Evil Dead
Cut Scene – The scene where Linda is stabbed in the ankle but the then possessed Deadite Cheryl.
Why I think it was cut out
Personally I don’t think this should have be cut out because the blood doesn’t look believable thus it not so much ruins the illusion that this girl has been stabbed but that the film was made by early twenty something’s out to make a quick fright. Now the tree rape scene on the other hand is very disturbing in that it could have been avoided. But it begs the question; did Sam Raimi keep that scene in so people would talk and discuss rape in (at the time) modern cinema. With films like I Spit On Your Grave and more ironically Last House on the Left, showing rape scenes it coursed controversy with the media and lead to the films being edited down or even not distributed (which film makes obviously don’t want). But also films out side the horror genre scenes of rape where put in, for example Straw Dogs which was released the same year as A Clockwork Orange both involved rape and murder. Were film-makers bringing to attention the state of society in the 70’s and earily 80’s by showing rape as entertainment? Was the tree rape scene in Evil Dead put in to reflect those realistic rape scenes with an over the top one and make a sick joke out of it?
Personally I don’t think this should have be cut out because the blood doesn’t look believable thus it not so much ruins the illusion that this girl has been stabbed but that the film was made by early twenty something’s out to make a quick fright. Now the tree rape scene on the other hand is very disturbing in that it could have been avoided. But it begs the question; did Sam Raimi keep that scene in so people would talk and discuss rape in (at the time) modern cinema. With films like I Spit On Your Grave and more ironically Last House on the Left, showing rape scenes it coursed controversy with the media and lead to the films being edited down or even not distributed (which film makes obviously don’t want). But also films out side the horror genre scenes of rape where put in, for example Straw Dogs which was released the same year as A Clockwork Orange both involved rape and murder. Were film-makers bringing to attention the state of society in the 70’s and earily 80’s by showing rape as entertainment? Was the tree rape scene in Evil Dead put in to reflect those realistic rape scenes with an over the top one and make a sick joke out of it?
Info on Censorship
Because of its graphic violence, the original version of the movie was banned in several countries, including Finland, Germany, Iceland and Ireland. The "tree rape" scene in the movie was also described by some as being misogynistic. In Germany, the movie’s release was hindered by public authorities for almost 10 years. Original 1982 cinema and video releases of the movie had been seized, making the movie successful on the black market video circuit with pirated copies abounding. Several well-known horror enthusiasts publicly criticized the German ban on the movie, including author Stephen King (who gave it a rave review in the November 1982 issue of Twilight Zone). A heavily edited version was made available legally during 1992. During 2001 an uncut German DVD version was released, but the Berlin-Tiergarten Court ordered seizure of the DVD in April 2002 (Case Number 351 Gs 1749/02). In Finland, The Evil Dead was later released uncut on DVD by Future Film, and rated K-18. In the United Kingdom, the movie was one of the first to be abelled a video nasty during the mid-1980s and was finally released uncut in 2001.
-Wikipedia
Next blog 'DPP the List' then 'Last House on the Left Censorship Info' up soon…
[UPDATE] Mark Kermode on the Evil Dead cuts
Back in June 08, Mark Kermode released an Uncut Video Blog which detailed some on the cuts the BBFC watch Sam Raimi to do with his gore-com the Evil Dead. And In fact he didn’t mention the tree rape scene but he did mention the stabbing in ankle bit and specified that it wasn’t the stabbing they wanted band but how the Deadite twists the pencil. He also mentioned that’s the BBFC watch the bit where Shelly chews off her own hand (when she is holding the knife) to be reduced which he then went on to mocked. But to summaries he had the list of things the BBFC wanted Raimi to cut from the film so it could get a rating.
Source - Kermode Uncut Blog - With Gruesome Pleasure
Source - Kermode Uncut Blog - With Gruesome Pleasure
Now this has interested me to find the hole list of what the BBFC wanted to cut from the Evil Dead and indeed Last House- and Cannibal Apocalypse. I’m going to do some searching and try find the lists which I will then post up here.
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