Evil Dead: The Trilogy Cut (Evil Dead Trilogy Edit) EXAMPLES IN POST
Formerly The Complete Story Edit
[UPDATES (10/8/2022) IN RECENT POST]
V2 IS FINISHED UPDATE IN A FEW WEEKS [Version 2 now with full HDR10/Dolby Vision]
V1 [Shifting AR or Widescreen Versions] IS COMPLETE, SEE A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF IT BELOW.
Evil Dead: The Trilogy Cut is a fanedit of the entire Evil Dead trilogy, edited into one single movie. Although this type of edit has been done many times before, my edit had the following goals in mind:
• Use the best possible sources of each movie (direct UHD Blu-Ray Sources)
• Blend each film into the next in the most seamless way possible, and create a more streamlined experience
• Provide an edit that can properly flow into the mythos and canon of Ash vs. Evil Dead as much as possible
• Preserve as much of each films’ solo integrity as I can (A.K.A. Not to tamper with the flow of each movie unless needed)
I am a big fan of the Evil Dead franchise, and was always interested in editing all three films together, despite the drastic continuity issues (re-castings, movie quality increasing with each film, etc.). Many considered that to mean that each sequel takes place in their own continuity. Then came Ash vs. Evil Dead…
Being a short film editor, I gained interest in the possibilities. The show now gave reason for each film to exist in one canon, inconsistencies aside. Having seen many attempts at edits of the entire trilogy into one film, I wanted to make an edit that takes inspiration from the many edit ideas from other individuals, and pick the best edit points to form this: A sort of refined version of an Evil Dead trilogy supercut that is both simple yet meticulous in it’s edits, and the kind of cut that represents the way Ash would usually explain his story to other characters in the show.
SOURCES:
I used rips from each of my UHD Blu-Rays, and made sure each movie was it’s most up-to-date, quality-wise. This includes-
• The Evil Dead Blu-Ray (2018 UHD Lionsgate release)
• Evil Dead II Blu-Ray (2018 UHD Lionsgate release)
• Army of Darkness Blu-Ray (2015 Scream Factory release/1080p Shout Factory Blu-Ray)
*For V2 I will use the upcoming Army of Darkness UHD Blu-Ray from Shout and it will be finished in 4k, maintaining each film’s HDR as well, as that is what is currently keeping V1 from being completely UHD HDR.
CHANGES/EXAMPLES:
Knowby’s Recordings-
Inserted Knowby’s recordings from Evil Dead II into ED1, replacing the original Bob Dorian narration. This idea originated from Josh Roush’s Epic Edit, and I found doing so really helps blend 1 and 2 together a bit more, as an earlier introduction to Annie Knowby is much less jarring than having her appear all of a sudden. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U-lL0sn99OJab8JdPXezVz7jP2WJgxac/view?usp=sharing)
Evil Dead to Evil Dead II transition (Includes Shifting AR Change)-
The infamous transition between 1 and 2. While I’ve seen many takes on how one can connect the end of 1 and the beginning of 2, I feel the best way to do so is to take advice from the man Bruce Campbell himself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzOIHOjYcqM) That being said, Here comes the reason there are two versions of V1. I originally wanted to present the whole feature in 1.85:1 Widescreen, however, the UHD of the first film does not have a widescreen version, and only contains the full open gate 1.33:1 version of the movie. Two versions of V1 came into play when I decided to make a version where ED1 is in widescreen, as well as a version where it is in its original 1.33:1 AR. For the widescreen version, I did an entire frame by frame tilt and scan that matches the Widescreen blu-ray from Anchor Bay back in 2010. That way the whole film can be properly viewed in the widescreen format, while blending in with the AR of the rest of the two films. In the “SHIFTING AR” version of V1, ED1 was preserved in its original AR, however a transition between Evil Dead 1 and 2 needed to be made… so I thought about a few ideas until I came to an edit that I found to be a fun transition point. Now, the shot of the evil entity flying into the house in ED1 has a seamless and almost unnoticeable shift from 4:3 to widescreen, using the entity bursting into the cabin doors as the point of shifting as seen in the video. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/12eab-pNaT7RcdfALTSyT_cKoETYEn0bR/view?usp=sharing) Furthermore, I adjusted the speed of the entity ramming into Ash, as well as changed the color timing for the second movie for 5 seconds. This was due to the second film essentially being more blue in it’s outdoor scenes compared to its predecessor, who had more of a warmer hue. The color then transitions back into its original color pallete by the time Ash hits the tree. It is an (unnoticeable to the naked eye) change, and a more seamless transition. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M2zxhUOSS3ZRUiguYztDMf5-QucDNZT3/view?usp=sharing)
The Bridge Revelation-
In the second film, Ash drives to the bridge to see it has been destroyed, to his surprise… even though he had seen the exact same thing in the first film with his sister. In a debate on deciding which version of the bridge revelation I should keep, I decided to keep the first movie’s, while editing down the second movie’s version to more of a situation where Ash had forgotten that the bridge was destroyed, and doesn’t realize that until he drives up there, reducing his surprised nature in that moment. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T1mO0uqTp_9enRrRSqtbhbD2oo1fTQPZ/view?usp=sharing)
Evil Dead II to Army of Darkness transition-
Another inspiration from the Epic Edit came in handy when transitioning from 2 to 3. When testing out any of the possibilities, the best option came in the form of using one of the flashes in the time portal as a transition point. It is not as jarring as other options, and is just a perfect transition point between movies. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R6RBDJ36rRF6-QcnlWWyZTfLe4fEs7n-/view?usp=sharing)
End Credits-
I originally kept it at just using the regular Army of Darkness credits, but this changed the more I wanted a full experience. I LOVED an idea posed by an edit created by youtuber Cameron Wood. In his edit he replaced the closing moment music in Army of Darkness with “Journey to the Center of the Mind”, a song that was used as the end credits music of the first episodes of AvED. I had done the same, as it eludes to the future of the show itself. A really fun transition into Ash vs. Evil Dead. I had also combined all the credits together, and had ended the credits all together with “Jazz Traditional - Charleston” to go full circle. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h6jwd9TvELQFvuqfpCdby68qW8rQw_yD/view?usp=sharing)
New Length: 3h 57m
82GB / 2160p / HDR10 + Dolby Vision / 5.1 AC3 Surround Sound
V2 COMING SOON with higher file size, resolution, and HDR. Let me know what you guys and gals think! It’s my first major fan edit of something, and I’d love to know if there’s interest in getting the whole edit seen somehow, even though I’m not really good with figuring out how to safely release this project without getting any copyright hounds breathing down my neck.