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A screen-matched SFX Necronomicon Ex-Mortis from the opening sequence of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II. Archaeologist Raymond Knowby (John Peaks) discovered the ancient book known as the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis or "Book of the Dead" with his family, began to study it, and made recordings of reciting the passages which unleashed the evil force of the Kandarian Demon. The cover of this book screen-matches to the sequence at the end of the page flip, when it closes prior to flying away, based on the unique textures of the cover and around the face on the book.
This specific Necronomicon Ex-Mortis was created for use in the film's opening sequence, being the first book seen on-screen, flying toward the camera as the pages seemingly turn by themselves. This was achieved through stop-motion animation, with the wiring present between the pages used to hold them in place as each frame was shot. As the flying movement ends, the book is switched to different stop-motion Necronomicons for the bulging face and pages writing themselves moments. Then the book switches back to this book for the final flying-away movement. The entire sequence took 14 hours to shoot and was done in one long day.
The Book of the Dead was featured in all three films of the original Evil Dead trilogy. First referred to as the Naturom Demonto in "The Evil Dead," it was later renamed as the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in "Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness." Evil Dead II, the higher-budget horror-comedy sequel to Raimi's cult classic horror film "The Evil Dead," launched the careers of director Raimi and star Bruce Campbell and solidified their status as horror legends. The sequel introduced a number of the franchise's most celebrated elements, including Ash Williams' (Campbell) stump-mounted chainsaw hand and a redesign of the Necronomicon that many fans considered to be its most memorable and iconic iteration.
This SFX book, from the personal collection of special effects artist Tom Sullivan, features a slip latex cover showcasing the iconic face of two eyes, a small nose, and a gaping mouth over a wood base. The wood spine features a ball-and-socket armature on both the front and back covers with a rod beneath the armature that would give the illusion that the book could move on its own. Intentionally distressed by production to appear aged and covered in grime, the book is filled with parchment-colour copy paper of illustrations Sullivan created for the first film. While the pages are copies of the original artwork pages used in the first Necronomicon from The Evil Dead, they were hand-coloured by Sullivan. Then, the pages were baked in an oven to give them an aged look. This book exhibits fragility to the slip latex and paper, and should be handled with caution. Additionally, it exhibits exposed wood and splintering. Dimensions: 20.25 cm x 25.5 cm x 5 cm (8" x 10" x 2" )
Additional Provenance: Letter of Authenticity from Tom Sullivan.
Estimate: £30,000 - 60,000 Ω
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