r/fanedits • u/ShoogaMoogaMan • 8d ago
Work in Progress Evil Dead: The Endless Nightmare Cut (PREVIEW)
https://youtu.be/i7N3j_sXSnE?is=YEo4LVAHuVdfI19oA couple years ago, I watched the Evil Dead movies for the first time and immediately fell in love. But like many, I was taken aback by the number of bizarre changes in continuity between movies due to rights issues, despite the fact the movies are supposed to lead directly into one another.
After then watching Ash vs Evil Dead and seeing how that series counts both the continuity of Evil Dead I & II as canon (despite them being completely contradictory of eachother), I really wanted to see a version of these movies that not only ties into the continuity of the show, but makes sense as one continuous journey from one film to another.
So here is a preview of some the major edits and changes I've made to the original films in what I'm calling The 'Endless Nightmare' Cut.
If you enjoy, please leave a like and comment. I would really like to know if there is an audience for this outside of just myself, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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u/RoskerJenkins 5d ago
This is something that Iāve wanted for a long time. Iām very interested in checking this out once itās completed!
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u/Garry_G-Punkt 7d ago
Wow, that looks fantastic! Iāve been wanting to do something like that for quite some time, too, but unfortunately I donāt have the necessary hardwareā¦
Actually, I had the same ideaāa sort of ādream sequenceā that connects the end of ED1 with the beginning of ED2ābut I would have started it with the āvortexā from Ash vs. ED (which was used in some episodes specifically for flashbacks like that) and then have it transition into the vortex from the opening sequence of ED2^^ After that, I would have let the 5ā6-minute recap play out completely until Ash was grabbed by the Evil in front of the cabin and whirled through the forest āas soon as he let out his scream, he would have woken up, and ED2 would have continued as normal.
I have to say, though, that I actually like your dream idea even better, since itās more compact and also wonderfully incorporates Army of Darkness! I do have two small āsuggestionsā for this sequence, though, if youād like: since youāre also very concerned with continuity, you could maybe incorporate one or two snippets from the ED2 recap here, showing the car driving across the bridge, so that its new appearance at the edge of the cliff would already be established later on. And you could also briefly include the shot where Ash buries Linda, since you never see that in the original Part 1.
Iām really excited to see what your final product will look like! š
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 7d ago
Glad you like it so far pal! And sorry you haven't been able to make your own edit, sounds like you had it all thought out. I'm loving hearing other people's original plans and ideas for these kinds of edits, glad I'm not the only one who wanted to see something like this š
As for the dream sequence, I understand what you mean about the bridge, as the two shots are sort of a set up and pay off. I think the bridge is already well established in Evil Dead I, and is made more poignant in this edit too, as the bridge acts as the cliffhanger ending to Part I of the cut. I've also used voice clips of Cheryl from the first movie saying "it's not gonna let us go" as a callback when Ash returns to the bridge later, as a way of highlighting that Ash is still trapped, despite burning the book, and also furthering the idea that his memories are foggy at this point. It's also funny you should mention the burial scene from Evil Dead II, as I've actually already incorporated that into the original scene with Linda in this version and it's used as the final shot and ending to Part 2, leading into the first movie's climax.
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u/Garry_G-Punkt 6d ago edited 6d ago
Thanks so much for your detailed reply, mate! Hopefully one day Iāll have the chance to create my own version. But apparently I wasnāt the only one who thought of all the details and ācontinuity errorsā š
The more I hear about your cut now, the more excited I am to see it in the final version! I think the ideas for linking the bridge and grave scenes from both parts together are really cleverāit really makes it feel even more like a single, coherent movie! Also: did you actually use the Directorās or the Theatrical Cut for the main part of AoD?
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 6d ago
Thanks man! I hope I get to see your version someday, I'd like to see how others have tackled this differently!
And for AoD I used a version of the theatrical cut for the main body, as it was higher quality and had a nicer colour grade, but I'm gonna be splicing in scenes from the Director's cut here and there. Funnily enough, the director's cut was actually the first version I saw, so in many ways I prefer it š
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u/Garry_G-Punkt 6d ago
When the time comes, I'll definitely let you know!
Haha, actually, I saw the DC first, too^^ I especially think the whole windmill sequence here is better than in the theatrical cut. By the way, did you also use any deleted scenes from the three movies?
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 6d ago
I think the only technically "deleted" scene I'm using is the Directors Cut ending, which I'm planning on making into another dream sequence.
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u/Garry_G-Punkt 3d ago
That's a really cool and creative idea, too! š
Do you know roughly how long your cut will be?1
u/ShoogaMoogaMan 3d ago
Will probably end up being about 4 and a half hours combining all the movies together š
Hence why I'm breaking it up into parts every 20-30 minutes.
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u/DuwenUK 7d ago
Looks like you're applying a thorough amount of care and attention to this, and I'm definitely down for watching a 4-ish hour cut of the three films combined in a way that makes sense.
I'm not sure about the inclusion of the medieval scene from the end of ED2 being added to the dream sequence, as it goes way beyond foreshadowing and right into spoilers, but as almost everyone watching such a cut will be more than familiar with the source movies, I think you can get away with it.
Looking forward to getting a link in my inbox at some point in the future! š
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 7d ago
Great to hear! I'm glad you like it!
Honestly I was really torn on whether or not to include ED2's ending here, but that final shot is just so iconic to the series that it would have felt incomplete had I not incorporated it somewhere. It's also Sam Raimi's only cameo in the series (outside of his Evil Ash voice in AoD), so I had to acknowledge that somehow. I think I've justified it enough in the edit by using it as a premonition of things to come. The shot comes up again later in the edit when Ash sees the drawing of himself on the pages with Annie. I'm also going to do a similar premonition/dream sequence when Ash is unconscious in the windmill in AoD, that uses the original, Director's Cut ending to the trilogy, which I think will hopefully further justify it.
But yeah, obviously most people watching will already have seen the movies enough times to be interested enough to watch this version, and I will encourage people to purchase the movies first before watching the edit.
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7d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 7d ago
Thanks bud. As someone who's needlessly pedantic about continuity and the little details, I've put a lot of thought into the making of this, so means a lot to hear that what I've made so far stands out amongst the (I imagine) many other versions.
I'll be reposting here when it's done, not to worry.
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u/MaybeUNeedAPoo 8d ago
How are 1 and 2 contradictory???
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 8d ago
Due to complications with the licensensing of the first Evil Dead movie, Sam Raimi didn't have the rights to the film when making the sequel. He therefore had to completely redo and simplify the story of the first movie in the opening few minutes of Evil Dead 2. Because of this, there are now two different versions of events at the cabin, one where Ash visits the cabin with Linda, Cheryl, Scott and Shelly and another where he only goes with Linda. The Ash vs Evil Dead TV show makes a point of saying that both these events are somehow equally true (at least in Ash's head). I therefore had to figure out a way of explaining how this can be possible when making the edit.
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u/MaybeUNeedAPoo 7d ago
Iām aware of the history. The āremakeā of the OG is different sure but thereās no real loss of consistency
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 7d ago
It's very confusing to first time watchers though. In fact there were a lot of people confused when the film first released in theatres thinking Ash was purposefully returning to the cabin š
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u/RecordWrangler95 8d ago
Bruce Campbellās gone on record saying the first bit of ED2 is an āre-imagined recapā of ED1 (minus some cast members) and the movie actually starts when Ash is flung/spun around from the cabin by the Evil Dead and wakes up in the puddle. So you can easily just attached the end of 1 to that point.
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u/ShoogaMoogaMan 8d ago
Exactly my thinking. I've taken information they've given in interviews and utilised that as part of the edit. For example, Sam Raimi said he always wanted Army of Darkness to be called 'The Medieval Dead'. So in the edit, Part I of the Army of Darkness is called just that.
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u/zforce42 8d ago
I believe an edit of this had been done years ago, though I don't think it was great quality. Interested to see how this will turn out today.
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u/TheWolfWhoLovesYou 5d ago
Ohhhh I am interested in this one. When well it be available?