Sam Raimi Returns to the Evil Dead Franchise
Earlier this year, Sam Raimi revealed at Comic-Con that he was working on an Evil Dead television series with his brother, Ivan Raimi. The series will star Bruce Campbell, reprising his role of Ash in the show, entitled, Ash vs. Evil Dead. Producer Robert Tapert will also be involved in the show, consisting of ten episodes, which has been ordered by Starz.
Where the franchise stands
Evil Dead was the movie that gave Raimi and Campbell their start, spawning two more movies in the franchise, and a remake of the horror classic in 2013. The original movie was a low-budget, horror movie about five friends who spend the night in a cabin in the woods, and unwittingly awaken demons after finding the Book of the Dead. The first movie is pure horror, but the sequel, Evil Dead II combines comedy with horror, with a bigger effects budget. The combination of comedy and horror is continued in the third movie, Army of Darkness, in which Ash goes back in time and fights the Deadite army .
TV Series
This series is a good opportunity for the series to get back on track after the disappointing remake from last year, which Raimi wasn’t involved in. The show will follow Ash “the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its ‘Evil’ grip.” Campbell said, “I’m really excited to bring this series to the Evil Dead fans worldwide — it’s going to be everything they have been clamoring for: serious deadite ass-kicking and plenty of outrageous humor.”
I’m impressed with this idea for a TV series because it will revisit the original character of Ash, and should stay true to the three movies in the franchise because it’s coming from Raimi himself. Ash is an entertaining character and is the role that Campbell is most well-known for. From the series summary, it sounds like Ash will have to grow up a bit, but hopefully he’ll still kick ass and still be dropping one-liners.
Also, it doesn’t hurt that the series will air on Starz, so it shouldn’t be subject to as much editing since it’s a premium channel. It seems like so many shows are pushing the envelope nowadays, especially with the amount of gore and violence, such as in The Walking Dead. Considering what Raimi did with a limited budget and homemade special effects and makeup in the Evil Dead, I can’t wait to see what he’ll do in this series. With Campbell along for the ride, it should be pretty entertaining.