Evil Dead 2

At last, the trilogy is complete on DVD with the release of Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead 2' which follows the continuing misadventures of hapless hero Ash (played brilliantly as ever by SGM fave Bruce Campbell) fighting away against the resurrected demons in an old log cabin in the woods.

Frights, slapstick and over the top multi-coloured gore galore in this great horror classic. See poor Bruce Campbell get knocked around in an insane fashion by director Raimi in this beautifully directed flick which not only sits well on its own but is ideal as a link to the other two Evil Dead films in the series.

And that is probably the best way to view this film. Sure you can have great fun watching this on it's own, but you'll kick yourself if you do. Ideally grab yourself all three films and watch them back to back for the full Evil Dead experience. The first film is what it is - a low budget shocker that showcases what's to come and 'Army of Darkness' is a fantasy film of epic proportions while 'Evil Dead 2' is the link in the chain which contains some great references to both the other parts that makes the trilogy viewing an essential experience.

Now, most of you know all about the Dead trilogy (and if you dont then where have you been!) so there's no point dwelling on the plot etc. But what about the disc you'll be asking, well Anchor Bay have done it again with a lovely transfer of the film in anamorphic widescreen with dolby 5.1 audio surround. The picture is sharp throughout and very impressive, the audio however was surprisingly not as perfect as I would have hoped with the cast vocal audio not coming through (my surround system at least) as cleanly as I would have expected from Anchor Bay. That said though it's fine enough not to ruin your viewing experience in any way.

As for the extras, well you'll be grinning ear to ear with this one. While not quite bursting at the seams with goodies (Army of Darkness is the best yet for cool stuff), the extras on show are of the highest quality. The documentary 'The Gore The Merrier' is an amazing experience for Deadites with not only great banter from the special effects crew but there's some fantastic behind the scenes footage with hilarious rare clips of Sam and Ted Raimi with Bruce Campbell. It's a highly interesting insight into the man behind the movies (jeez, Sam really is a bit of a sadistic git when it comes to giving his family and friends - Bruce and Ted in particular - a hell of a punishing time!) Yup, the documentary is indeed essential viewing. Also of great interest is the audio commentary with Sam, Bruce, Scott Spiegel and Greg Nicotero. Yeah, it's of the quality that you've come to expect from these guys - fascinating, informative and downright hysterical at times. And to finish things off there's the usual trailer, stills gallery and a promo for the forthcoming Evil Dead computer game (which really does look good fun!)

Now I'll come to another talking point for DVD collectors - Tin or No Tin ? Anchor Bay have chosen to release this disc not only as a standard release but in a limited edition Tin format also. Well, what do you get for your extras bucks in the tin release ? Not a lot I'm afraid to say. You get a 48 page booklet that basically contains an article ripped from an old issue of Fangoria spread thinly throughout the 48 pages and the whole thing is padded out with a mixture of film shots and screen grabs making the whole booklet experience a bit of a wet squib that is surely going to disapoint. The disc itself come in a clear CD case which is a disapointment also, they could have at least made the effort to make a slip cover to place in the CD cover. oh yeah, there's a postcard replica of the cover also but as the whole lot is enshrined in a cheap plastic shell (in the tin) it took no time at all for the booklet etc to get damaged inside. Ah well, hopefully Anchor Bay will learn from this and try harder to deliver a nicer presented package in future Tin releases. So, stick to the standard version of this one folks - the disc is the same and that's the important thing at the end of the day.

And yeah, the disc is indeed the important thing and what a delight this disc was. Evil Dead 2 is a must have in any horror fans collection. Do yourself a favour and go pick it up NOW !!