SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Just so...so bad

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Back in the age of video, when VHS was the method of weekend movie viewing, the mom and pop stores competed with major chains by offering some off the beaten track movies. These were mostly made for video features but on occasion there were movies that hadn't fared all that well at the box office but seemed to do major business on tape. Most of these were horror films and in fact a number of directors making major movies today cut their teeth on these films. Those stores were packed with box art that caught the eye and helped to develop a cult following for a number of films. EVIL ED was one such movie.The plot isn't overly developed. Money hungry film executive Sam Campbell has his hands on series of slasher films called the LOOSE LIMBS series. The problem is overexposure to the films leads to homicidal tendencies. His last editor locked himself up and eventually had to be killed to get his hands back on the print. In an effort to have them toned down enough to pass censorship inspection Sam transfers mild mannered Ed Swenson to his department, Splatter & Gore, to edit the films.Ed is sent to a home Sam has set up just for this project with the first film in hand. The more Ed watches the weirder things get. He begins hallucinating, seeing a tiny demon running around the house. With each successive film Ed watches his darker side emerges, a violent psychopathic side that comes out when people stop by and interrupt his project. The question is will he edit the film as instructed? Will it eventually drive him completely mad? And will his homicidal tendencies erupt on an unsuspecting town, including his wife and daughter? While it sounds simple, and in a way it is, the film puts on display all of those things that helped it develop the cult following that it has. The box art may have garnered the interest of gore hounds but not all movies with great cover art delivered. EVIL ED delivers on all levels. The story holds your interest and the gore level is about a 9 on a 10 scale, something gore hounds reveled in at the time and still do.Here's the kicker. The movie may have been released on VHS but it happened about the time that video stores were beginning to die out. This may be part of the reason that fans were scouring to find it for such a long time, rarity. Made in Sweden while there was still a censorship board at the time it was intended to make fun of that board. The film makers were ridiculed by the board at the time. It seems they've had the last laugh as the film has now been given a superb treatment by Arrow Video and found its way to blu-ray.The release of this film by Arrow was greeted with glee by the horror community. Message boards and Facebook posts were agog that they now had a chance to own this film in the best way possible. Honestly Arrow Video has provided this film with so many goodies and in such great shape that it makes you wonder why major studios don't offer as good a product on mainstream titles as they do on theirs.First off there are two versions of the film included here. Then we get to the extras. Wow. Included is a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys, a collector's booklet with writing by film critic James Oliver, the world premiere of the newly-extended version of the feature, the "Keep Em Heads Rolling" making of documentary, a featurette on the creation of the Special Edition cut, deleted scenes, bloopers, teasers and trailers, a still gallery and "Lost in Brainland" a never before seen extended 3 hour version of the making of documentary. Yes, a 3 hour making of which means it's nearly twice as long as the movie itself! Let's face it, this is not Oscar material here folks. It is plain and simple a gore filled horror film for fans of both horror and gore. It is a tribute to the movies that came from the eighties and lined the shelves of video stores everywhere. It is a poke in the eye at censors both in content and commentary in the story. For fans it will be something to sit with friends and have a good laugh over. For non-fans it will be a horror film that will test their limits. And, as always, it is more proof that Arrow Video is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to releasing films not quite mainstream but with the effort put behind it as if it were CITIZEN KANE. Kudos once more to them and their quest to be a favorite with fans.

Evil Ed (1995) ** (out of 4) Ed (Johan Rudebeck) is a film editor who gets a promotion to the gore and horror department. The usually normal Ed begins editing a violent horror series and before long he is being haunted by strange visions, which turn him into a killer.This Swedish horror film apparently has a very big cult following and it's rather easy to see why. Sometimes you watch a movie that you respect more than you actually enjoy and that's what EVIL ED was to me. There's no question that the filmmakers had a special talent and the film they wanted to make certainly got on the screen. This here was obviously a love letter to all things dealing with horror movies and there are a couple interesting and good ideas scattered throughout the picture.With that said, I just didn't really find it to be entertaining. Obviously you're appeal of the main character will help determine your feelings on the picture but I just had a really hard time connecting to anything in the movie. It was like I was watching something good but it just didn't interest me to invest in it. I thought Rudebeck's performance was quite good in the lead. If you're looking for gore then there's plenty of that here. The blood-soaked special effects is what people love and there's no question that they are good.The film is a spoof of the slasher genre but it falls well short of something like DEAD ALIVE. This film here has the gore and the spoof down right but in the end it just didn't entertainment all that much.

Oh my god. Obviously, when you rent or buy this, you're not expecting to see a documentary on the mating habits of small rodents in their natural habitats. You're expecting a visual feast of blood and gore and and maybe even a scare or two. well, for those who are as sick and twisted as myself, you won't find many scares, but you'll come very close to urinating all over yourself in laughter. the catch phrases in this movie will stay with you and your friends forever. The first time i showed this to my friends and colleagues was over 3 years ago, but still we laugh our asses off and use the catch phrases. it's as addictive and funny as Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn and Peter Jackson's Dead Alive/Braindead. From the opening scene's absolutely ridiculous dialog, to the Splatter and Gore Department's finest works, to the wondrous abilities of Ed the film cutter, you will laugh and laugh again. As far as the visual feast of blood and gore, oh yeah, they've got it. And they're pretty damn good at it... "The neck-bone's connected to the head-bone..." This film also may have done the best nightmare/hallucination/totally effing nuts scene i have ever seen. and that one's not mean to be funny, but man is it well done (and creepy.) Overall, to anyone who is not against a bunch of blood and a damn good time, IF YOU EVER SEE THIS MOVIE GET IT!!!! it's on Netflix, i know that for sure.

~Spoiler~Do you ever get the feeling that you've seen all the great horror movies? Well I often feel this way and am constantly on the lookout for that one movie I have never seen. Evil Ed is the one I never gave a chance. I finally did. What a surprise. It was unbelievable witty, the gore is glorious, and the acting is as campy as it gets. What an underrated addition to the horror genre. Some say that it rips off a lot of other horror greats, like Evil Dead II, Gremlins, Night of the Living Dead, and maybe even Legend. It would be considered a rip off if it wasn't paying homage to these films. The plot, which is great, also gives it license to do this. Ed is this average dork who is given the job of editing all of these horrendous slasher/splatter movies. He eventually goes crazy which is a great spoof on the media's thoughts on violence in movies. And of course he sees monsters and things that aren't really there and he thinks that it has become his job to stop these evil filmmakers and their movies. It starts out a little slow and stupid, but when Ed loses it, you instantly forget the movies earlier sins. You definitely have to give this movie a chance before you just pass it over. If you love the Evil Dead series, then you should love Evil Ed because there are so many references to Evil Dead II it's laughable. A great foreign splatter movie. Note for genre buffs: Bill Moseley (Chop Top from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) does some nice voiceovers.