A killer is on the loose in Japan. Young women are being horribly mutilated. Aki, a young woman who works as a film projectionist, is haunted by a childlike ghost. Her girlfriend Emi is a TV news reporter covering the horrible mutilations. Emi introduces Aki to Kurahashi, a married man with a haunted past. Everyone involved has a dark secret and something evil is taking control of them. They are pawns in a game being played by forces beyond their understanding. This eerie descent into madness takes us on a journey into the abyss and the terrible truth is finally revealed!

For thoughts on Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/PFO623ljMjw?t=1686]

Video Quality

Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki comes to Blu-Ray via Unearthed Films with a 1080p master in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio which is not listed as being from a new restoration, but it holds up better than Evil Dead Trap which was derived from a 4K restoration. While not perfect by any means, the film largely looks pretty great in comparison to what it should look like. The numerous daytime scenes hold up the best when it comes to evoking a pleasing amount of detail. The film grain maintains an organic appearance which mostly resolves well outside of some minor moments that spike or become a bit clumpy.

Compared to the first film, the compression artifacts in the darker moments are far less frequent, and there is more detail in the shadows which helps this one out. This title also showcases a light amount of wear and tear, but not so much as to be a dealbreaker for most audiences. The transfer features passable color saturation throughout with the grotesque hues or distinct lighting standing out, but skin tones can run a bit pale. Unearthed Films has treated this one just as well as the first film with this new release.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with two LPCM 2.0 mono tracks, one in stereo and one in mono, that are both presented in the original Japanese. The atmospheric score maintains a pleasant fidelity with no real instances of crunchiness or distortion to sour the experience. Dialogue comes through without a hiccup throughout the film in a manner that is always beneficial to the experience. The film never goes overboard with low end impact, but a few moments have more weight. This track has not been hit too hard by time as every sound is pretty stable without many age anomalies. This release does have optional English subtitles provided. Unearthed Films has done a great job of presenting this film in the most stable quality possible.

Special Features

Gallery: A collection of stills from the production and material used to market the film are shown here.

Trailers: This disc provides the three-and-a-half minute trailer for Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki. There are also trailers provided for Evil Dead Trap, Dr. Lamb and Untold Story.

Final Thoughts

Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki is a much different experience from the original film, but that is for the best of the series. To try to replicate the insanity of the first film would be misguided; by treating this entry almost like an anthology film in the same universe, we are treated to a creepy tale which disturbs just as much but from a different approach. The characters are a bit more complex, which leads to some psychological distress to complement this physical violence that anchors much of the story. Unearthed Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a good A/V presentation but barely any special features. If you enjoyed the first film at all, it is worth exploring how much of a departure this ends up being. Recommended

Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on September 27, 2022.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Unearthed Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.