Book Of The Dead - The Definitive Evil Dead Website

Because there are so many really decent & detailed Blu-Ray & DVD review sites out there, I have decided to restrict this section to information you might not normally find on standard sites, although I will give a brief outline of the pros & cons of the main versions and a summary of the contents. You can also view detailed information on two fanmade DVD projects via the sub-menu above.

The Definitive Blu-Ray Version

Unlike the pros & cons of the various DVDs below, there is only really one stand-out Blu-Ray release as of 2013; the 2010 US Anchor Bay Limited Edition 2-disc Blu-Ray version. Unlike the foreign re-packagings of the same Blu-Ray release, the US version has a spectacular 1.33:1 open matte transfer of the film, as well as a matted 1.85:1 widescreen version too. It's worth noting that both have at least twenty tweaks to correct various little 'mistakes', which are timecoded as follows;

00:03:05:10 to 00:03:08:18 - Rob Tapert standing in the background has been digitally painted out
00:05:49:19 to 00:06:07:19 - Exterior darker evening light adjusted to sunny dusk
00:06:07:20 to 00:06:25:12 - Exterior darker evening light adjusted to sunny dusk (Same shot as below)
00:06:07:20 to 00:06:25:12 - Cameraman's reflection in window has been digitally painted out (Same shot as above)
00:06:30:19 to 00:07:24:10 - Exterior darker evening light adjusted to sunny dusk
00:16:19:04 to 00:16:21:08 - Cabin/moon matte shot tweaked; blending, levels, and movement steadied
00:19:21:00 to 00:19:26:00 - Cabin/moon matte shot tweaked; blending, levels, and movement steadied
00:23:38:00 to 00:24:00:11 - Shelly/moon matte shot tweaked; blending, levels, and movement steadied
00:34:13:11 to 00:34:25.17 - Background lights have been digitally painted out
00:36:47:10 to 00:36:49:09 - Linda screaming has been horizontally flipped to correct screen direction
00:36:51:22 to 00:36:54:02 - Linda screaming has been horizontally flipped to correct screen direction
00:38:21:14 to 00:38:25:21 - Cabin/moon matte shot tweaked; blending, levels, and movement steadied
00:52:19:09 to 00:52:24:22 - Hair in camera gate painted out
01:05:05:09 to 01:05:06:18 - Two lens flares painted out
01:05:09:22 to 01:05:10:14 - Two lens flares painted out
01:05:15:07 to 01:05:16:07 - Two lens flares painted out
01:05:18:04 to 01:05:19:06 - Two lens flares & dirt painted out
01:16:12:09 to 01:16:21:15 - Jump cut while Ash is moving the dresser has been smoothed with a fade
01:21:16:17 to 01:21:26:06 - Camera movement during animation digitally steadied
01:22:47:22 to 01:22:51:02 - Hand-held shot digitally steadied

The above list only covers the list of visual tweaks (there would likely be a long list of audio tweaks too), but that aside, it's still an excellent presentation. It also comes with an extras disc in DVD format, although there is no previously unreleased material here as all the extras have been lifted from the 2007 US Anchor Bay Ultimate Edition 3-disc DVD. It's now OOP, having been replaced by a single disc non-limited-edition version which drops the DVD extras disc, but you can still track down the 2-disc version on sites like Ebay. Both releases look almost identical, but the Limited Edition has a green band running across the top of the front cover with the words Limited edition - includes bonus special features DVD.

The Definitive 4K UHD Version

While as of writing, 4K is still moderately new, and the choice is pretty limited, this section will be expanded in the future. Currently the only 4K version available worldwide is the 2018 US Region A/1 Lions Gate Home Entertainment 4K UHD release. There are two aspects/issues of this release worth noting for buyers. The first is that while 4K has four times the pixel resolution of Blu-Ray, there seems to be no additional detail here over the previous 2010 US Anchor Bay Limited Edition Blu-Ray version. Whether this release is up-scaled, or simply the quality limits of the 16mm film on which it was shot being reached, is unknown. Below you can see side-by-side comparison screenshots between the older Blu-Ray (scaled up for comparison) and the 4K transfer (shown actual size).

In certain shots, aspects such as colour saturation, levels & contrast are actually preferable on the older Blu-Ray. Further, this version has all the same tweaks & corrections as detailed above, so a true presentation of the untouched & untweaked theatrical version has still yet to be officially released.

The Definitive DVD Version

There really isn't a definitive DVD release of The Evil Dead yet, they all have their pros & cons depending on what you value most. The film is generally available in two formats; 1:37:1 open matte fullscreen, and a 1.85:1 matted widescreen. Which one to get comes down to personal taste (see further down for more on the fullscreen/widescreen debate).

Best picture quality: No questions here, the version with the sharpest & highest quality open matte picture is the 1999 US R1 Elite special edition DVD, although the colour timing is really too warm, and there have been a number of little editing tweaks supervised by Sam (you can read more about that further down).

Best extras: If you want a really decent set of extras, then get either the Anchor Bay 2003 UK R2 Evil Dead Trilogy boxset, which has the film in both open & matted formats and extras over two discs, or the Anchor Bay 2007 US R1 Ultimate Edition, which has both formats of the film and extras spread over three discs. On balance, the Ultimate Edition comes out top, although each release has some of its own exclusive extras, so they're both worth owning. The full screen version on the UK box-set is the same transfer as was used on the earlier Anchor Bay 1-5 picture disc DVD releases, and has the Cheryl zoom tweak, but the lightning shot has been put back in. Both the widescreen versions, and the full screen version on the Ultimate Edition are virtually identical, and the untampered versions. The picture quality isn't as sharp or clear as the Elite DVD, and they suffer from overly high contrast making the reds bleed on screen in places, this is especially apparent when compared to the Elite transfer. The differences really noticeable on the title screen, here.

1985 Jap. Herald Videogram LD -Vs- 1999 US R1 Elite SE DVD

1999 US R1 Elite Special Ed. -Vs- 2007 US R1 Anchor Bay Ult Ed.

Purest transfer: By that I mean the movie transfer closest to the original theatrical release, without any visual or audio tweaks or alterations. The best version, if you don't mind getting fanmade material, is the Book Of The Dead fanmade DVD. This release is an restored version of the 1.33:1 open matte transfer taken from the 2010 US Anchor Bay Limited Edition Blu-Ray, which was arguably the best retail transfer of The Evil Dead ever made available (although the 1985 Japanese Herald Videogram Laserdisc is a close second). Two major things separate this version from every other DVD; its colour timing, and its picture framing. It's worth just noting that although there are a fair number of different DVD releases of The Evil Dead, in terms of colour timing & picture framing they're all basically identical. The colour timing on the Blu-Ray is much bluer & colder than either the Elite or Anchor Bay retail DVD transfers which are too warm, with their white balance appearing pink in places. This subtle colder change seems to alter the whole 'feel' of the movie and the film seems much scarier because of it. Additionally there is also quite a difference in picture framing between this, and all the other versions. The standard retail DVD transfer used the world over seems to have been zoomed in by around 5%, meaning the Blu-Ray version has more visual information on each side of the frame. The 1982 Palace Pictures VHS, 1995 Japanese Beam laserdisc, 1999 US Elite laserdisc, along with every DVD version all seem to be basically identical, only differing very slightly on colour timing and brightness levels.

Here is a comparison screenshot with the 2010 Blu-Ray in the background and the Herald Videogram laserdisc (red) & Elite DVD (green) overlaid with a border showing the zooming/cropping. Quality-wise, obviously the blu-ray wins out. While the Elite DVD is sharper & clearer than the laserdisc, the colour balance is far too warm, and for example makes the [white] sky in the above shot, appear pink. Both the Laserdisc & Blu-Ray transfers tend towards a cooler colour balance, although the Blu-Ray has far more true-to-life colour representation. The Book Of The Dead DVD release also has the original untouched mono audio track taken from the 1985 Japanese Herald Videogram Laserdisc (one of the few true & untouched mono sources available), before it was re-mixed first to stereo and later Dolby Digital 5.1 surround & DTS-ES 6.1, and has a number of interesting and very rare extras which can't be found on any of the retail versions.

Sam Raimi's DVD Tweaks

A number of releases have been tweaked at Sam Raimi's request. The 1999 US Elite special edition laserdisc & R1 DVD have a number of little editing changes supervised by Sam during the remastering process. At about 17m 10s, you see a zooming close-up shot of the book of the dead, which then should cut to lightning striking a tree, then an exterior shot of the cabin at night, but the Elite version cuts straight from the book, to the shot of the cabin, leaving out the lightning. These screenshots are taken from the 1985 Japanese Herald Videogram Laserdisc.

Zooming close-up shot of the book

Lightning strikes a tree outside

Exterior shot of the cabin at night

Allegedly, Sam was unhappy with this effect and asked for it to be edited out. The lightning shot was put back in to the 2002 Anchor Bay Book Of The Dead DVD, and has remained in all subsequent releases.

At 35m 55s there is a shot where Cheryl is first possessed and turns round to the group watching with a loud scare chord. In the original version this is a completely static shot throughout; from her looking out the window, turning round, until it cuts to the next shot. The Elite version (digitally) zooms in just as she turns, to emphasise the 'shock' in the shot. You can see the difference in zooming from these two screenshots.

1999 US Elite Special Edition DVD

1985 Japanese Herald Videogram LD

The 2002 US R1/2 Anchor Bay The Evil Dead: Book Of The Dead DVD sparked a debate over whether The Evil Dead should be seen in widescreen of fullscreen. Just to clarify, there is no 'widescreen' or 'pan & scan' version in the conventional sense, the widescreen print is simply the normal fullscreen print with the top & bottom sections of the picture matted (chopped off). The film was originally shot to be matted into a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, but fully unmatted it would display as 1:37:1 (4:3). It was shown theatrically at its initial première in that full 1:37:1 ratio, although it was shown in both ratios upon its general theatrical release. When released around the world on home video, laserdiscs and early DVD, it was almost exclusively fullscreen. In 2002, Sam requested that Anchor Bay matte the film into a 1.85:1 aspect ratio for The Evil Dead: Book Of The Dead DVD, that print was then labelled as the 'widescreen' version, and they have done this with most subsequent releases. It's worth adding that because the same commentary tracks are used on both the 1:37:1 & 1.85:1 versions, things are referred to on screen that you can't see in the 1.85:1 version because they're hidden under the black bars.

Fullscreen - 1999 US Elite Special Edition DVD

Widescreen - 2007 US Anchor Bay Ultimate Edition DVD

Some people have cynically suggested that Anchor Bay is simply using widescreen for widescreens sake, with no real thought about how this affects the film itself. DVD purchasers may see 'anamorphic widescreen' on the cover, without realising that black bars have just been put on the top and bottom of the original 4:3 open matte print, meaning you see less picture in the 'Widescreen' version than in the 'Full Screen' version. That said, Anchor Bay did do this at Sam's request, and may not have done it otherwise.

This is much the same situation for the 2000 US R1 Anchor Bay Evil Dead II DVD, which has two transfers of the film, labelled in the DVD menu as 'widescreen' and 'full-frame', but the thumbnail image above makes the 'Full-Frame' version look like a 'pan & scan' print, although the 'full-frame' version was actually a full 1:37:1 open matte transfer and the 'widescreen' version was that 1:37:1 version simply matted into 1.85:1 aspect ratio.

Blu-Ray & DVD Release Details

Because there have been so many 'Carbon Copy' Blu-Ray & DVD releases of The Evil Dead around the world, I have decided to restrict this section to especially distinctive presentations really worth trying to get. If a particular release you are interested in isn't covered here, or you want more detailed information on one that is, then look it up using a search engine. There are many excellent and highly detailed DVD review sites out there.

The Evil Dead (Limited Edition) Blu-Ray


Studio:		Anchor Bay
Release Date:		August 31, 2010
Region:		A/1 (US & Canada)
Format:		NTSC
Number of discs:		2
ASIN:		B003IY48PS

Disc 1:

(Blu-Ray)

The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 / French DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Campbell, Raimi & Tapert)

Disc 2:

(DVD)

One By One We Will Take You documentary
Treasures From The Cutting Room Floor documentary
Discovering The Evil Dead documentary
Unconventional documentary
At The Drive-In documentary
Reunion Panel featurette
Make-up Test featurette
The Ladies Of The Evil Dead Meet Bruce Campbell
Book Of The Dead: The Other Pages
Still Gallery, Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots

Notes:

This Blu-Ray contains The Evil Dead in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, plus a 16:9 matted widescreen version. As detailed above, it does have a number of little tweaks. All the extras have been lifted from the 2007 US Anchor Bay Ultimate Edition 3-disc DVD.

The 1 & 2 disc versions have the same ASIN, but the 2-disc has a green band running across the top of the front cover, as left.

The Evil Dead (Special Collectors Edition) DVD


Studio:		Elite Entertainment
Release Date:		March 30, 1999
Region:		1 (US & Canada)
Format:		NTSC
Number of discs:		1
ASIN:		B00000G3Q4

Disc 1:

The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DD 5.1 / DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
Theatrical Trailer
Still And Photo Gallery
Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes

Notes:

This DVD contains The Evil Dead in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and is by far the highest quality transfer you can buy. As detailed above, this DVD does have a number of little editing changes supervised by Sam during the remastering process, but they are professionally done and most people would be hard pressed to spot them.

The 'Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes' runs at 18m 29s, and consists of randomly ordered raw footage & retakes of shots that ended up in the finished film, although there is some previously unseen material in there as well. The Sam, Rob & Bruce audio commentary tracks have been recycled across numerous releases, but were recorded specifically for this DVD. Both are very interesting, but Bruce's commentary is especially good. The DVD comes with a colour insert card with liner notes by Bruce Campbell

The Evil Dead (Limited Edition Necronomicon) DVD


Studio:		CMV Laservision
Release Date:		July 19, 2001
Region:		0 (Worldwide)
Format:		PAL
Number of discs:		1
ASIN:		Unknown

Disc 1:

The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(German DD 2.0)
German & US Theatrical Trailers
Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell Biographies
Evil Dead: Hail to the King stills & video
Promo Booklet
German Film program
French Theatrcial Poster Replica

Notes:

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, 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.

A fairly barebones release in terms of disc content, it's a re-package of an earlier German Astro Filmworks release, which is probably a re-package of the 1999 US R1 Anchor Bay release. This aside, it's the pride of many fans collections' simply due to it's packaging. It's limited to 2600 numbered units worldwide (2500 + 100 press copies), so is quite rare and will be more expensive to track down.

The Evil Dead (Book Of The Dead Limited Edition) DVD


Studio:		Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date:		March 5, 2002
Region:		1 (US & Canada)
Format:		NTSC
Number of discs:		1
ASIN:		B00005RYLE

Disc 1:

The Evil Dead
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0 / French DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
Theatrical Trailer
4 TV Spots
Poster And Still Gallery
Talent Bios
'Fanalysis' documentary
'Discovering Evil Dead' featurette
Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes

Notes:

This release has the matted widescreen version only, which does suffer from the contrast problem as detailed above, but plays as the original version without any editing tweaks. The DVD comes in a replica Book Of The Dead illustrated by Tom Sullivan, and although a mass produced item, the quality is really still quite decent. The 'skin' of the book is made of latex and will smell quite badly for a few weeks, but this will wear off. If not stored appropriately the latex can degrade over time. It should ideally be stored in a cool room away from sunlight. The DVD disc itself is in a slipcase attached to the last page of the book. If you intend on using the disc regularly, you might want to keep it in a separate DVD or jewel CD case instead, as sliding it in and out of the slipcase will build up scratches over time, no matter how careful you are.

The Evil Dead Trilogy (Four Disc Collection) DVD


Studio:		Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date:		July 28, 2003
Region:		2 (Europe)
Format:		PAL
Number of discs:		4
ASIN:		B001ARNWP2

Disc 1:

The Evil Dead
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0 / French DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
Theatrical Trailer
4 TV Spots
Poster And Still Gallery
Talent Bios:
(Bruce Campbell / Sam Raimi / Robert Tapert)
'Fanalysis' documentary
'Discovering Evil Dead' featurette
Behind The Scenes Footage & Outtakes
THX Optimizer

Disc 2:

Evil Dead II
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DD 5.1 / German, Italian & Spanish DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Raimi, Campbell, Spiegel & Nicotero)
Theatrical Trailer
The Gore The Merrier featurette

Disc 3:

Army of Darkness (Director's Cut)
(1.66:1 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Raimi, Campbell & Ivan Raimi)
4 Deleted Scenes (with Optional Commentary)
The Creature Concept Art
Director's Storyboards

Disc 4:

The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
The Living Love the Dead
Dead Good Marketing featurette
Bruce Campbell: Geek or God? featurette
The Incredibly Strange Film Show
Antihero - Evil Dead inspired Music Video

Notes:

This box-set brings together a number of previous standalone releases, and comes with a bonus disc. Disc 1 is just the UK PAL version of the US NTSC Book Of The Dead DVD as above, but the bonus disc contains the open matte version of The Evil Dead, which is the same transfer as was used on the earlier Anchor Bay 1-5 picture disc DVD releases, and has the zooming editing tweak as previously mentioned. This release also comes with some interesting new extras, a couple of which can only be found in this box-set. For more information on the other two discs, please see the 'DVD' sections of each film.

Two things of note; The Evil Dead disc in the 2005 R2 UK Anchor Bay 'Box Of The Banned' collection is identical to the bonus fourth disc here, and in both 'The Incredibly Strange Film Show' has been edited to remove all Super-8 shorts clips, along with some other material such as The Three Stooges, running at 34m 9s, down from an uncut running time of 37m 38s.

The Evil Dead (Ultimate Edition) DVD


Studio:		Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release Date:		December 18, 2007
Region:		1 (US & Canada)
Format:		NTSC
Number of discs:		3
ASIN:		B000WC3864

Disc 1:

The Evil Dead
(16:9 Matted Anamorphic Widescreen)
(English DTS-ES 6.1 / DD 5.1 EX / DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert)
One By One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga Of The Evil Dead

Disc 2:

The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DD 2.0 / French DD 2.0)
(Audio Commentary: Bruce Campbell)
The Evil Dead: Treasures From The Cutting Room Floor

Disc 3:

Life After Death: The Ladies Of The Evil Dead
The Ladies Of The Evil Dead Meet Bruce Campbell
Discovering The Evil Dead
At The Drive-In
TV Spots
Reunion Panel
Still Gallery
Unconventional
Make-up Test
Poster & Memorabilia Gallery Trailers

Notes:

This box-set has all three of its discs devoted solely to The Evil Dead. Although much of the content is different, the widescreen transfer is identical to the Book Of The Dead DVD above, but the open matte transfer is new and also looks the same. They both suffer from the contrast problem as detailed above, but are free of any editing tweaks.

Most of the extras here are new, and exclusive to this release. The documentary 'One By One We Will Take You' contains interviews interspersed with film clips & raw footage, and is an interesting introduction to the making of the film. 'The Evil Dead: Treasures From The Cutting Room Floor' runs at 59m 22s, and consists solely of raw footage played in chronological order. There are some shots that wound up in the finished film, but a good percentage is previously unseen material. The easter egg; 'Book Of The Dead The Other Pages' is a single unedited shot showing of Ash thumbing through each page the Book Of The Dead.

The Evil Dead - The Treasures Collection Fanmade DVD


Studio:		N/A
Release Date:		December 2, 2008
Region:		0 (Worldwide)
Format:		NTSC
Number of discs:		1
ASIN:		N/A

Disc 1:

The Evil Dead
(4:3 Non-Anamorphic Open Matte)
(English DD 1.0)
'Book Of The Dead' to 'The Evil Dead' - The version differences. Within The Woods, a superior quality copy
Book Of The Dead workprint trailer
PC viewable Evil Dead DVD-ROM folder

Notes:

This is a fanmade DVD, and you cannot buy it in stores. If your interested in getting a copy, check out the forums and see if someone can help. This DVD is meant as a companion to the above retail DVDs, not as a pirated/free option. It only contains material which has never been released on DVD.

For the first time this release brings together & preserves some of the rarest Evil Dead treasures. The film itself is transferred from the Japanese 1985 'Herald Videogram' laserdisc, as detailed above. The superior quality copy of the short film Within The Woods is a big upgrade to the standard internet VCD version. The PC viewable DVD-ROM folder is packed with over a gigabyte of rare Evil Dead trilogy material painstakingly collected over many years, with major contributions by a number of die hard Evil Dead fans. This has been superseded by subsequent DVD-ROM releases, but is still worth looking through. If you want to know more about this release, see the The Treasures Collection Fanmade DVD page

Book Of The Dead Fanmade DVD


Studio:		N/A
Release Date:		January 4, 2012
Region:		0 (Worldwide)
Format:		NTSC
Number of discs:		2
ASIN:		N/A

Disc 1:

Book Of The Dead Theatrical Restoration
(Original un-mixed mono audio track)
(Complete isolated score stereo audio track)
(Synced 2010 Anchor Bay US LE Blu-Ray commentary)
(Synced 1999 Elite US R1 Bruce Campbell DVD commentary)
(Synced 1999 Elite US R1 Raimi & Tapert DVD commentary)
(Facts & trivia subtitle track)
(English subtitle track)
Within The Woods
(Original mono audio track)
(Complete isolated score stereo audio track)
(English subtitle track)
Book Of The Dead Trailer
The Evil Dead - 6 Deleted Scenes
Release notes & information pages

Disc 2:

The Evil Dead - The Various Versions
(1990 UK Censored 1990 VHS To US Theatrical comparison)
(2010 Anchor Bay US LE Blu-Ray To US Theatrical comparison)
(1985 BOTD Greek VHS To US Theatrical comparison)
(1999 Elite US R1 SCE DVD To US Theatrical comparison)
The Incredibly Strange Film Show (composite DVD & VHS version)
PM Magazine Detroit TV Spot on Renaissance Pictures
Tom Sullivan TV interview circa 1982
Super-8 Shorts; It's Murder & Clockwork
Release notes & information pages
A DVD-ROM Folder

Notes: