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The Evil Dead Companion

The Evil Dead Companion

List Price: $17.95
Your Price: $12.21
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Decent companion, but somewhat lacking
Review: Like other reviewers for this book, I too am a huge fan of the Evil Dead series. That is why I found 'The Evil Dead Companion' somewhat disappointing, and not worthy of 5 stars at all. Out of all the movies in the trilogy, the author decides to focus mostly on the first film. Granted this is an interesting period in the film-makers lives, I would have preferred just as much in depth coverage into the other two films, 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Army of Darkness'. Unfortunately, they play a small part in the book. The stories of Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell before the films came out are very funny and interesting, and do make up for the lack of other info. Also, the sparse photo's in the book (I really wish there was more) are all black and white, and with a film like this full colour ones would have done far more justice to the films.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Comprehensive and fun--and inspiring!
Review: Lots of behind-the-scenes dope on that shady little gorefest, The Evil Dead, and its sequels. More than just a movie production book, it's a tribute (or maybe the basis for a cult!) to a hardworking American filmmaker. Sam Raimi is a really cool, really normal guy who does some pretty extraordinary things with a camera. You want to root for him and his positive, can-do attitude. Read this, then catch Bruce Campbell's book If Chins Could Kill, for the other side of the camera!

Cool Stuff!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Comprehensive and fun--and inspiring!
Review: Lots of behind-the-scenes dope on that shady little gorefest, The Evil Dead, and its sequels. More than just a movie production book, it's a tribute (or maybe the basis for a cult!) to a hardworking American filmmaker. Sam Raimi is a really cool, really normal guy who does some pretty extraordinary things with a camera. You want to root for him and his positive, can-do attitude. Read this, then catch Bruce Campbell's book If Chins Could Kill, for the other side of the camera!

Cool Stuff!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Friend of the Dead
Review: Now for fans of the Evil Dead trilogy this is a god send. Unlike the dissapointment many fans felt with the DVD's, this book on the trilogy is full of excellent information and great interviews. It focuses mainly of the making of 'The Evil Dead' the first in the series telling of the ways the makers attempted to raise money and basically create a 'new' horror movie. It does however go through 'Evil Dead 2' and 'Army of Darkness'. And for us zombies to Bruce 'dont call me Ash' Campbell there is some great stuff from him in it aswell. With no other books on the subject this book should be on the shelf of every Evil Dead fan along with their 'Ash' figure, double barreled Remington and personally signed Chainsaw.

Hail to the king baby!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: If you're an Evil Dead fan, you will enjoy this book
Review: The Evil Dead Companion is about the movie, Evil Dead. If you haven't seen it, you should see Evil Dead II (funnier and not quite as disturbing). Then, if you're drunk, see Army of Darkness. Then come back to this review -- it won't make much sense otherwise.

In the bookstore, I picked up the Evil Dead Companion, flipped through it, and put it back down. It seemed mildly interesting, but it didn't have enough to hold my attention. I forgot about it.

Then for Christmas, lo and behold, Maleficent bought it for me. So I figured it'd be worth a good read, especially in fleshing out my D20 Modern supplement, Evil Dead: Swallow This! If you don't know what that is, 1) shame on you, 2) visit my web site for more details.

Bill Warren's a fan of Raimi and Bruce and co. A big fan. In fact, he's so much of a fan, there's a slant to the material that wasn't quite hard-hitting enough for my tastes. I submit this evidence at the end of the book:

These guys from Detroit are among the most decent, likeable people this writer has ever met, and it has been an enormous pleasure, one of the greatest of my professional life, to have been associated with them.
Okay, WHOA. I really like Bruce Campbell. When I finally do meet him, I'll proably make a stuttering idiot of myself. But come on now. Even if this is true, and I'm sure it is, would you be quite so effusive with the praise?

Also, a good chunk of the book -- pages 180 through 251 -- is a summary of the script with commentary from Bruce. Some if it's interesting. Some of it is irritating in its lack of specifics. It's not the REAL script, it's a summary.

But I'm griping about things that ultimately should be meaningless to a true-blue (true-red?) fan of Evil Dead. The book actually is more about the first movie, Evil Dead, than Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness because...well because that's what Sam and Bruce wanted to talk about most.

The stories are funny. Sam takes a wicked glee in abusing Bruce. And the early days of filming were hell -- literally and cinematically. The behind the scenes stuff is interesting.

The writer makes a half-hearted attempt to make the book an inspirational tale. The idea being that if Sam can do it, you can do it. But that isn't true at all. These friends were all connected to other people who were hell-bent on making movies too. In short, the average hopeful filmmaker is probably NOT working with a bunch of other guys who were ultimately making it on their own. In my experience, the average filmmaker is a kid in a basement trying to film stuff on his own. Sam and Bruce were talented guys with a level of desperation and daring most sane people aren't willing to go. And oh yeah, they don't appear to have had long-term relationships at the time either.

The book's becoming rapidly outdated. I checked all the web sites listed in the back and over 50% of them are gone. The game mentioned, Hail to the King, came and went.

In short, if you're an Evil Dead fan, you will enjoy this book. A lot of the quotes are taken from other sources vs. interviewing (I can write a book that way too, duh), but there's enough hidden gems that make it worthwhile. If you're not that big a fan, this book will probably bore you pretty quickly.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EVIL DEAD COMPANION
Review: This book is amazing, man! I'm a fan of the series since the first time i see Evil Dead in the cinema, in 1983... Ow, I remembered it, it was raining, and very cold... It was night... And I go to the cinema, alone. Well, the day was grat to watch an horror movie. But Evil Dead was more than that... Wan an different movie, the scarier... Makes me afraid to walk alone... 'Cause I was goin' home afraid, thinking about that possessed teens, like me, about 20 years, and I imagine me, possessed by the demon... In 1987, there I go again, in the same theater... One very cold day, but it was not raining, but it was night... Evil Dead 2... I was waiting an movie like the first one... It was very good, but not as good as the first one... But the movie really scares me again... And again, still in the same place, in 1993, Army Of Darkness. Well, it was a comedy movie, but very fun... Here I go again, 2001, very cold day, and I start to read the book, hearing at the first evil dead soundtrack... Great movie. Many information... All about the series....

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Just okay
Review: This book tells all about the making of the three Evil Dead movies with the spotlight on how the filmmakers had gone head over heels to make the first one. It's a good examining into the Evil Dead mythos and gives us an insight into the people on and off screen. Bad thing is, none of the interior photos are in color. Should've been better, had they put those in.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: ash and his elf shoes
Review: This book was pretty good explaning the movies, it should of told more on how they mad the F/X the book told more about sam and bruce's super 8 movies as well. It also talks about the movie within the wood, i though that was pretty cool. If you want to know every single word in all evil dead movies they have it in there. If your a true evil dead fan buy the book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: God bless Sam Raimi
Review: What's to say about the greatest horror movie triology ever? The book is chock full of interesting tidbits into the mindset of Sam Raimi - the patron saint of American cinema.
Buy this book and you'll find yourself flipping through it over and over again.


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