Horror Blu-rays: Evil Dead 2 (25th Anniversary)

Lionsgate Films | 1987 | 84 min | Rated R | Nov 15, 2011

Not only one of the greatest horror movies of the 80's, but of all time. The single most successful fusion of horror and comedy, Evil Dead 2 has become an iconic cultural phenomenon since its release. A masterpiece of guerrilla film-making, this is a movie that continues to delight and disgust those who see it.

This new transfer is supposed to be a great improvement over the previous Anchor Bay Blu-ray release. I had heard fans weren't happy with that edition, having never bought it myself, I can't comment on the quailty. All I can say is the movie does look great here, but it still can't escape its grainy, low budget trapping, so expectations are to be kept incheck. The disc also comes with a new lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, that mixes Raimi's inventive effects perfectly

The extras are also pretty good, first up is a commentary with Director Sam Raimi, Actor Bruce Campbell, Co-Writer Scott Spiegel and special make-up effects artist Greg Nicotero. This has been on previous 'Evil dead' 2 releases, never the less it's a welcome addition. The main extra feature is 'Swallowed Souls', a feature length making of, which includes a number of interviews with cast and crew. 'Cabin Fever' is a behind the scenes look at make-up effects creator Greg Nicotero's own "home movies", that give a unique behind the scenes look at the creation of the various effects. 'The Road to Wadesboro', has filmmaker Tony Elwood revisiting the shooting locations. 'Evil Dead II: Behind-the-Screams', has Tom Sullivan narrating a slideshow of various stills from the movie. Lastly, 'The Gore the Merrier' concentrates on the violence in the movie.

A movie that is loved by all that see it, if for whatever reason you haven't viewed this horror classic, let this Blu-ray be your opportunity to amend that. With optimal picture and audio options, as well as a wealth of extras, this is a must buy for collectors.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Sam Raimi, Actor Bruce Campbell, Co-Writer Scott Spiegel and Special Make-Up Effects Artist Greg Nicotero. This previously released commentary track is a fairly raucous affair, as might be expected, though Nicotero's contributions are quite interesting, and all of the commentators manage to provide a wealth of technical detail about how the film was made.
Swallowed Souls: The Making of Evil Dead 2 (HD; 1:38:00). This is a great assemblage of featurettes which includes the requisite interviews with cast and crew, but which manages to dig a little beneath the surface to explicate the insane ambience of the film and its unexpected cultural impact.
Cabin Fever – A "Fly on the Wall" Look Behind the Scenes of Evil Dead II (HD; 30:22) features some video segments from Special Make-Up Effects Creator Greg Nicotero's own "home movies," which show several effects and make-ups being created, as well as some deleted scenes that didn't make into the—ahem—final cut.
Road to Wadesboro: Revisiting the Shooting Location with Filmmaker Tony Elwood (HD; 8:00) features the film's special effects props master.
Evil Dead II: Behind-the-Screams (SD; 17:07) is an Anchor Bay archival featurette with Tom Sullivan hosting and narrating a slideshow of various stills showing effects and creatures being fabricated, as well as on the set shots of the actors.
The Gore the Merrier (SD; 31:51) is another archival making of featurette which concentrates on the blood and guts aspect of the film.
theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:29)
Still Galleries are split into Advertising & Memorabilia, Behind-the-Scenes, Special Make-up Effects and Stop Motion Animation.

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