Pre-release
Like the original film, Evil Dead II had censorship difficulties due to its high level of violence. Because DEG was a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Raimi was contractually obliged to shoot the film with the intention of it earning an R rating. Upon reviewing the completed film, DEG's executives felt that Evil Dead II would almost certainly receive an X rating, which would limit its commercial prospects.[12] Lawrence Gleason, the company's president of marketing and distribution, felt that if it were to be cut for an R, the film "would have been about 62 minutes long" and that both Raimi's vision and the audience's enjoyment would have been sabotaged as a result.[19]
Ultimately, DEG decided not to submit Evil Dead II to the MPAA for review or be credited onscreen for their involvement in it. Instead, Rosebud Releasing Corporation, a shell company run by De Laurentiis' son-in-law Alex De Benedetti, was set up to handle the film's US release, allowing it to be shown unrated. Although Rosebud technically did not have a distribution network, DEG had already booked the film in 340 cinemas across the country, and had created and paid for the film's advertising campaign.[19] Rosebud's logo, a rose blooming in time-lapse photography against a painted sky backdrop, was designed and shot by Raimi himself.[12]
Home media
The film was released on VHS by Vestron Video in 1987. Another VHS release came from Anchor Bay Entertainment on February 17, 1998.[20] In a similar fashion to the first Evil Dead film and Army of Darkness, there have been numerous DVD releases of Evil Dead II. The film was released on DVD by Anchor Bay on August 29, 2000, in the form of a limited edition tin, and was re-released by Anchor Bay on September 27, 2005, designed to resemble the Necronomicon.[21][22] On October 2, 2007, the film was released on Blu-ray, and on November 15, 2011, it was re-released on Blu-ray and DVD by Lionsgate Home Entertainment for its 25th anniversary.[21][23][24] On September 13, 2016, the film was re-released on Blu-ray by Lionsgate.[25] A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version of the film was released on December 11, 2018.[26]
The film was released on DVD in the United Kingdom in 2003 as part of a region 2 Evil Dead trilogy box set.[21] In 2013, the trilogy saw another UK release on Blu-ray, released by StudioCanal.[21][27] A 25th Anniversary Wood Edition was released in Germany by StudioCanal in 2007.[21][28] The film was released on Blu-ray in Australia in 2014, alongside The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, and the 2013 reboot, as part of an Evil Dead Anthology box set.[21] The film has been released together with the first Evil Dead film by Green Nara Media in South Korea in region A.[21]
