The Evil Dead - new Anchor Bay VS Elite Collector's Edition

[SithLordSi]

I was wondering what people's opinions are of the new 'Book of the Dead' release of The Evil Dead (R1), specifically regarding the picture quality and aspect ratio. For people who have seen both this and the previous release from Elite (or the old Anchor Bay movie-only version), how do you think the two (or three) compare? Does the new transfer seem over-matted to your eyes? Is the grain too prominent, or does the new transfer reveal detail that the previous transfers lacked? On which version did the colours look best to you? Overall, which version would you say was closest to the original look of the film (Michael Brooke, maybe you can help here?).

A few things I've noticed:

1) The new version looks very over-matted to my eye, but only in parts. The majority looks fine, but one does get the general impression there is information missing from the top and bottom. I tried watching the Elite version zoomed in at 14:9, and it looked fine, with no over-matting obvious. Perhaps it was matted like this in theatres, and not as it is on the new DVD?

2) The opening credits on the new edition lack definition when compared to the Elite release. This could be due to the extra grain, or the Elite release may have undergone some digital-enhancement.

3) The two transfers look very different. On the new one, grain is prominent throughout, and I haven't noticed an increase in detail. Colours look slightly darker and muted, and in parts are totally different (the stuff emerging from Scotty's sleave near the end is green in this edition, but white on the Elite). On the Elite release, the picture is less grainy but a tad softer as a result. It actually looks more detailed, but am I being fooled by the lack of grain?

If anyone agrees/disagrees with or can shed some light on the above observations, please do, as I'm deciding which version to hold on to. Of course, it's nice to have the film in its original ratio (1.33:1, Elite release), but I'm currently confused as to which tranfer best represents the original look of the film.

[Jimmyboy]

Only you can decide which one to keep.
Why not keep em both if its such a hard decision ?.

[The_Evil_Dean]

They both have good aspects


The Elite has better transfer.

The BOTD has better audio ( In my opinion and it is only slight ) .

The Elite has a better, more in depth photo gallery.

The BOTD has that sweet packaging ( Evil Dead fanboys dream ).


I would get both, hopefully one day it will be possible to combine them both with a DVD authoring package and make the final, last word on the subject, definitive DVD

[Michael Brooke]

With a film made on a budget this tiny, I think hoping for "the original look" is a red herring, as this may well not have been what the director actually wanted: merely getting it into cinemas at all being the major aim!

For a good parallel example, Frank Henenlotter was apparently blithely unaware that <I>Basket Case</I> had been cropped to 1.85:1 on its original release until he was asked to supervise the DVD transfer nearly two decades later - and there's no question the Something Weird DVD looks <U>infinitely</U> better than the golfball-sized grainy print that I saw back in the early 1980s.

As for <I>The Evil Dead</I>, I've got and have only seen the Elite edition, and have yet to come across any compelling reason to get anything else. Since I have a large 4:3 set, I'm obviously rather keener to have the 4:3 version, especially as it represents what was actually shot!

[deftone666]

My book of the dead Ltd Ed arrived this morning,I'm very impressed with it (though I won't be getting rid of my Elite version).One question though, I was under the impression it was a 2 disc release (mine only has one),was this changed after they decided Within The Woods wasn't going to be on it??

[NMA]

Originally posted by deftone666
My book of the dead Ltd Ed arrived this morning,I'm very impressed with it (though I won't be getting rid of my Elite version).One question though, I was under the impression it was a 2 disc release (mine only has one),was this changed after they decided Within The Woods wasn't going to be on it??

There had NEVER been an official info that it would be a 2 disc set. Rumors, rumors, rumors...

[Daliah Lavi]

To my trained eye, I prefer the Elite version.
No matter what AB say, this movie plays far better in full frame, there is far too much set detail obscured by that matte in the w/s version.

I just sold my book of the dead & kept the Elite disc, after all I'll watch the movie far more often than I'll watch the bloody extras & packaging !

:rolleyes:

Daliah.

[KeyserSoze]

right, who cares about the packaging.

im getting the Elite Edition.


where can i buy it with a switch card ? (i asks this a few weeks back but cant rememebr where).

[Jimmyboy]

Dunno, that seems alittle too unfair to me.
The compare reviews between the 2 seem to suggest that they both have their positives and negative's transfer wise.
The cropping of the book is how it was shown in the cinema's & is director approved so its not just as simple as saying the aspect ratio is wrong.
I'll be going for the book edition myself, It costs £15 & lets be honest, most ED collectors would gladly pay £7.99 for a Book of the Dead on its own anyway (without the DVD).
I've got the VHS if I wanna watch it in 4:3, & those who turn their noses up at the Book will be kicking themselve's when its out of production & selling on Ebay for upwards of £70. :D

[KeyserSoze]

Originally posted by Jimmyboy
& those who turn their noses up at the Book will be kicking themselve's when its out of production & selling on Ebay for upwards of £70. :D

good point.

o, i dont care about Book.

wait a min, good point.


damn, looks like i got some spending to do.

but about the aspect ratio, just because it is Directors 'approved', does that mean its Directors preferred ? i dont know

[john316]

Originally posted by KeyserSoze
but about the aspect ratio, just because it is Directors 'approved', does that mean its Directors preferred ? i dont know

Sam Raimi decided that he much preferred the 1:85 matte of ED over the original 1:33 so you are getting a version that Sam Raimi personally approves of

[Daliah Lavi]

For those still in two minds, check out this excellent conparison piece over at Mobius Home Video Board

http://www.mhvf.net/forum/scifihorror/posts/124229160.html

Showing what I knew all along, the Elite colour & framing was just right, the AB 2002 version has had some twiddling with the colour & looks far too punched up, this is not how it originally looked at the cinema & many places in London projected it full frame, not matted down IIRR.

Still it's up to the ED fan, are you rabid enough to buy another souped up version?

Why not wait for the Super Bit Holographic HD dvd :D

Daliah.

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by KeyserSoze

but about the aspect ratio, just because it is Directors 'approved', does that mean its Directors preferred ? i dont know
Quite possibly, remember that the 4:3 edition contains things that your not supposed to see like wires n stuff at the top of the screen suggesting that it was always intended to be cropped at some point.

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by Daliah Lavi
For those still in two minds, check out this excellent conparison piece over at Mobius Home Video Board

http://www.mhvf.net/forum/scifihorror/posts/124229160.html

Showing what I knew all along, the Elite colour & framing was just right, the AB 2002 version has had some twiddling with the colour & looks far too punched up, this is not how it originally looked at the cinema & many places in London projected it full frame, not matted down IIRR.

There are a number of online comparison reviews which favour the AB edition over the Elite so it really depends on the individual.

[Daliah Lavi]

Excactly!
It's all down to the individual, but when everyone around you just falls over themselves when a new (so called) improved version gets released, it's nice to have a balanced perspective ;)


The review/comparison I linked to favours the AB 2002 disc, but check out the frame grabs from all three dvds & it's plain to see which one stands out IMO, sadly I'm sure most people will be pulled in with the fancy packaging & more extensive extra's.

Which brings up an interesting point, when does buying dvds become an obsession?
Are we buying it for the packaging, the extra's or would it be for the film?

This is where i'm coming from, I got into Laserdiscs & now dvds due to widescreen OAR transfers, it's got to the point that some company's are milking this widescreen/revisonism, when in the case of The Evil Dead, you get (a) no extra picture on the sides (b) tight compositions with some great stuff cropped off (c) colour that has been well overcooked from the original photography (d) more grain on the picture & (e) an overmatted picture when in fact is was shot for 1:66:1 projection! as stated in the Evil Dead Companion.

It wouldn't be such a big problem if AB at least included the full frame & original mono soundtrack.
Thankfully the Elite disc is still readily available & cheap too :)

Daliah.