(Test-) Meinung zur Veröffentlichung:
The only downside to this new incarnation of Evil Dead 2 on DVD, though, is that it's been released 300,000 times in 200,000 different editions. It's not quite as flagrant a DVD overpopulation as Army of Darkness, but there are now at least two special editions of Evil Dead 2 on the market. So do you keep your old one in a tin or do you upgrade?
Follow me into the forest . . .
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
This Divimax 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer of Evil Dead 2 looks marginally more impressive than Anchor Bay's last one, but there's not a sea of difference. Black levels are particularly rich and dense – that's what is most noticeable here – but the reality of the situation is that Evil Dead 2 succeeds in spite of its technical shortcomings and doesn't necessarily need to rest in the laurels of fancy-schmancy DVD transfers. Color contrast here is as good as it probably can be, the quality of this print is relatively without blemish or grime, and fine detail quality is fairly strong as well. Not a jaw-dropping transfer, but then again, Evil Dead 2 never looked jaw-droppingly great.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The mixes are similar in quality to the last edition's. From Jason Spear's DVDfile review of the Evil Dead 2 tin edition:
“The English 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks pack quite a punch with directional sound effects to match the restless camera work. Fidelity of the remasters was better than I was expecting. The formless thing in the woods now fills all the speakers with a deep rumbling. The dialogue is a bit muffled at times, it sounds limited compared to the sound effects. Surrounds are used effectively without being totally gimmicky. A nice effort from Anchor Bay that doesn't betray the film's origins like other remasters so often have.”
Also included are English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The good news is that the new featurette, Evil Dead 2: Behind-the-Screams is a goofy and fun look at the design and production of the special effects for the film. The bad news? Everything else here is a holdover from the last edition. The screen-specific audio commentary really is one of the better ones you'll ever hear, but it was on the last DVD release (and that was the same as the commentary on the LaserDisc release). And The Gore the Merrier featurette was around last time, as were the film's theatrical trailer and talent bios.
Most impressive, though, is the packaging of this release. When you squeeze the eye on the cover, it screams. Awesome.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
No DVD-ROM features have been included.
Final Thoughts
A wonderful movie with a redundant yet enjoyable presentation on DVD, Evil Dead 2: The Book of the Dead 2 is a must-have for those who never bought any other version of the film on DVD and a recommended title for those who already have. The transfer and mix here are both great, the bonus features are mostly holdovers, but delicious ones, and the packaging of this one makes it totally worthy of a high recommendation.
Source: Bloody Disgusting
