RETURN OF THE
EVIL DEAD
Differances between prints.
The Spanish version, entitled 'El Ataque De Los
Muertos Sin Ojos', runs 86 minutes 36 seconds at 25 fps (PAL
video). The English dubbed version by Atlas, released by
Redemption Benelux (yes, this shows up on the US DVD also) as
RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD lasts 83 minutes 24 seconds at 25 fps
(not including the Atlas logo). It is missing the following
material :
The flashback in which the Templars sacrifice a female victim shows up 11 minutes 7 seconds into the Spanish version. The dubbed English print by Atlas adds this onto the beginning of the pre-credits sequence, just before the Templars are executed by the villagers, and also makes some heavy cuts. All the shots of the knife plunging between the woman's breast have been removed, as have the shots of a Templar pulling out the woman's heart.
Redemption's UK tape of this edition has been further cut by the BBFC, who removed a 6 second glimpse of a Templar tearing away the woman's dress, revealing her breast.
-2m 29s. Atlas has removed an additional line of dialogue from the Templar just before he is blinded by the villagers).
-12m 9s. The flashback used at the beginning of Atlas' dubbed English edition should appear here. It was originally followed by a brief recap of the Templars being killed by the villagers which Atlas has removed.
-12m 31s. A shot of a woman tied and gagged in the boot of a car (inserted into the middle of the fireworks display) has been removed.
-12m 47s. A complete sequence has been cut in which the woman from the previous shot is tied to a wall by Murdo, the village idiot, and stabbed between the breasts. The woman does not appear at all in the Atlas edition. In the Atlas edition it is no longer clear why the Templars return from the grave. This scene establishes that Murdo deliberately summons the Templars by offering them a human sacrifice (all of Murdo's subsequent actions thus appear in a very different light).
-32m 23s. A single shot of blood dripping down a telephone and onto the floor has been cut (this is included in the German print as well as the Spanish edition).
-63m 1s. Two shots of Bert's stomach being punctured in close-up by swords have been cut (as has an intervening shot of the Mayor watching from a nearby window).
-65m 57s. The scene in which the little girl, Nancy, leaves a room and encounters the Mayor (just before he leads her outside) has inexplicably been cut. This can be found in the German and Spanish editions.
-67m 19s. Various close-up of swords entering the Mayor's body.
-72m 20s. A single close-up of a sword penetrating Amalia's stomach.
-74m 6s. A single shot of blood spurting from Murdo's neck after he has been beheaded.
-76m 59s. A few shots of Howard's face (just before the pan down his body that reveals he has fallen against a sword).
-79m 8s. A single shot of the village square just before Vivian, Jack and Nancy leave the church has inexplicably been cut.
-The end credits are considerably shorter in the Atlas edition.
A few seconds are missing from the Spanish version due to print damage: 17 minutes 32 seconds in, a very dark shot of a Templar rising from his grave has been cut. 42 minutes 37 seconds in, part of the attack on the village fete has been cut (it actually looks like someone has stopped the tape and then restarted it). 61 minutes 13 seconds, a few seconds of the Mayor pausing before approaching Bert. All of this material can be found in both the Atlas and German editions.
The Spanish language version was very difficult to obtain up until 2005, but has since been released by Anchor Bay in the US and UK.
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