printable PDF version of the 'fake' A Farewell to Arms book cover.
January 02, 2014 - The Evil Dead Props Additions & Links Page Update
Information on the Lantern, Hills Have Eyes Poster, and Axe have been added to the The Evil Dead Props page, along with further information and/or upgraded photos on the Reel To Reel Tape Recorder; unit, reels & earphone, and Ash's Car. Expect further additions to that page in the future.
Also, there have been some big additions to the Links page. Eight preservations of old sites & individual webpages pages have been added, hosted on this site's servers, including; Daniel G. Araujo's Blog Site (2002 to 2003, has been offline for some years), a backup of the DeaditesOnline.net Forum (30/08/07 to 20/08/08, current forums only go back to 2011), MZonneveld's Evil Dead Collection (01/08/04), Evil Dead Interactive (1998 to 2008), Morsoth's Evil Dead Collection (03/08/03), The Essential Ode2Ash (1997 to 2001) all of which have been offline for some years, WithinTheWoods.co.uk (13/10/07, site went offline, now is back up but sparse), along with many miscellaneous Evil Dead web & forum pages (1998 to 2014).
Some of these were simply saved from the internet at the time and the originals are now offline, some are still online but have changed significantly since saving, and others were donated to the site by their former webmasters to be preserved for the future. Please note that not all of the pages, images & links will be working, but they are as complete as they can be. If you're a former Evil Dead fansite webmaster and want your ex-site hosted & preserved here for current and future fans to enjoy, then get in touch.
Please note; We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to allow fans to listen to material they can't officially buy. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their audio was not included, please send over an email, and it'll be immediately removed.
Also, a The Evil Dead replica set of aged cabin keys on ring has been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section, along with upgraded photos of the NightmareGloves.com 'Dream Master' Freddy Glove (which has had some aging & tweaking work done on it), and The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Panasonic Solid State RQ-706S Reel To Reel Tape Recorder (which now has two tape reels which are screen-accurate to the first film).
December 15, 2013 - Further Additions
Firstly, the Features section has been re-arranged. Further items were added to the Props Reference Guide to the point that it was becoming too big, so the page was and moved out of the Features section, split into three, and added into each respective films' section; The Evil Dead Props page, Evil Dead II Props page, and the Army Of Darkness Props page. An itemized index has been added at the top of each page to aid navigation. Any further prop additions will be added to those pages from now on.
Additions to the props pages are as follows. On The Evil Dead Props page; information on the cabin's keys, and the cellar 16mm projector has been added, also The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II necklaces have now been split up, as they look similar but are different makes. On the Evil Dead II Props page; information on the Necklace, 'A Farewell to Arms' Book, and the Table Lamp has been added.
One new magazine scan has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; UK publication Shivers #79 - July 2000, which contains a brief retrospective of the Evil Dead trilogy. In addition, The Evil Dead Palace Pictures page has been updated to include images and information on the extremely rare 'Not guilty! - The Evil Dead is back' Palace Pictures 1984 replacement VHS & Betamax sleeve, along with expanding and adding images regarding the UK Palace Pictures VHS re-release, and possible Palace VHS alternate artwork. Also, a 'Dream Master' Replica Freddy Kruger Glove made by Anders Eriksen at Nightmare Gloves has been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page within the Collectables section. Many fans will know that you can see one hanging in the Evil Dead II Workshed & Cellar sets. Expect further additions to that page in the future.
Lastly, a new item called Swofty's Evil Dead Folders page, has been added into the Features section. Swofty obsessively printed off huge amounts of Evil Dead material from the Deadites-Online forums and elsewhere between 2000 to 2003. The vast majority of the material was dated around 2000 to 2003, but there was a smaller quality of newer material too. All 1,611 A4 pages have been scanned into three PDFs, and uploaded for anyone who wants to download them. Also, since the British Library Newspapers building in Colindale closed on November 8, 2013, a further day going through their archive of UK newspapers searching for Video Nasty & censorship related material for the Video Nasties project in the Features section has been on hold for some time. A new News & Media Reading Room is planned for The British Library, St Pancras Branch, which will open in March 2014 with many new & upgraded facilities (this is where all the microfilm is being moved). Hopefully a further day can be spent at that branch shortly thereafter to fill in some of the gaps.
December 5, 2013 - Splatterhouse Game Addition
A page on the Namco 1988 Japanese side-scrolling beat-em-up arcade game Splatterhouse can be seen on the Splatterhouse page in the Features section, where you can also download an ISO of the incredibly rare PC version of the game, long with artwork scans and instructions. What's it doing on an Evil Dead fansite? Well there are a few reasons; Splatterhouse was one of the first truly gory arcade or home games, and for a few years, was probably the most violent. It has a number of direct influences from the Evil Dead films; including disembodied attacking heads & hands, re-animated wall mounted stag heads, and perhaps most infamously, Piggy Man - a boss with chainsaws for hands. Finally, it was a major personal influence and a fond childhood memory, which is the main reason for it's inclusion here.
December 1, 2013 - Props Reference Guide Revisions And Further Updates
Firstly, the Props Reference Guide in the Features section has been greatly revised and updated. The Evil Dead Single Barrel Shotgun previously identified, was wrong and has now been corrected to a Winchester 37A 20-gauge shotgun, along with new images an original Federal 20-gauge Hi-Power shells box. The Evil Dead Necklace has now been identified as a Crown Trifari Silver Magnifying Glass Pendant & Chain, with new images and a printable PDF DIY presentation box. The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Cabin Clock has now been identified as an Ansonia Regulator 'Ledger No.1', with new images and information on a replica project. Plus, all the old screenshots have been upgraded from DVD to Blu-Ray resolution, along with new images on the The Evil Dead Book of the Dead, The Evil Dead Chainsaw entries.
October 21, 2013 - The Evil Dead Locations Page & In-Print/Magazine Updates
Firstly, huge thanks to Robin, a nephew of the current owner, detailed information about the history of The Evil Dead's cabin has been added to the The Evil Dead - Locations page, covering it's construction in the 1960's to it's destruction in April 1982.
In addition to that, an apology is in order. The term 'Redneck' was used in a number of places on The Evil Dead - Locations page to describe the cabin site's owners and locals in and around Morristown. It's worth pointing out that the vast majority of this site's content with reference to the cabin site is made up of second hand accounts from books and people's stories, so things can only be amended as they are shown to be incorrect. Redneck is not a word in common use over here in England, so it's use on this site is based on what other people have said. Sorry if anyone found the use of this term offensive, and it's now been removed.
On the same page, a little more information has been added on Rob Tapert's family farmhouse in Marshall, Michigan. The farmhouse still exists today, although the current owners have no wish whatsoever to be associated with the film, or to become a local tourist trap. They just want to be left alone. Given the sad tale of the destruction of The Evil Dead's cabin as detailed at the above link, I doubt many readers would blame them.
Finally, scans of three The Evil Dead items have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. Firstly, a scan of a Newspaper Advert for the Prince Charles Cinema - 1983, along with a Japanese 20th Anniversary Large 'Chirashi' Flyer - 2003, and Japanese Large 'Chirashi' Promo Flyer - 1985. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Japanese fan Keiichi from Tokyo for all his help in locating these and a number of other items. Also two short magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Film Monthly Bulletin #586 - November 1982 & Photoplay Movies & Video - January 1983, both UK publications reviewing the 'upcoming' British release of The Evil Dead.
September 9, 2013 - Very Special New Interview!
It's hard to think that work only began on this website four years ago back in July of 2009. It was in November of that year I tracked down Tim Quill and got my first interview. Well, the site has come a long way. Since then I've found & interviewed Cheryl Guttridge, Josh Becker (twice), Tom Sullivan, Danny Hicks, Scott Spiegel, Angela Featherstone, Mark Shostrom, Bart Pierce, Shannon Shea, Rick Catizone, Howard Berger, Robert Kurtzman, Ted Raimi, and Graham Humphreys, and I'll be eternally grateful to each and every one of them for giving up a little of their time to talk, as I'm sure are you. Now I can add one more very special name to that list.
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Bruce Campbell. It covers the latter part of his Super-8 days, to Within The Woods and The Evil Dead. As many will already know, aside from a very long list of film and television productions stretching back over the last 30 years, Bruce played the lead character of Ash in The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness, along with roles in many of the Super-8 Short productions including It's Murder!, Within The Woods & Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter. Bruce's official website can be found at Bruce-Campbell.com, and his book 'If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor' covers his life extensively and is required reading for any fan of the trilogy. It can be found both on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
Also a scan of Starburst No.53 - January 1983 has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. This magazine was published in the month before The Evil Dead hit British cinemas & VHS rental stores.
September 2, 2013 - Magazine Addition
A scan of L' Ecran Fantastique #25 - July 1982 has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. This French-language magazine was released in France shortly after the 1982 Cannes Film Festival (held on May 14-26), and features an interview with Sam Raimi who was attending to promote The Evil Dead.
August 23, 2013 - EvilDeadChainsaws.com Website Overhaul
Those of you who've used Internet Explorer to look at EvilDeadChainsaws.com over the last few years will know it's had a long-standing display problem; some of the images were oversized making the site quite hard to navigate. After stumbling across the solution, and after four days spent solidly re-writing the entire code of the site, now that's fixed, and the site looks more or less the same in the lastest versions of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari.
For those who know about website coding, EvilDeadChainsaws.com uses CSS styling to scale all the images & text by percentage to fill the screen regardless of a users browser window configuration or screen resolution. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer has a bug which means if you put an image within a <TABLE> the scaling ends up all over the place, messing up the layout. The site has been re-written replacing all the <TABLE> tags with <DIV> tags which do allow accurate image scaling, which basically meant starting the coding from scratch as every page was formatted throughout using <TABLE> tags.
Alongside the coding overhaul, there are two new pages, a 'DIY Parts' page which allows people making their own replica chainsaws to buy individual parts, and a 'Place Order' page which is much more useful and comprehensive than the old 'Contact Me' page.
August 11, 2013 - Army Of Darkness Photo Gallery Page Additions
If you have any photos which aren't included, or have any in higher quality, then please get in touch. Equally, if you're looking for a full-resolution version of any of the images, then just ask. Also, one new item has been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page; my own personal EvilDeadChainsaws.com 'Cabin' model replica chainsaw, with a 'light splattered' blood finish and a sharp chain.
August 05, 2013 - Josh Becker Interview, Part 2 & Other Additions
Firstly, You can now head over to the Features section to read a second extensive & detailed interview conducted with Josh Becker. It concentrates specifically on his involvement with The Evil Dead. There is also an older Josh Becker Interview elsewhere on this site which covers his early Super-8 days.
Josh directed, and assisted with numerous Super-8 productions, along with writing & directing a list of feature films including Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except & Running Time. He was also a crew member on The Evil Dead managing a large portion of the lighting and sound, along with cameo roles in Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness. Josh's new book Going Hollywood is now available in paperback Here from Amazon.com, and I would also highly recommend his previous book Rushes, which covers the Super-8 shorts period, and has an extended version of his Evil Dead journal which covers events before and after shooting in Tennessee.
In addition, a scan of The Lansing Star Newspaper #166 - May 22, 1980 has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. This is one of the eariest references to both Within The Woods & Book Of The Dead anywhere in print, thanks to Josh Becker for this. Also, six rare and special new items have been added to the BookOfTheDead.ws Webmasters Physical Items Collection page. Finally thanks again to Josh, another location has been added to the The Evil Dead - Locations page; Bullard Lake, which was used to shoot the opening 'force' POV shot roving across the swamp.
July 23, 2013 - Book Of The Dead Replica Page Added
A Book Of The Dead Replica Page has been added to the Features section. This page details a 2013 project by Danish Evil Dead fan Jesper Moerch to create his own replica Book Of The Dead. The finished item is truly astounding, and well worth it's own BookOfTheDead.ws page. Beyond his write-up & photos, Jesper is happy to assist and advise anyone constructing their own Book replica, and can be reached directly via email at
It's worth adding a further note; While he's happy to see creative fans undertake one-off replica Book Of The Dead projects for their own personal ownership such as the one detailed here, Tom Sullivan retains the ownership & copyright to the Book Of The Dead design. This is something he fiercely protects to this day, and is why you're unlikely to find anyone publicly selling exact book replicas. Tom has taken legal action against a number of individuals publicly selling replicas in the past on auction sites such as Ebay, even with single/one-off items. So if you're thinking turning out replica Books would be an excellent source on income, chances are you'll find yourself on the wrong legal end of Tom, sooner rather than later.
July 20, 2013 - Various Additions
Three new entries have been made into BookOfTheDead.ws Top 'Wants' List section; with requests for Book Of The Dead early script drafts, a Book Of The Dead Red Premiere Ticket, and material for The Evil Dead DVD-ROM Folder Project. A website like this revolves around people out there willing to make a contribution. Whether it's scanning some items from your huge Evil Dead collection, taking a little time to give an interview, or rooting through that dusty old box in the attic for that thing you never knew anyone would be interested in. Some of the wants on the list are perfectly possible and just need the right person to get in contact, while others are very very unlikely. Items will be removed and new ones added as any requests are filled. Check it out and if you know anyone who might be able to help, please get in contact or forward the link on to them.
July 15, 2013 - The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness Additions
The very rare additions made to The Evil Dead - In-Print page, entirely thanks to Josh Becker about a week ago, have now been upgraded from 300dpi to 600dpi, they are; a Book Of The Dead - Premiere Program, Book Of The Dead - Premiere Promo Flyer, Book Of The Dead - Premiere Ticket, and The Evil Dead - Films Around The World Press Release all from 1981, as well as a scan of Bruce's Cabin To Knoxville Airport Driving Directions from 1979. Also, very high quality scans of The Evil Dead - UK Palace Pictures VHS & Game Artwork - 1982-1990, has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and Evil Dead 2 - UK Palace Pictures VHS Artwork - 1987-1992 has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page
Thanks to Elise Holmes and the Army Of Darkness US Universal Screwhead Edition Blu-Ray 'Picture-In-Picture' Gallery, 221 new images have been added to the Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page. While not particularly high resolution, there are many interesting images. If you have any photos which aren't included, or have any in higher quality, then please get in touch. Equally, if you're looking for a full-resolution version of any of the images, then just ask.
July 6, 2013 - Super-8 Origins, The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Additions
The Super-8 Origins - Photos & Artwork page has been updated from just a selection of photos, to everything available, adding in 65 new images and upgrading some of the old ones. If you have any photos which still aren't on there, please get in touch. All the shorts are now numbered in chronological order, which ties up with the Super-8 Origins - Full Shorts List page to make locating easlier. Plus 16 new images have been added across the The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page & Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page. Again if you have any photos which aren't there, please get in touch.
Also, a downloadable PDF version of The Evil Dead - Shooting Script - 1979 has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. This now has a scan of the colour front cover featuring Tom Sullivan's excellent artwork, an upgrade over the old hosted version which was all in black-&-white, although the back cover image still needs upgrading. Evil Dead 2 - 'Ash's Dream' Sheet Music By Joseph LoDuca - 1987 has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. Huge thanks to US Evil Dead collector Dennis for supplying these two, and a number of other bits.
July 3, 2013 - The Evil Dead In-Print, Time Capsule & Other Additions
Some major & very rare new additions have been made to The Evil Dead - In-Print page, entirely thanks to Josh Becker, they are; a Book Of The Dead - Premiere Program, Book Of The Dead - Premiere Promo Flyer, Book Of The Dead - Premiere Ticket, and The Evil Dead - Films Around The World Press Release all from 1981, as well as a scan of Bruce's Cabin To Knoxville Airport Driving Directions from 1979. Also scans of the Army Of Darkness 1992 Australian Press Ad Sheets have been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page.
A few paragraphs of detailed text relating to the possible finding of The Evil Dead's Morristown cabin location 'time capsule' by one fan in 2006, have been added to the bottom of 'The Cabin' section of the The Evil Dead - Locations page. The story told, while probably not the final & definitive word on the matter, certainly provides a logical and compelling resolution. Thanks go to both Josh Becker and Evil Dead fan Ramsey Lawson for finally resolving this. Also some corrections have been made to the top of the same page covering the cabin's destruction. In addition, The Evil Dead - Production page now has a few lines at the top, covering the earliest versions of the Book Of The Dead script, thanks both to Josh and Bart Pierce.
June 30, 2013 - BookOfTheDead.ws Top 'Wants' Section Added & Other Additions
As you may have noticed from the above re-arranging & new addition, BookOfTheDead.ws needs you! The site now has a BookOfTheDead.ws Top 'Wants' List section. A website like this revolves around people out there willing to make a contribution. Whether it's scanning some items from your huge Evil Dead collection, taking a little time to give an interview, or rooting through that dusty old box in the attic for that thing you never knew anyone would be interested in. Some of the wants on the list are perfectly possible and just need the right person to get in contact, while others are very very unlikely. Items will be removed and new ones added as any requests are filled. Check it out and if you know anyone who might be able to help, please get in contact or forward the link on to them.
In addition, twelve new magazine scans have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. Most are low-resolution having been harvested from torrent sites, but people may find them interesting; Cinefantastique Vol.17 No.5 - September 1987, Famous Monster Of Filmland #258 - November/December 2011, Horror Fan Vol.1 No.3 - Fall 1989, Mad Movies #44 - November/December 1986, Mad Movies #53 - May/June 1988, Mad Movies #56 - November/December 1988, Midnight Marquee #33 - Fall 1984, Paracinema #11 - Fall 2007, Steadyzine #2, Total Carnage Vol.1 No.2 - May 1993, Toxic #1 - April/May 2004, and Video World - July 1990. Also scans of The Evil Dead's 1984 German Press Ad Sheets have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
Another little addition can be found on the Evil Dead Trilogy Props Reference Guide page in the Features section; the Evil Dead II 'Kandarian Dagger' entry has been expanded to include both Tom Sullivan's brand new dagger replica (which if you're interested in getting, you can contact Tom directly through his website Dark Age Productions), as well as a personally assembled, modified & painted version of LeMarchand's replica.
Also, the main Features section has been re-arranged to put the interviews at the top, and the other bits at the bottom, as a number of people have mentioned they are one of the big draws to the site, but were buried at the bottom of the Features page and not immediately easy to find.
June 28, 2013 - Army Of Darkness Photo Gallery Section
In addition to The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page & Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page added some months back, The Army Of Darkness section's 'Photos & Artwork' page has now also finally been split into two pages and vastly expanded. The Army Of Darkness - Photo Gallery page now contains every behind-the-scenes, publicity, and promotional photo for Army Of Darkness collected together in one place, and that's currently over three hundred images. They've been collected from a number of sources; some donated by members of the cast & crew during interviews and contact with this site, magazine scans, books, DVD galleries, screenshots, promo material, and the wider internet over the years. If you have any photos which aren't included, or have any in higher quality, then please get in touch. Equally, if you're looking for a full-resolution version of any of the images, then just ask.
The Army Of Darkness - Artwork page now just covers artwork relating to Army Of Darkness. Expect further updates over the weekend.
June 13, 2013 - Evil Dead II In-Print Addition
An Evil Dead 2 UK Palace Pictures VHS Promotion Pack has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. This pack contains much of the films' UK VHS promotional material available; A Sample VHS Cover, A Palace Pictures Promo Fold-Out Poster, A Press Ad Sheet, A sheet of Newspaper Quotes, Release Notes and VHS Promo Flyer, all inside a printed folder.
June 12, 2013 - Evil Dead II In-Print Addition & EvilDeadChainsaws.com
An Evil Dead 2 UK Palace Pictures Theatrical Promotion Pack has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. This pack contains much of the films' UK promotional material available; the set of Front Of House Stills, the set of Press Photos, a Press Ad Sheet and a Booklet, all inside a printed folder. Expect a further addition in the next few days too.
The site has been a little quite lately, which is due to other commitments. Some of you may have been keeping tabs on the resurrection of EvilDeadChainsaws.com, well it's taken 9 weeks of really hard work to get all the moulds & prototyping work completed and now it's open and taking new orders for the 'Cabin' model chainsaw (the Workshed & Medieval chainsaws will be available later in the year). Check out the '2013 Reopening' page on EvilDeadChainsaws.com for more info on the comeback, what's new, and lots of photos, and use the contact page if you want to place an order.
May 7, 2013 - Evil Dead Fan Trip Of A Lifetime Write-up & EvilDeadChainsaws.com
Evil Dead Fan Trip Of A Lifetime; a full & detailed write-up of my December 2012 visit from the UK to The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II's shooting locations the USA, has been added to the Features section. It's taken some time appear on the site, as the display case for the Evil Dead souvenirs featured on the bottom of that page has only just been completed.
Many will be keeping tabs on the re-opening of EvilDeadChainsaws.com, well, it's still on course and the Cabin model saw should be on sale again roughly around the end of this month. As the 'Workshed' photo backdrop no longer exists, taking new chainsaw photos which fit with the site will be tricky until a new backdrop is built, but intermediate rough photos of some sort will be up there so at least people will be able to see what they're actually buying.
April 15, 2013 - Graham Humphreys, A Magazine, & EvilDeadChainsaws.com
Firstly, You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Graham Humphreys. Graham is an illustrator and graphic designer based in London, United Kingdom. He worked on the UK promotional campaigns for The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II during the '80s, and his artwork for both is still the most iconic and well known around the world. He has his own website which you can visit at GrahamHumphreys.com.
A related item; a new magazine scan; Video Times - March 1983 has been added to the the Magazines page. This magazine has a number of interesting items, including a full colour The Evil Dead Palace Pictures VHS release advert, and a competition which is basically the Palace Pictures competition postcard (which came with the 1983 The Evil Dead UK VHS release) written up as a printed piece.
Finally many of you may know that EvilDeadChainsaws.com is soon to re-open. For those who haven't seen the update there, you can read it below;
After I called time on EvilDeadChainsaws around the start of 2008, all the moulds & related bits & pieces were scrapped, and any larger machinery of value was sold off (such as a metal lathe, bandsaw, disc sander, pillar drill, bench table saw, slide mitre saw, metal shear, etc...). Many people have been in contact since then, and you'll be pleased to hear that my new workshop is currently being assembled. I'm starting completely from scratch, making new moulds and revising my designs based on all the various tweaks and upgrades built up over the chainsaws I made between 2005 to 2008. It will take a few more weeks prototype and refine new designs, but I'm approaching the production from a more experienced perspective, which will make for much better saws in the long run.
The revised 'Cabin' chainsaw will be prototyped first, as that was always the most popular. Once that's done and dusted, I'll begin taking orders again, which provisionally is penciled around the end of May. The 'Workshed' & 'Medieval' models will be available later this year as they each need some prototyping work too, so if you want one of those two you will have to wait for the time being. The main differences to the old chainsaws will be the internal construction, although there are a few cosmetic tweaks too.
Once on sale, the 'Cabin' chainsaw will be priced at £550 (UK Pounds) plus shipping, which is roughly $850 (US Dollars) or €650 (Euros), with the 'Workshed' & 'Medieval' models priced similarly. If you want to receive an email once I start taking orders in a few weeks, please email
And your name will be added to the mailing list.
Just as an update to that, everything is on schedule. The workshop is now just about complete, and the 'Cabin' chainsaw's prototyping will start in the next few days. There are now a number of people on the waiting list, and orders will be done on a first-come-first-served basis.
April 1, 2013 - Ted Raimi Interview Online
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Ted Raimi. The interview covers It's Murder, Within The Woods & The Evil Dead rather than his later Henrietta Evil Dead II days (the make-up for which has already been heavily covered on this site in interviews with Mark Shostrom, Howard Berger, Robert Kurtzman, & Shannon Shea).
Most famously playing the role of Possessed Henrietta in Evil Dead II, Ted also had small parts in numerous Super-8 productions, including Six Months to Live, Torro, Torro Torro!, Stryker's War and as Milton's younger brother Bradley in It's Murder!, as well as playing the Cowardly Warrior, Second Supportive Villager & S-Mart Clerk roles in Army Of Darkness, and a string of other well known titles including Crimewave, Intruder, Hercules & Xena as the comical wanna-be warrior Joxer.
Lastly thanks to Anthony, one more musical cue has been identified & added to the Super-8 - Scores page; 'Johnny Pearson - The Lightning Barber' which was used in the end titles for Torro, Torro Torro!.
March 27, 2013 - Magazine & In-Print Additions
Firstly, the existing low quality scan of Film Threat Vol.1 Issue 13 - 1987 has been upgraded to a 600dpi scan, which you can find on the Magazines page. While Cinefantastique - Vol.23 No.1 - August 1992 is easily the most comprehensive magazine available covering the complete Evil Dead Trilogy over 31 pages, the much rarer magazine Film Threat Vol.1 Issue 13 - 1987, is probably the most comprehensive coverage of the Super-8 days, containing interviews with Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell & Scotty Spiegel over 18 pages, with many photos which have never been published anywhere else.
Also scans of a rare 1985 The Evil Dead Japanese Large Foldover Promo Flyer have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Japanese fan Keiichi from Tokyo for all his help in locating these and a number of other items.
Lastly, one new interview has just been completed, so expect to see that on the site in the next week or so.
Expect one further special addition which is currently winging it's way from Tokyo in Japan, soon!
March 14, 2013 - Evil Dead II Photo Gallery Section
In addition to The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page added over a week ago, The Evil Dead II section's 'Photos & Artwork' page has now been split into two pages and vastly expanded. The Evil Dead II - Photo Gallery page now contains every behind-the-scenes, publicity, and promotional photo for Evil Dead collected together in one place, and that's currently over six hundred & fifty images. They've been collected from a number of sources; some donated by members of the cast & crew during interviews and contact with this site, magazine scans, books, DVD galleries, screenshots, promo material, and the wider internet over the years. If you have any photos which aren't included, or have any in higher quality, then please get in touch. Equally, if you're looking for a full-resolution version of any of the images, then just ask.
Evil Dead II - Artwork page now just covers artwork relating to Evil Dead II. An Army Of Darkness photo gallery page will also be added soon, and expect further updates over the next week.
March 8, 2013 - More Various Additions
A few more little additions, around a hundred new items from The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness have been added to the Props & Replicas section on the Collectables page, including a photo from the current owner of Ash's oversized head from Evil Dead II (thanks to Forrest). People may also be pleased to know that an extensive Evil Dead II photo gallery page much like the The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page is in the works, and should have over 300-400 photos once complete.
Another addition; information and a Paypal checkout button has been added to the bottom of both The Evil Dead - Locations page and the Evil Dead II - Locations page, to allow people to easily buy the locations footage, which is available in two versions which you can read about below. While most people will want the neatly edited single disc version, you also have the option of getting the raw unedited footage across three discs too. The DVDs aren't region coded but they are in european PAL format (not NTSC), so anyone ordering from the USA should check their DVD player will play PAL discs beforehand.
THE EVIL DEAD & EVIL DEAD II LOCATIONS FOOTAGE DVD
You can order all the locations footage on DVD. Every location for The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II detailed on this site is included (except 'Fryingpan Tunnel'). Orders can be shipped worldwide via Airmail at one fixed rate, and the footage is available in two versions;
The single DVD version: 49 minutes edited from the raw footage, it's basically what's shown on this site with a few extra minutes. Playable from start to finish, with start & end credits, chapter stops and subtitle introductions.
Price Each £4.99/$7.99 + S&H
The three DVD disc set: Nearly four hours of raw footage as it was shot, playable from start to finish over three discs.
Price Each £9.99/$14.99 + S&H
Both the single & three disc versions
Price Each £12.99/$19.99 + S&H
All the DVDs are PAL(please make sure you can play this) widescreen Region '0' single layer DVD+R discs, and are supplied in paper slip-cases with printed disc artwork. You can order via the Paypal checkout button below, or send an email direct to
This footage was filmed personally in 16:9 1080i HD with a JVC GZHM445 PAL Camcorder, which was downscaled to SD 16:9 25p PAL and encoded to DVD. If any media production companies are interested in licensing this footage for use in their own DVDs, then please get in contact.
Please Note: As both the current & previous owners of the Evil Dead II Cabin Site did not wish to be identified or appear in any footage released to the public (for obvious reasons), 14m 16s of the total 4h 03m 38s of video which was shot, has been removed from the raw footage covering the Evil Dead II Cabin Site, Production House, Storage Barn, and The J. R. Faison Junior High School, along with blanking a couple of short portions of audio in the footage that's left too. Most of this is simply unrelated general conversation inadvertently captured by the camera while setting up and packing away at each location. The footage in the three disc DVD set still runs at 3h 49m 22s and is literally as complete as it can be without breaching their confidence.
March 7, 2013 - Various Additions
Firstly, the project to create a replica of the clock seen in The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II which was detailed a few weeks ago on the forums here, has now been given it's own page, far expanded over the original post. The Evil Dead Replica Clock Project page in the Features section.
Also, three new items have been added to various pages. Firstly and most importantly, scans of an incredibly rare 4-page French Program for The Evil Dead, created by Irvin Shapiro's company 'Films Around The World', for publicity in Cannes in May of 1983. In addition, a UK Newspaper Advert from an unknown source has also been added, you can see both on the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. Finally a UK Newspaper Advert for Evil Dead II from New Muscial Express published on 27 June, 1987 has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page
March 5, 2013 - The Evil Dead Photo Gallery Section
The Evil Dead section's 'Photos & Artwork' page has now been split into two pages and vastly expanded. The The Evil Dead - Photo Gallery page now contains every behind-the-scenes, publicity, and promotional photo for The Evil Dead collected together in one place, and that's currently over three-hundred images. They've been collected from a number of sources. 129 photos were personally scanned from my collection of original photos & slides, with the remaining two-thirds assembled from; magazine scans, books, DVD galleries, screenshots, promo material, and the wider internet over the years. If you have any photos which aren't included, or have any in higher quality, then please get in touch. Equally, if you're looking for a full-resolution version of any of the images, then just ask.
The Evil Dead - Artwork page now just covers artwork relating to The Evil Dead, but has also been expanded to include pictures by Tom Sullivan & Rick Melton. Expect further updates over the next week.
February 25, 2013 - Locations DVD & Other News
The long promised The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II Locations DVD project is semi-finished. Basically, the person who was to film the Fryingpan Tunnel location on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina has fallen through, and they were the one person who replied to the email originally sent out to a fair list of local people. Lack of any other option means the project can't be 'formerly' finished for the time being and will just be distributed as-is. If you're able to help out by shooting some footage of that location (your time & costs would be paid) then please get in touch. Either way read on you're interested in getting a copy of all the current footage on DVD.
As The Evil Dead locations footage will simply be incorporated as an extra into the Book Of The Dead DVD project as it gets revised with new material at some point in the future (in the next few years, rather than weeks or months), and the Evil Dead II footage incorporated into a possible future Evil Dead II Treasures Collection DVD project, there is little point in spending too much time in authoring a full DVD, designing specific menus, artwork and the like, so for the moment people will simply get the footage on a DVD disc playable from start to finish, with start & end credits, chapter stops and subtitle introductions to each segment. It's worth mentioning that there is some footage on the DVD in addition to what has been added to the locations pages on this site, nothing too major though. The main difference is the quality. The DVD has been edited from over 4 hours of raw footage shot, filmed personally in 16:9 1080i HD with a JVC GZHM445 PAL Camcorder, which was downscaled to SD 16:9 25p PAL and encoded to DVD. If any DVD production companies are interested in aquiring footage for use in their own DVDs, as well as anyone else who wants a copy, please contact;
On a related note, while a possible future Evil Dead II Treasures Collection DVD project was mentioned above, and some items have already been collected together, the main component needed to move on with this project is still needed. It was intended that the TV version (as described one the Evil Dead II - Different Versions page) would be edited together with some form of the theatrical version to produce an extended cut of the film. Although a YouTube rip of this TV version is available, the quality is not that great, and a portion of the film is missing. If you have this lying around on an old VHS tape, or have a better quality transfer, please get in touch.
In other news, some of you might be interested to read up on a personally undertaken project to create an Evil Dead replica clock on the forums. This project will be incorporated somewhere into the site at some point too. Last but far from least, a very special box of items is currently winging it's way from the USA to the UK, and should arrive in the next few days, and will make a truly fantastic addition to the site. More on this when it arrives.
January 13, 2013 - Four In-Print Additions & Locations News
Four new titles have been added to various pages. Firstly an upgraded quality copy of Starburst #058 - June 1983, has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section. Also a Thai set of Lobby Cards for The Evil Dead have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, a UK Palace Pictures set of Lobby Cards for Evil Dead II have been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page (thanks to Jesper for providing both of those), and a Spanish set of Lobby Cards for Army Of Darkness has been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page (thanks to Elise for scanning those).
As an additional piece of news, according to the National Parks Office in Oteen, the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway which holds Fryingpan Tunnel should be open in a matter of days and was only closed temporarily due to a particularly cold spell, so expect the addition of that locations video, along with the locations DVD much sooner than planned.
January 7, 2013 - Location Video Additions & An Evil Dead 2012 Remake Section
It was intended that the website footage would be added at the end of January along with the release of a DVD version at the same time. Currently the Locations DVD itself is on hold until around April. This is because one further location has only recently been identfied so has not yet been filmed, and it's silly to complete & sell the DVD without it, only to then start selling a revised version in a few months. This location is of the tunnel seen just after the main titles of Evil Dead II (Fryingpan Tunnel) on the Blue Ridge Parkway running through the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. That section of road is high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, It is not unusual for it to be temporarily closed to repair damage caused by the cold winter climate at that elevation or for other maintenance. Unfortunately the specific section which encompasses Fryingpan Tunnel is currently closed with detours in place at both ends making it completely inacessible by vehicle, so no footage could be shot. Once it re-opens in a few months, footage will be added to the site and the DVD completed.
These location videos have been edited from over 4 hours of raw footage shot, filmed personally in 16:9 1080i HD with a JVC GZHM445 PAL Camcorder, which was downscaled to SD 16:9 25p PAL and encoded to DVD. If any DVD production companies are interested in aquiring footage for use in their own DVDs, then please get in contact.
Finally, given the huge interest in the Evil Dead Remake, a "why is there no Evil Dead Remake section" section has been added to the The Trilogy section, which outlines the reasoning behind this. Should you want information, you can read a little more on the Evil Dead 4? page which covers various rumours & interviews leading up to the release, and check out the links section to browse other sites.
December 29, 2012 - Four In-Print Additions & Updates
Four titles have been added to various pages. A new title has been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; a Japanese title called Uchusen (or 宇宙船 in Japanese, which translates into English as 'Spaceship'); Vol.47 No.4 - 1989. Also a Japanese set of B&W 6x4 Lobby Cards for The Evil Dead have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page, a Japanese set of B&W 6x4 Lobby Cards for Evil Dead II have been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page, and a Japanese Large Foldover Promo Flyer for Army Of Darkness has been added to the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
Finally a small addition to the Evil Dead II - Locations page; the location & information on the tunnel seen in the opening titles has been added at the bottom. Unfortunately, this location wasn't identified in time to be filmed while I was touring the other locations, but I'm actively trying to find someone local to the area who can film some footage which can be added to the site, as well as my forthcoming locations DVD.
December 22, 2012 - Updates; My Evil Dead fan-trip of a lifetime!
Apologies of the lack of updates, editing the Evil Dead locations footage/DVD is taking up all of my spare time at the moment (see news entry below), but The Evil Dead - Locations page and Evil Dead II - Locations page have now been corrected & updated with all the new information & images from my trip. Video footage will be added over the next few weeks, along with scans of a few new Japanese items too, so watch out for further updates.
December 10, 2012 - My Evil Dead fan-trip of a lifetime!
Apologies of the lack of updates, the reason why should become clear as you read on. As some of you will already know, I made various forum posts on a trip to the USA at some point either towards the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013. Well I didn't want to post anything until I had done it, and now I have. So much money, preparation & planning went in to this. So here is a brief account of my trip.
On Wednesday December 5, 2012 I flew out from London Heathrow Airport into Knoxville Airport in Tennessee arriving in the evening and going straight to a local hotel. Then the following day I took a hire car and drove out to former site of The Evil Dead cabin in Morristown around 60 miles away. I decided to break it up into two visits, I'd walk there first, check things out, collect a few souvenirs, then walk back to the car. Then I'd drive up and do the filming. That was because If I did get found by the owners while filming and asked to leave, all the items I'd taken earlier would be safe already in the car. Because I parked at a Gas station way down near the main road, I had to walk around a mile to get to the site. I really didn't know it would be as long a walk as that, it looked much shorter on Google Earth. First visit I took three big chimney rocks, some leaves, a bag of soil from the cellar and bag of soil round the chimney, a bag full of tin roof bits, some tree bark, some twigs, a few twisted vines, and put everything in my backpack and hiked back to the car which was very hard work! I finally got back, then drove up and parked just beyond the cabin entrance, which was out of site of all houses except for anyone driving directly past. I spent about an hour filming the walk down the path, around the cabin, different views up on the hillside, and never saw a soul. While the cabin is no longer there, there is still around half the chimney stack, as well as large sections of the roof and some foundations. I then drove the 30 miles to the Clinch River Road/Riverside Road location, used for the opening Oldsmobile driving shots, then another 20 miles to Old Highway 25E seen where Scott shouts at two waving fishermen, filming footage at each location, before heading to a local Morristown hotel for the evening.
On the Friday I headed back up to the cabin site to film further footage, before driving 30 miles down to the site of the destroyed bridge, some of the remains of which are still there. At around noon that day I finished up in Morristown and drove 260 miles over the Smokey Mountains arriving at the hotel in Wadesboro, North Carolina that evening.
On the Saturday in Wadesboro I toured various Evil Dead II filming locations including the The J. R. Faison Junior High School which was used to house the cabin & cellar interior sets and the crew & admin offices/workshops, the Bonsal Ballast Pits which was the location for the climactic medieval section of the movie and now looks very different, and most importantly the exterior Cabin set which still exists although in a very dilapidated state. It's worth adding that a visit to the cabin was only possible due to the fact that I had become friendly with the original owners of the site months beforehand, who in turn were friendly with the current owners of the site. While I won't mention their names here, I would just reiterate my thanks to them for making this trip so amazing! The cabin site isn't accessible from any public roads, it's not accessible at all actually, it's in the middle of a large privately owned section of working cattle farmland, and the whole site has an electric cattle fence around it. I was escorted from the entrance to the site by car, then driven back to the main road once I'd finished.
PLEASE NOTE THIS WARNING
While both the current & previous owners of the Evil Dead II cabin site welcomed me with fantastic southern hospitality, they have asked me to inform Evil Dead fans that from this point on they will take legal action against anyone contacting them regarding the property, or attempts access in any way, shape, or form. They have allowed me specifically to shoot footage there so fans around the world can see the cabin in detail as it is today, without going there. The surrounding area is a busy working cattle farm and if the cabin begins to pose even the slightest liability to them, with fans phoning up or wandering into their property, it will simply be levelled. The sole reason it's even still standing is the sheer luck that the area hasn't been used for anything else so far.
Please think carefully, you can see comprehensive footage through this site and that should be enough. Do you want to be personally responsible for the destruction of the cabin?
On Sunday I drove up to the Anson County Airport (which was re-named 'Fairview, TN' on screen), before driving to Charlotte Airport to return the hire car and catch the first of several long flights back home. Due to the fact I'd picked up around 30kg of souvenirs (and even though I took a large virtually-empty suitcase exactly for that propose) I still had to pay extra to get everything on the plane. That extra charge still worked out cheaper than mailing that same weight to myself in the UK via USPS. I arrived back in the UK on Monday December 10. All told the trip cost easily over a thousand UK pounds with flights, hotels and car hire.
I shot around 5 hours of video over the various locations, so I will be adding video and screenshots to the website and editing this into a fanmade DVD over the next few months, so watch this space for more info!
November 3, 2012 - Major In-Print & Magazine Additions
Three new titles have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Firstly two issues of a Japanese title called Uchusen (or 宇宙船 in Japanese, which translates into English as 'Spaceship'); Vol.25 No.8 - 1985, and Vol.37 No.8 - 1987. Vol.37 No.8 - 1987 is something very special indeed; a detailed 8-page look behind the scenes of Evil Dead II, with many previously unseen effects & modelmaking department photos. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Japanese fan Keiichi from Tokyo for all his help in locating these and a number of other items. In addition, Films & Filming #394 - July 1987 has also been added thanks to Shaun.
Thanks to Evil Dead collector Jesper from Denmark, you can now see the US, French, German and Spanish lobby card sets for The Evil Dead on The Evil Dead - In-Print page, as well as the German and Spanish lobby cards for Evil Dead II, on the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. In addition, thanks to Shaun you can also see the Japanese lobby cards and a 2002 'Chirashi' Promo Flyer for The Evil Dead on The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and the Army Of Darkness French lobby cards on the Army Of Darkness - In-Print page.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
October 26, 2012 - Thoughts On The Evil Dead 2012 Remake
A few people have been in contact about the The Evil Dead 2012 Remake, and if the site will be expanded to encompass this. Well for the moment at least I'm afraid it won't be included. Upon first seeing the bootleg Comic-Con footage, then the HD red-band trailer, I have to say my first impressions are that I'm really not keen. Not at all. Maybe it's just 'original-ist' protectionism on my part, or maybe I saw the original at exactly the right time in life and it had a big impact on me, but I feel that take the title away, and you just have another stereotypical horror film with scene after scene of ultra-realistic and downright unpleasant violence which is now part & parcel of everyday horror film-making, something which was brought into the mainstream by the lucrative Hostel and Saw series, and even further back with European films like Haute Tension and Irreversible. It feels edgy to watch films like that, to push your own tolerance, but films in this range are hardly a 'fun rollercoaster theatrical experience', they just exist to push the boundaries with each one having to go that little bit further to differentiate itself. A little further down that path and you're watching very questionable material such as A Serbian Film, Pig and The Bunny Game.
There are parallels to Zack Snyder's 2004 Dawn Of The Dead remake of George A Romero's 1978 original. There was nothing wrong with that remake from a technical standpoint, in actual fact it surpassed the original in virtually every professional & technical film-making aspect. So why didn't it come within a million miles of being as an enjoyable experience as the original? Maybe their carefully crafted heart... the soul that both the Dawn Of The Dead & The Evil Dead originals had was simply missing from the by-the-numbers faceless remakes. Sam Raimi has admitted that he feels somewhat embarrassed by the original now, something he made clear with the plethora of A/V fixes & tweaks to the 2010 Anchor Bay The Evil Dead Blu-Ray release. Maybe this remake was a cathartic experience, something which allowed him to 'fix' everything he thought was wrong with his original film. To me that's like remarking that Picasso's paintings would be much improved if the perspective wasn't all over the place. By that reasoning, a photo of a chair would be so much better than Van Gogh's painting; 'Chair'. The Evil Dead original is akin to a work of art; loved especially because of all it's little imperfections, not despite them. That's what sets it apart from so many other by-the-numbers horror films made before or since.
I'm sure many fans will rave about The Evil Dead Remake, claiming it far better than the 'kinda crappy' original, with very brisk business at the box office and on home video, but will there be new legions of fans not yet born moved to set up devoted fansites in thirty years from now? We shall see...
October 26, 2012 - Misc Additions & Updates
Upgraded higher quality scans of two titles have been added to the Magazines page in the Features section; Video The Magazine - September 1987 and GoreZone No.9 - September 1989. Thanks to Shaun for making those available, and expect further additions soon.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
Material from the fifth & sixth days spent at the British Library Newspapers buildings in London on Saturday the 29th of September, and Saturday the 6th of October, going through their archive of UK newspapers searching for Video Nasty & censorship related material for the Video Nasties project in the Features section. has now been added into the downloadable PDF file, taking it up to 337 Pages. While there is still 52 entries left on the 'list of articles still missing from the PDF file', all of it is was printed 1993 or later and none of it is particularly pivotal, so unless further articles come to light, that will be the final project update for the moment as travelling into central London and getting material is both time consuming and expensive.
Obviously having been sourced from Microfilm, the quality isn't great, they look like black & white photocopies. At least this will give people a chance to read through everything, and if needed, you can find the date & page from the PDF and contact British Library Newspapers and ask them to make a copy directly from the originals. If a larger revised version of the PDF is uploaded at some point in the future, it will be announced on this main site news page so people don't miss out.
Also a little comparison video sequence has been added near the bottom of the Evil Dead II - Palace Pictures page, showing the two-seconds of censorship edits imposed by the BBFC for the Palace Picures UK home video release of Evil Dead II. A censorship comparison sequence between the UK 'U' (suitable for all) Evil Dead II trailer, and uncut US trailer will also be added shortly.
October 9, 2012 - Misc News
A huge debt of thanks is owed to Keiichi from Tokyo in Japan, who's assisted in locating and sending a number of Japanese Evil Dead Trilogy related items over the past few weeks, as well as Arthur from California, USA for the original introduction. Thanks to him further material is on it's way, including that 'very special' item, mentioned in the September 13, 2012 update. Expect those new additions soon.
Also, a sixth day was spent at the British Library Newspapers buildings in London on Saturday the 6th of October, going through their archive of UK newspapers searching for Video Nasty & censorship related material for the Video Nasties project in the Features section. A further 70 pages of video nasty articles have been printed off, taking the number of articles listed in the "Click here for a list of articles still missing from the PDF file" (currently mostly compiled from the excellent Video Nasties book 'Seduction of the Gullible: The Truth Behind the Video Nasty Scandal' by John Martin) from 101 down to 52. A seventh day will be spent in a week or two which should hopefully take that list to all but nothing, after which all the new material from all three visits will be scanned and added into the hosted PDF file.
September 30, 2012 - A The Evil Dead In-Print Section Upgrade
An upgraded higher quality scan of the 1985 Japanese Movie Programme has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. Expect further additions soon.
Also, a fifth day was spent at the British Library Newspapers buildings in London on Saturday the 29th of September, going through their archive of UK newspapers searching for Video Nasty & censorship related material for the Video Nasties project in the Features section. Another 56 pages of video nasty articles have been printed off, taking the number of articles listed in the "Click here for a list of articles still missing from the PDF file" (currently mostly compiled from the excellent Video Nasties book 'Seduction of the Gullible: The Truth Behind the Video Nasty Scandal' by John Martin) from 161 down to 101. A sixth day will be spent on Saturday the 6th of October to further reduce that list, after which all the new material from both visits will be scanned and added into the hosted PDF file.
September 25, 2012 - Another Magazine Section Addition
A high quality scan of another magazine has been added towards the bottom of the Magazines page in the Features section; UK fanzine Samhain issues 1 and 2.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
September 23, 2012 - Another Evil Dead II In-Print Section Addition
High quality scans of the various items in the Evil Dead II 1987 US Press Kit has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. Expect further additions over the next few days.
September 21, 2012 - A Evil Dead II In-Print Section Addition
A high quality scan of the 2007 German language Pegasus Filmprogramm number 49 has been added to the Evil Dead II - In-Print page. Evil Dead II is entitled 'Tanz Der Teufel II' in Germany, which roughly translates as 'Dance With The Devil II'. Expect further additions over the next few days.
September 20, 2012 - A The Evil Dead In-Print Section Addition
A high quality scan of the 2007 German language Pegasus Filmprogramm number 46 has been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. The Evil Dead is entitled 'Tanz Der Teufel' in Germany, which roughly translates as 'Dance With The Devil'. Expect further additions over the next few days.
September 16, 2012 - Another Magazine Section Addition
A high quality scan of another magazine has been added towards the bottom of the Magazines page in the Features section; a UK fanzine title called Samhain; Issue 3 from May/June 1987. Expect Samhain issues 1 and 2 which also cover The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II to be uploaded soon.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
September 14, 2012 - A Magazine Section Addition
A high quality scan of another rare magazine covering Evil Dead II has been added towards the bottom of the Magazines page in the Features section; a title from Japan called Uchusen (or 宇宙船 in Japanese, which translates into English as 'Spaceship'), Vol.39 No.12 published in 1987.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
September 13, 2012 - Various In-Print Section Additions
'Chirashi' (or 映画チラシ) are 7"x10" flyers placed in cinema lobbies in Japan to promote current and future movie releases. They often take the form of a miniature replica of the movie's poster with promotional photos and information on the reverse. They're usually a single double-sided page, but two or four page versions are sometimes produced. See Wikipedia for a more detailed explanation.
Expect one further 'very special' addition which is currently winging it's way from Tokyo in Japan, soon!
September 12, 2012 - The Evil Dead In-Print Section Addition
High quality scans of The Evil Dead 1983 French Movie Programme have been added to the The Evil Dead - In-Print page. Expect some more additions to each of the Trilogy's In-Print sections in the next week or two.
Also, having carefully checked through the excellent Video Nasties book 'Seduction of the Gullible: The Truth Behind the Video Nasty Scandal' by John Martin, the list of articles still known to be missing from the Video Nasties project in the Features section, has been greatly expanded. Further days will probably be spent in the near future at the British Library Newspapers buildings in London to work through the list.
August 27, 2012 - New Army Of Darkness In-Print Section & Links Updated
Another new section has been added; a Army Of Darkness - In-Print page, created to augment the Magazines page in the Features section. This page will host PDFs & scans of printed material relating specifically to Army Of Darkness, such as movie programs, flyers and newspaper articles. Although currently sparse, expect further items to be added in the coming weeks.
In addition, the Links page has a number of new entries, with some dead links updated or removed.
August 25, 2012 - The Evil Dead & Evil Dead II In-Print Sections Added
Two new sections have been added; a The Evil Dead - In-Print page, and an Evil Dead II - In-Print page, created to augment the Magazines page in the Features section. These pages will host PDFs & scans of printed material relating specifically to each respective film, such as movie programs, flyers and newspaper articles. Although currently sparse, expect further items to be added in the coming weeks. Currently there is no equivalent Army Of Darkness section as it would be empty, but hopefully this will be added as further material becomes available.
August 24, 2012 - A few Upgraded Images And Prospective New Sections
A few scans across that pages in the The Evil Dead - Commodore 64 Section within the Features section have been upgraded, with huge thanks to Canadian fan & collector Elise Holmes. You can see her excellent blog Here, which is updated nearly every day.
In addition, a new section for each of the three movies' is in the works; an 'In-Print' page. This will contain PDFs & scans of printed material relating specifically to each respective film. Items such as movie programs, flyers and newspaper articles. Expect this in the next few weeks.
August 13, 2012 - Further Expanded Video Nasties Newspaper Story Scans Project
A fourth day was spent at the British Library Newspapers buildings in London on Saturday the 11th of August, going through their archive of UK newspapers searching for Video Nasty & censorship related material for the Video Nasties project in the Features section. Another 53 pages of video nasty articles have been added into the downloadable PDF file, taking it up to 207 pages.
Obviously having been sourced from Microfilm, the quality isn't great, they look like black & white photocopies. At least this will give people a chance to read through everything, and if needed, you can find the date & page from the PDF and contact British Library Newspapers and ask them to make a copy directly from the originals. If a larger revised version of the PDF is uploaded at some point in the future, it will be announced on this main site news page so people don't miss out.
July 23, 2012 - Expanded Video Nasties Newspaper Story Scans Project
A third day was spent at the British Library Newspapers buildings in London on Saturday the 22nd of July, going through their archive of UK newspapers searching for Video Nasty & censorship related material for the Video Nasties project in the Features section. Another 50 pages of video nasty articles have been added into the downloadable PDF file, taking it up to 154 pages. A British Library Newspapers information booklet & paperwork has also now been included should you wish to visit them yourself.
Obviously having been sourced from Microfilm, the quality isn't great, they look like black & white photocopies. At least this will give people a chance to read through everything, and if needed, you can find the date & page from the PDF and contact British Library Newspapers and ask them to make a copy directly from the originals. There is still enough material to make a fourth visit viable, so check back in a few weeks for more, and if a larger revised version of the PDF is uploaded, this will be announced on this main site news page so people don't miss out.
July 13, 2012 - Video Nasties Newspaper Story Scans Project
A new page has been added to the Features section, which details the Video Nasties project. On the 11th & 12th of July 2012, I spent time at the British Library & British Library Newspapers buildings in London, going through their archive of UK newspapers searching for Video Nasty & censorship related material. The over-a-hundred printouts have been scanned at 300dpi, and strung together 1:1 into one big 96-page A4 sized PDF, which has been uploaded in a ZIP file.
Obviously having been sourced from Microfilm, the quality isn't great, they look like black & white photocopies. At least this will give people a chance to read through everything, and if needed, you can find the date & page from the PDF and contact British Library Newspapers and ask them to make a copy directly from the originals. If a larger revised version of the PDF is uploaded in the future, this will be announced on this main site news page so people don't miss out.
June 22, 2012 - Robert Kurtzman Interview Online
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Robert Kurtzman. Robert was the 'K' in 'KNB' EFX Group's title, along with Howard Berger ('B') and Greg Nicotero ('N'), and worked on the make-up effects of both Evil Dead II and Army Of Darkness.
Working freelance on a number of feature films in his early career, since Robert, Howard & Greg formed KNB EFX Group in 1988, they worked on a huge list of movies & TV shows, including many subsequent Sam Raimi films. In 2004, he left KNB EFX Group, relocating from LA to his home state of Ohio, and forming his own company; Precinct 13 Entertainment, along with Creature Corps, and the Kurtzman Instititute of Art, which now has a Special Make-up and Character Design Academy.
June 21, 2012 - Super-8 Shorts Score Section, Cabin Plans, And Further Interviews
In much the same vain as the Within The Woods Score page, a Super-8 Shorts Scores Page has also now been added, which you can see in the Super-8 Origins section. While not hugely comprehensive, it's at least a start and covers many of the tunes people will find memorable. In addition to this, a Cabin Plans page has been added to the Features section, with detailed scale plans of The Evil Dead's cabin location sets, which were created for a long-abandoned 2005 Lego stop motion animation project.
Look out for further interviews in the next few weeks. A new one has just been completed and is currently being written up, with a second interview pencilled in next month.
May 30, 2012 - Howard Berger Interview Online
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Howard Berger. Howard is the 'B' in 'KNB' EFX Group's title, along with Bob Kurtzman ('K') and Greg Nicotero ('N'), and worked on the make-up effects of both Evil Dead II and Army Of Darkness.
Working freelance on a number of feature films in his early career, since Howard, Bob & Greg formed KNB EFX Group in 1988, they've worked on a huge list of movies & TV shows, including many subsequent Sam Raimi films.
May 15, 2012 - Magazine Additions
Another rare magazine has been added to the Magazines page taking the total to 27 titles, with all thanks & credit to reader Swofty. If you can help with scans of further out-of-print & defunct titles, please get in contact. A list of additional magazines which aren't included has also been written up.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
Also, the Prime Notify mod has just been installed to the forums. Previously when a PM was sent to you from another user, you got a notification email which simply stated that you had a new message, not what the message was, which basically meant that all your PMs were stored on the forums (unless you specifically export each message manually). The new Prime Notify mod allows the message content to be displayed in the notification email. Now people can save their PM notification emails so they have their own local copies of each PM sent to them regardless of what happens to this site years down the line.
April 3, 2012 - Reader's Tales Section Now Open
A new page entititled Reader's Tales has been opened in the Features section. There you can read some amusing, cautionary, or simply informative horror related true stories submitted by this site's readers. As this section is new, it's currently quite bare, but it should hopefully expand in due course. If you have any interesting anecdotes you'd like to share and have added to this section, please get in contact with us. Should you wish, stories can be anonymized and any identifying details such as names precise locations can be omitted to protect everyone involved.
April 23, 2012 - My Trip To The BBFC
Much as I would like to make a post here praising the people at the British Board of Film Classification for their hospitality and helpfulness, I can't. So I've written out the story anyway lest anyone else find themselves in the same situation. So, a friend sent me a link to the BBFC website, which seemed to offer the ability for anyone to come in and view their records of any film they'd classified;
"Anyone wishing to view the Board’s records should email helpline@bbfc.co.uk and should provide a list of film titles and release dates. We will check the availability of each file and contact you to make an appointment to come in and view the records. No file can be removed from our building. We only charge for this service if we have to recall a box from our external archive and the cost is £17.24 for up to four boxes. You will have to complete a Copyright Acceptance Form before viewing and you should refer to it for terms and conditions."
I thought this would make excellent research material for this website. I emailed the helpline address above but heard nothing back, so I called the helpline to make an appointment and re-sent the email through while I was one the phone. I was told I should be OK to look at The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II folders, but not the Army Of Darkness material as it was still within their 20 year limit, a policy created to protect any examiner or expert named therein.
I took the day off work and caught the train to visit the BBFC located in Soho Square, Central London on the 27th of February, turning up at 9:30am and waited to see one of the Information Officers, who I shall call 'F'. She explained that she'd been away the week before so was a little rushed, but took me upstairs into a side room and handed over the two folders. I was told I couldn't take any photos, but I could note which pages I was interested in and get them to make photocopies on my behalf, as they would need to get clearance from any person named on each document, which might take a little time if they had to track people down. I looked through both folders, there was a wealth of material there, probably over a hundred pages in each folder; including examiners handwritten notes on each of the films, letters between lawyers, letters between the BBFC and Palace Pictures, and even a prototype version of the 1990 The Evil Dead re-release VHS cover. I went through both folders, putting to one side any documents I wanted, and finished after about an hour. Then 'F' asked me to send her an email briefly reiterating what I wanted photocopies of, just so she could forward it on to management, using my Smartphone I did that while I was standing in her office, and she verified she had it. Then she gave a little talk about what they do in her department, explained how they are trying to publicize the research service they offer, showed me a few things, and then I left.
On the 1st of March I got an email back from 'F' saying "...sorry, but I've lost the email you sent the other day. I purged too much. Could you send it again..." so I sent it again. On the 30th of March I got another email asking me to re-send it, which I did, from two separate email addresses I use this time, and still heard nothing back. On the 16th of April I called and spoke to someone else in her department, and was told 'F' was away till later in the week. I briefly explained my situation and was told they only make photocopies of documents in very rare legal or educational circumstances, and he made it clear it was extremely unlikely I was going to get photocopies for my research purposes.
Confused, I thought it best to speak to 'F' directly. On the 23rd of April I got through to her, she said she hadn't heard back from me and could I email her again which I did (the fourth email now), to two separate BBFC email addresses while on the phone to her, and she acknowledged she'd now received my email. Within two hours I got an email back to say unfortunately they couldn't make copies, but I could go back again and take notes if I wanted to. I took this up as a complaint that same day, speaking to someone else there. I was told they'd spoken to management but the decision stood, but pointed out in a later email that I should have been under no illusions as I had signed & agreed to the 'Copyright Acceptance form'. I have a copy of this form, and it does not say that photocopies of documents cannot be made, simply that the decision to do so is at the BBFC Director's discretion. Further to this, they said "as our website says - No file can be removed from our building - this applies to copies too", which is somewhat confusing? Why would anyone apply to the BBFC for copies, if the copies they made for them could never leave their premises, that is nonsensical? Finally they also said there was never any guarantee made that they would provide copies in any case.
At no time did 'F' mention that it was unlikely that I would be allowed copies of anything, and didn't even indicate there might be any problems, she actually made it seem a mere formality, just so they had in writing who I was and what I wanted the information for. I even had a conversation with her over blacking out the names on any paperwork rather than going to the trouble of tracking people down, as it was the dates & situations that were important to me, rather than who specifically said what to who. If she had made this clear, I would have taken much longer and made careful notes, but here I am two months later, a day spent in London, emails back and forth, and nothing whatsoever but this fairly dull story to show for it. All it would have take is one sentence to point their policy out.
Ladies and gentlemen... The BBFC.
April 4, 2012 - EvilDeadChainsaws.com Back Online
After closing 4 years ago, the hobby company I used to run; EvilDeadChainsaws.com, making Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness replica 'hand chainsaws', is now back online!
This is detailed on the FAQ page, but just to explain why all three chainsaws currently unavailable; after I called time on EvilDeadChainsaws.com around the start of 2008, all the moulds, templates & related bit & pieces were scrapped, and any larger machinery of value was sold off (such as a metal lathe, bandsaw, disc sander, pillar drill, bench table saw, slide mitre saw, metal shear, etc...). This means starting completely from scratch, setting up a new home-workshop, making new moulds and revising my designs based on all the various tweaks and upgrades built up over the chainsaws I made between 2005 to 2008. It will take some time to prototype and refine new designs, but I'm approaching the production from a more experienced perspective, which should make for better saws in the long run. The website is online now, so it can get established in search engines and around fans long before the saws go on sale. If that wasn't enough, I'm moving house at the end of this year too, and can't set up a proper home workshop till that's out of the way, so please check back in 2013 if you are interested in placing an order. I'll announce a more specific date nearer the time.
March 20, 2012 - Online Store & Magazine Additions
Some new & upgraded A3 posters have been added to the Online Store page. This store helps to support the running costs of this site. Each design has been either created from scratch, heavily edited, or restored by myself in some way from the original. All payments are secure and managed through a Paypal Shopping Cart, so please show your support!
More additions have also been made to the Magazines page taking the total up to 26 titles. If you can help with scans of further out-of-print & defunct titles, please get in contact.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
March 11, 2012 - Online Store Now Open
You can now support the running costs of this site by heading over to the Online Store page to buy various A3 sized posters. The artwork projects shown stretch back as far as 2002. You may have seen some of my created/edited artwork for sale on Ebay and other such sites, but I was the originator of everything shown. Each design has been either created from scratch, heavily edited, or restored by myself in some way from the original. All payments are secure and managed through a Paypal Shopping Cart, so please show your support!
February 20, 2012 - Rick Catizone Interview Online
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Rick Catizone. Rick worked on a number of stop-motion animation sequences for Evil Dead II, such as Ash's severed hand and the various stages of Henrietta's transformation, as well as working on a number of now-cult films including Creepshow, Creepshow 2, Flesheater (AKA Zombie Nosh), and even George Romero's original Night of the Living Dead. You can view Rick's official website Here.
February 9, 2012 - Book Of The Dead Fanmade DVD Completion & Magazine Additions
At long last, the Book Of The Dead Fanmade DVD has been completed, and the Book Of The Dead Fanmade DVD page has been updated. It's worth saying that I'm a massive fan of the trilogy, and this project was never intended to rip anyone involved in the movie off. I wanted my DVD to be a companion to bought retail releases, not a 'free' bootleg replacement. In that spirit, any sharing of this DVD is to be far more tightly controlled than the original The Evil Dead - The Treasures Collection DVD, which ended up being shared widely online. This DVD is being kept strictly offline for physical trades only.
More additions have also been made to the Magazines page taking the total up to 22 titles. If you can help with scans of further out-of-print & defunct titles, please get in contact.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
February 7, 2012 - Magazine Additions
The Magazines page has now been fleshed out to eighteen magazines. New magazines will be added in the future, but this is the bulk of what is currently available to us. If you can help with scans of further out-of-print & defunct titles, please get in contact. A list of additional magazines which aren't included has also been written up.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
February 6, 2012 - A New Section & More Additions
A Magazines page has now been added to the Features section, providing fans an online PDF format resource of some older & rarer magazines. Although currently sparse, further titles will be added in the coming weeks.
Readers please note: It is not intended that the Magazines page should provide the wider internet with complete pirated magazine scans. Each PDF consists of the magazine's front page, and only the few specific pages relating to Evil Dead Trilogy and/or related material, not the whole magazine. Titles which are still in print, such as The Dark Side, Fangoria, and Rue Morgue obviously will not be included, this only covers long defunct publications. We don't wish to tread on anyone's toes, simply to preserve material for future fans. If there are still any copyright holders out there would rather their titles, certain issues, or even individual pages were not included, please email us, and they'll be immediately removed.
The Evil Dead II - DVD page has also been corrected & expanded, comparing the 2011 US Lionsgate Evil Dead II Blu-Ray release to the 2000 R1 US Anchor Bay Evil Dead II open matte & matted widescreen DVD.
February 3, 2012 - Further little Additions & Updates
Some more little additions and updates of note; The Evil Dead - Deleted Scenes page has been updated to add in The Evil Dead deleted scenes, which were edited for inclusion on the Book Of The Dead Fanmade DVD, along with a better 'Book Of The Dead Differences' comparison video, and some amended text covering that. Finally, thanks to Brazilian fan Victor's assistance, you can now read the few lines of previously un-translatable Spanish Dialogue on the Evil Dead II - Different Versions page.
January 31, 2012 - Webmasters Collection Page Added
A new page has been added, detailing the various unofficial, non-retail & fanmade items the webmasters of this site have built up over the last 10 years of collecting; the Webmasters Collection Page. Please note that This page simply serves to inform fans of the material that's out there to find, in addition to purchasing the various official retail DVD releases.
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Shannon Shea. As well as working on a long list of Hollywood films; including Predator, Jurassic Park, Land of the Dead, Drag Me to Hell, and most recently Men in Black III, Shannon worked for Mark Shostrom on the Evil Dead II special makeup effects crew, creating among other things, the character of Evil Ed. You can also read Shannon's fantastic 'First Person Monster Blog' Here.
The forums are also open again to new members. They were completely dead for quite some time, and spam-bots were continually trying to sign up 6 or more per day, so registration was just disabled. After just looking into some anti-spam plug-ins, the forums have been re-opened, and hopefully the spam-bots will be kept at bay.
December 12, 2011 - Evil Dead II: "Severely Edited For Television"
Apologies for the lack of recent updates, other projects have been pressing. Worry not, we're back, and what an update we have for you!
We've just added comprehensive write up on the incredibly rare TV version of Evil Dead II, yes, the TV version! This was thought forever lost, until the long dismissed rumours of the Mexican TV airing with many additional scenes proved actually to be true, and boy were we wrong on that one! There's nearly 11 minutes of new and alternate material, including the burning of the Book of the Dead, Ash eating a squirrel, a new time vortex sequence, and a whole host of extended and alternate scenes!
August 4, 2011 - Bart Pierce Interview Online & Additions
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Bart Pierce. Bart worked with Tom Sullivan on creating the meltdown sequence at the end of The Evil Dead, but also created a number of the other optical effects, assisted Tom with some of the physical effects. Bart has a role as a zombie doctor in his two sons' new zombie-comedy-horror movie called Deadheads, currently touring various film festivals. You can find our more and see the trailer at DeadheadsTheMovie.com.
Also two more clips have been added to the Restored & Extended Book Of The Dead Fanedit page. Both are extended sequences using the various raw footage available; 'Dinner Table Conversation', and 'Looking Through The Book In The Cellar'. You can also see the other sequences which have been completed so far on the same page, although bear in mind that they may be incomplete and might still need some polishing!
August 1, 2011 - Twitter and Book Of The Dead
Firstly, the interview mentioned in the last update is just awaiting final approval, so expect that to be added shortly. Next, as you can see above, you can now follow this site's latest news & updates via Twitter. Any new updates posted on this page, will also be posted on the @BookOfTheDead Twitter Feed too.
Finally, anyone who was interested in the uncompleted Book Of The Dead fanedit restoration which was added to the The Evil Dead DVD section a few weeks back, might want to check out this new project; a Restored & Extended Book Of The Dead Fanedit. The original project fell by the wayside about a year ago, but it's recently been semi-resurrected in the guise of both a restored and extended The Evil Dead fanedit. It's really just a pointless hobby/pet project which has been moving very slowly along for the past few months, and it may or may not ever come to anything. The intention is to restore The Evil Dead to the original Book Of The Dead version, and extend it using the various raw footage featurettes. You can see the sequences which have been completed so far, although bear in mind that they may be incomplete and might still need some polishing!
July 27, 2011 - The Site's Second Anniversary Approaching
BookOfTheDead.ws is fast approaching it's second anniversary, and there are still new updates & additions every few weeks. The internet has a long list of defunct, long abandoned, and offline Evil Dead Trilogy fansites, a fate which is not intended for this site! This website is a labour of love, and a huge amount of hard work has been put in to make this the definitive online resource covering every aspect of the Evil Dead trilogy, more comprehensive than any other current or past website. This site is still going growing and this will not be changing in the future.
In other news, I've just conducted a new interview which should be online in the next week or two. I will reveal all as it's added to the site. Further interviews are still being sought, so expect more soon. The Site Design & Content Credits page has been updated to add in some new names to the Thank You list. This site would be quite bare without people willing to contribute in one way or another, so thanks again to everyone! Finally, the Within The Woods Score section has finally been updated. Again thanks to Scott Spiegel, another gap has been filled, leaving only two tracks left to identify.
July 10, 2011 - General News & Updates
Since opening on October 31, 2009, 'Book Of The Dead' has now had over 10,000 visitors! The site is still expanding and there are regular updates & additions. Among the latest; the fanmade DVDs The Evil Dead - The Treasures Collection, and Book Of The Dead, in The Evil Dead DVD section now have some sample videos to give you a better idea of the projects. On July 7, 2011 our second of the two new interviews was completed. It's currently being formatted, and will be online soon.
The Evil Dead DVD section has been expanded to add highly detailed pages on two fanmade DVD projects; The Evil Dead - The Treasures Collection, and and Book Of The Dead. Those looking at aquiring a Blu-ray release may be interested to read through the Book Of The Dead page, part of which details the catalogue of directorial tweaks & alterations to the Blu-ray transfer of the film, from the original theatrical version.
July 5, 2011 - Angela Featherstone Interview Online & Updates
You can now head over to the Features section to read an interview conducted with Angela Featherstone. She played Ash's love interest in the 'S-Mart' US theatrical ending of Army Of Darkness, and has since appeared in a list of subsequent film & TV roles including The Wedding Singer, Friends, Seinfeld, and The Twilight Zone. Angela has only recently come to the Sci-Fi & horror convention circuit and will be appearing at a number of US events later in the year, and possibly coming to the UK too.
Also, the Within The Woods Score section has finally been updated. Thanks to Scott Spiegel, some of the gaps have been filled, although three tracks are still unidentified. Expect another interview shortly, and further updates soon.
June 30, 2011 - More Interviews & Updates
I've just conducted a new interview which should be online in the next week or two, and have a separate interview penciled in next week, which should subsequently be added in the week following. I will reveal all as each one is completed. Also expect those minor additions to the Within The Woods Score section next week too. Keep checking back for further additions & updates!
June 9, 2011 - Scott Spiegel Interview Online
You can finally read the huge Scott Spiegel interview mentioned a few weeks back, via the Features section, again sorry it's all taken so long!.
The interview spans much of his career, covering everything from his early Super-8 days, to his present work. Scott acted, directed, and assisted with numerous Super-8 productions, with title roles in It's Murder, Clockwork, and Within The Woods among many others, then assisting during post production on The Evil Dead, and taking larger production roles in Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except & Evil Dead II, then directing Intruder, and going on to forge a career in Hollywood, initially more as a writer, then moving further in to big-budget producing & directing. He is presently producer on the popular & lucrative Hostel franchise, and is fast becoming one of Hollywood's big hitters.
May 8, 2011 - General Site Upgrades & Additions
I have added a number of site upgrades & additions. You'll now be able to see various streaming MP4 video files dotted around. I'm using the excellent free browser plug-in JW Player (much like YouTube pages). Currently there are the three trilogy trailers on each respective 'synopsis' page, the Book Of The Dead workprint trailer, a Book Of The Dead differences sequence, the Palace Pictures VHS ident, the Palace Pictures Evil Dead II Television Spots, an Evil Dead II workprint differences sequence, and a number of personal videos on the 'About Us' page. It goes without saying that I have not and will not be adding any of the Super-8 shorts or the movies, either as clips or in full, unless expressed permission is given by the copyright holders. You'll need JavaScript enabled, and the latest version of Flash installed in order to view them. Congratulations of you're using FireFox, as you'll see a little blend effect on the video titlebar text. Internet Explorer users won't get this as even the latest version still hasn't implemented the CSS drop shadow effect. So there you go.
I have also embedded a number of the various PDF files (in addition to the existing download links) so they can be read easily inline on the page, and may be adding a few new PDF items too. Both the PDF and video files, use a new snazzy page-space-saving sliding effect, so they remain hidden until you click on each banner.
The long awaited Scott Spiegel interview should be up within a week, just needs some polishing and a final clearance. Watch this space!
May 2, 2011 - Danny Hicks Interview Online
You can now view our Danny Hicks interview in the 'Features' section, sorry it's taken so long!
Danny's probably most famous for playing the role of Jake in Evil Dead II, and Bill Roberts in Scott Spiegel's slasher Intruder, along with a cameo role alongside Tim Quill in My Name Is Bruce, but has also appeared in numerous other feature films spanning the last 25 years, along with a whole host of US theatrical productions and commercials.
April 13, 2011 - Further Update
A further quick update; the second interview has just been completed, Danny Hicks kindly made time in his busy schedule for a phone conversation covering Evil Dead II, Intruder, and My Name Is Bruce, along with some exciting new projects on the horizon. It will take a few weeks to work through the audio, transcribing and formatting it into the final article, but expect this excellent read online soon!
April 9, 2011 - New Updates
This is just a quick status update, the first of the two long promised interviews has just been conducted. Scott Speigel graciously lent his time for a two hour phone interview covering his earliest Super-8 days up to Hostel III (currently in production), and everything in between. It will take a few weeks to work through the audio, transcribing and formatting it into the final article, but it will be worth the wait!
The second interview is scheduled for next week, more will be revealed once it's done. In other prospective new additions, thanks to Scott's assistance, the Within The Woods score section can finally be completed, expect that over the next few weeks too, and I have recently taught myself the intricate coding needed to stream hosted MP4 files using the excellent free browser plug-in JW Player (much like YouTube pages) while working on an entirely unrelated website, so expect tweaks of videos which are already available, and maybe some new files too, although just to note; due to the respective copyright holders wishes, this will certainly not include any of the Super-8 shorts themselves.
Lastly, well done to Evil Dead superfan Elise Holmes from Quebec in Canada, who was the extremely difficult 20 question quiz prize winner, but you're still welcome to have a go at the quiz and see if you can get them all right.
January 30, 2011 - New Additions
Two new pages have now been added to the 'Features' section. Firstly a piece about the real Egyptian 'Book of the Dead', the inspiration behind the trilogy's namesake. A sizable number of the surviving Egyptian 'Books of the Dead' were part of a one-off exhibition at the the British Museum in London, England, between November 4, 2010 to March 6, 2011. Many examples had never been seen before, drawn from the British Museum’s unparalleled collection, with the oldest examples over 3,500 years old!
Secondly, an extremely difficult 20 question quiz, which covers production and details on both Within The Woods & The Evil Dead. All the answers are out there to be found, with many on this site, and some questions are easier than others, so have a go and see how you do. The first person to get them all wins a secret prize!
Homefully more additions will be along shortly, so keep checking back!
January 28, 2011 - General Updates & Additions
It has been around 6 months since any new updates or additions to this site. Beyond general daily related news (which you can follow at the excellent blog EvilDeadNews.com), coming up with completely new, innovative & truly worthy ideas over and above to the huge amount of material already present here, isn't all that easy.
There are two interviews in the works, along with a page about the real Egyptian 'Book of the Dead', currently on display in the British Museum up to March 6, 2011, plus a stupidly difficult Evil Dead quiz! If anyone out there has ideas or requests for material they'd like to see added to the website, please do get in contact via the email address at the bottom of this page.
Head over to the 'Features' page to see a new page, an Evil Dead trilogy props reference guide, which draws together the various memorable props from The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, & Army Of Darkness, along with their possible availability as originals & replicas.
Some among you reading it, may know alot about subjects such as firearms, cars, or antique clocks, so if you have any additional information or corrections about the items listed, or you want to request an additional item be researched and added to the list, please get in touch.
May 29, 2010 - Tom Sullivan interview
Head over to the 'Features' page to read an email interview conducted with Tom Sullivan. It covers his involvement in the early Super-8 days, as well as his work on Within The Woods, the Evil Dead trilogy, and beyond. We're still actively seeking other interviews, so expect further updates in the future.
Having now recieved the five Josh Becker Super-8 shorts DVDs, there are a number of new additions; If you head on over to the 'Super-8 Origins' section, in the 'Full Shorts List' page a number of the entries for Josh Becker shorts have been expanded upon, and with screenshots added or replaced, the 'Releases & Bootlegs' page has a number of similar related additions, along with the 'Photos & Artwork' page, and a couple of updated screenshots here & there across the rest of the site.
For anyone who owns the French DVD of Alien Apocalypse containing the stunning transfers of Oedipus Rex & The Blind Waiter as extras, the rest of these new shorts are similar in quality and well worth buying.
April 8, 2010 - About Us section and other Additions
An entirely new section; 'About Us', has now been added, and some little additions have been made to a number of pages including the 'Super-8 Origins' section; 'Releases & Bootlegs', 'Full shorts List' and 'Photos & Artwork' pages, the 'Within The Woods' section; 'Releases & Bootlegs' page, as well as a couple of new items on the collectables page.
While not strictly related to this site, there is one other major piece of news really worthy of mention. Josh Becker has begun selling excellent quality professional DVD transfers of a number of the Super-8 shorts through his website. Currently there are five shorts discs available; disc one has Stryker's War, disc two has The Blind Waiter & Oedipus Rex, disc three has Holding It, disc four has Acting And Reacting & The Final Round, and disc five has Cleveland Smith Bounty Hunter, The Case of the Topanga Pearl, Super Student, and Public Enemy Revisited.
Here is a direct link to the DVD purchase page on Josh's website. All five DVDs are already in the mail to us, so expect some interesting additions & updates to the site once they arrive.
March 21, 2010 - EvilDeadChainsaws section Additions
Since closing down EvilDeadChainsaws.com, a fair number of people have made contact asking for advice or help with their own chainsaw projects, Rather than continuing to reply to each individual request, I have decided to share some of the information & experience built up over the years, online for everyone. Head over to the 'Features' section to read more.
February 10, 2010 - Collectables Section Updated
The 'Collectables' index page has had it's first big update, with around 50 additions; there are now 816 individual items listed. We have to say a big thank you to everyone who contacted us with new suggestions & additions. Even so, the section will never be 100% complete, so if you see that we've missed anything, or want to point out any corrections, please do get in contact.
January 19, 2010 - Collectables Section
The main 'Collectables' index page is now online. It aims to be the ultimate comprehensive reference list of all the the official and unofficial Evil Dead trilogy related merchandise available in the past or present. The material listed, ranges from mass produced items down to one-off fan made items, and everything in between. Rather than spilt the items down in to sub-page after sub-page, we've decided to have everything together on one huge page, so it might take a minute or so to to load as there are nearly 800 individual items listed, all with pictures.
We've decided to restrict the 'Collectables' section to just the main index page for the time being, with a long term goal of expanding it to include 'More Details' sub-pages linked from the main list, with additional photos, specs & information about each item.
Because of the vast array of official and unofficial items which have been made over the years, knowing about & cataloguing every single past present & future item ever produced is virtually impossible, and the section can never really be certified 100% complete. It will simply remain 'in progress' for the foreseeable future, with periodic updates of new items from time to time. If you have anything we don't, please get in contact and let us know so we can add it to this list.
January 2, 2010 - Army Of Darkness Version Differences
Seasons greetings and a happy new year to everyone out there!
We have just added a new page; 'Different Versions', to the Army Of Darkness section, giving a highly detailed breakdown of the differences between the various retail Army Of Darkness versions/cuts. It compares the US Theatrical Cut, the Director's Cut, the International Cut and the US Television Version.
We're still working away on the 'Collectables' section, and currently have around 600 individual Evil Dead trilogy related items, and rising! Expect the vast main indexing page to be online soon, with the huge number of 'more details' pages to be added over the next few months.
December 22, 2009 - Evil Dead 4 and Collectables additions
The Evil Dead 4 page is now online. It explores the various prospects of a new Evil Dead film, either as a further instalment to the existing series, a complete Remake, or a Freddy vs Jason vs Ash movie.
Also, the bare skeleton of the last section still under construction; 'Collectables', is online, although it currently has no items listed. As this section will be huge, it will likely be updated as each batch of items is catalogued. Given the vast array of past, present and as yet unknown future Evil Dead Trilogy related items, this section can never be certified 100% complete. It will simply remain 'in progress' for the foreseeable future, with periodic updates of new items from time to time.
One other little addition; As someone emailed us and asked about it, I have added a short piece to The Evil Dead section 'Score' page about the song Shelly & Scott sing while driving to the cabin.
December 11, 2009 - Army Of Darkness Section Now Complete
We have just added the Army Of Darkness section 'Deleted Scenes' page, which means the Army Of Darkness section is now complete. Although quite comprehensive, we may still expand it yet further to include the differences between each of the retail DVD versions, rather than just the differences & omissions from the shooting script. Lookout of the Evil Dead 4 section next.
December 6, 2009 - Cheryl Guttridge Interview & Army Of Darkness section
Head over to the [newly re-ordered] 'Features' page to read an email interview conducted with Cheryl Guttridge. She acted in numerous Super-8 productions, had a leading role in Josh Becker's feature film; Thou Shalt No Kill... Except, as well as appearing as a Fake Shemp in The Evil Dead. We're still actively seeking other interviews, so expect further updates in the future.
Eight of the nine pages for the Army Of Darkness section are complete, but the 'Deleted Scenes' page is taking a little longer to work through than planned. As everything else is done, we have opened the other eight pages rather than keep it all offline. The remaining page should be online shortly, and the Evil Dead 4 section is next on the list.
November 26, 2009 - Josh Becker Interview
We have just added an interview with director Josh Becker to the 'Features' page. He directed & assisted with numerous Super-8 productions, along with writing & directing a list of feature films including Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except & Running Time, and was also a crew member on The Evil Dead managing a large portion of the lighting and sound, along with cameo roles in Evil Dead II & Army Of Darkness, and publishing a number of interesting books about the world of film making.
Expect further interviews to be added over the next few weeks.
November 19, 2009 - Tim Quill Interview
We have recently conducted an interview with Actor Tim Quill. He had roles in numerous Super-8 productions, along with many of Sam's later feature films, including an appearance in each of the Spiderman films, and perhaps most famously playing the Blacksmith in Army Of Darkness. To read it, please see the features page.
On the subject of general site updates; further interesting interviews are in the pipeline, and we're currently working through the large Army Of Darkness section which is about 50% complete, and should be online in the next few weeks.
October 31, 2009 - Site Online
The site & forums are now open. The 'News & Updates', 'Super-8 Origins', 'Within The Woods', 'Features' & 'Links' sections are all complete, along with the 'The Evil Dead' and 'Evil Dead 2' pages of the 'Trilogy' section. The 'Army Of Darkness', 'Evil Dead 4' and 'Collectables' sections are still in progress, but given the amount of detail covered, it may be quite some time before everything is 100% finished. The three pages in the 'Features' section are complete, but keep an eye out for further additions in the future. It's worth noting that we have made a deliberate decision not to cover the next generation computer games or 'Evil Dead: The Musical' at the moment.
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