Evil Dead [Blu-ray]

Set Contains: The main fact viewers will take away from the supplemental features on the Evil Dead Blu-ray is that the picture was, by all accounts, a tremendous challenge for both its cast and filmmakers. Lead Jane Levy (Suburgatory) appears to have taken the brunt of the strain, as detailed in Making Life Difficult and Being Mia, two short extras that focus on the physical and emotional toll taken by playing her character in both its human and demonic forms. Levy has an ingratiating off-camera presence, and appears to have taken her lumps for the production team with good cheer. She's also present on a roundtable commentary track with director Fede Alvarez, his screenwriter Rodo Sayagues, and her costars Lou Taylor Pucci and Jessica Lucas. It reveals no real hidden treasures--watching the other featurettes and a casual perusal of promotional interviews from outside sources will provide roughly the same level of behind-the-scenes information--but the participants are proud of their work, which buoys the track. Alvarez gets his own spotlight piece, Directing the Dead, which provides very brief insight into his directorial focus, while Unleashing the Evil Force covers the Book of the Dead in equally abbreviated terms. More interesting, if only slightly longer, is Evil Dead--The Reboot, a 10-minute talk with executive producers Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell, who discuss their initial feelings about the reboot (Tapert and the conspicuously absent Sam Raimi were gung ho, while Campbell was more reluctant to undertake the project) and their advice to the new cast and crew. While not particularly in-depth, and sorely lacking in deleted or extended scenes, the extras for the Evil Dead Blu-ray give a basic blow-by-blow of the trials and tribulations endured in bringing the picture to screen. --Paul Gaita Product Description A secluded cabin. An ancient curse. An unrelenting evil. Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell reunite to present a genuinely terrifying re-imagining of their original horror masterpiece. Five young friends have found the mysterious and fiercely powerful Book of the Dead. Unable to resist its temptation, they release a violent demon on a blood-thirsty quest to possess them all. Who will be left to fight for their survival and defeat this unearthly force of murderous carnage.