Stand up if you've bought Evil Dead 2 over five times! Yes, many fans of the ol' boomsticked one have dipped into their pocketbooks time and time again for yet another version from the great folk at Anchor Bay. You can't blame them for trying (okay, some of you can), but they've always strived to keep these old Raimi gems one step ahead of the curve for the collectible market. Now comes the Book of the Dead 2 DVD edition to go right beside their original foamy book DVD case for the first Evil Dead film. So what's new here? Well, it screams for one! The book screams when you push its bulbous eyeball, which is pretty cool. Otherwise, you have a new sculpted book from Tom Sullivan, along with further unleashed sketches on the inside pages. The paint job is improved, though it's still nothing to write home about. And of course, you get an already stellar Evil Dead 2 disc that features one of the funniest commentary tracks ever recorded. New from the previous edition is a 17-minute making-of called "Behind the Screams," a slide-show presentation of behind-the-scene photos narrated by Tom Sullivan. With trailers for the first film, plus another for Man With the Screaming Brain and another clip for the new Evil Dead video game, the disc is designed for the fans, who are obviously going to chew this one up. The film itself looks better than ever before with a new transfer from Raimi to get your HD blood pumping. Sadly, the product has one downfall and that is its foul plastic odor. The first book smelled as well, though this one might just be worse. Best throw the disc in a slipcase and put the book under glass for the sake of your soul and nasal tissue.
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Before director Sam Raimi made the Spider-Man Trilogy, he was responsible for another trilogy, a low budget balls to the wall trilogy made up of Horror film 'The Evil Dead', Horror/Comedy 'Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn' and Adventure/Comedy 'Army of Darkness'. 'Evil Dead 2' begins by essentially remaking the first film. Instead of 5 friends on a trip to an isolated Cabin in the woods, now it's just Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda. When they reach the cabin, Ash discovers a tape recorder left by the previous owner, an archeologist who found and translated the book of the dead. By listening to the professors translations, Ash accidently re-unleashes the evil that has been awakened and Linda becomes the first victim. As Ash desperatly tries to escape he discovers that he's now trapped, due to the destruction of the bridge and attempts to barracade himself inside the cabin. Things get worse when the professors daughter, her boyfriend and two hicks show up looking for the professor and his wife and find a bloody, trashed cabin instead. Believing that Ash murdered them, the four lock Ash in the basement, unaware that the professor has a secret of his own buried down there with him. After learning the truth about what is going on and loosing one of their own, the surviving three team up with Ash in an attempt to survive the night, only it's not going to be that easy. 'Evil Dead 2' is a fun, bloody and entertaining horror/comedy with a unique style of it's own. The camera movements and angles are expertly done to give the unseen evil a characteristic. The film also has a solid protagonist who's well praised in the horror community. If you're looking for a good horror film to get away from the garbage produced today, check out this movie.