Every generation has a favorite film or film franchise that either becomes a cult fan favorite or a huge critical and commercial success.
The Evil Dead Trilogy was made on a tight budget, and yet was very successful in the box office. Not many people have seen The Evil Dead films, but those that have have made it a cult fan favorite that stays in their hearts. I’m one of these people, that at a very early age, got to watch The Evil Dead Trilogy and was enthralled by the main anti-hero character Ashley J. (Ash) Williams (Bruce Campbell) who survives all manner of horrors in a cabin in the woods located in the Tennessee hills. Ash, his girlfriend, and some friends were there on Spring break. Ash and his friend Scotty find the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in the fruit cellar of the cabin and a tape recorder. Ash plays the tape recording and an ancient Kandarian phrase is said, unleashing evil into the woods. One by one, the teens die, leaving only Ash as the survivor.
Ash Vs Evil Dead is set in present day USA with an Ash that’s aged with time and has survivor’s guilt coping with the past each day with binge drinking, sex with women and pot smoking. He squeezes into girdles because he’s gotten overweight and likes to lie about how his hand came to be missing from his arm (he cuts his hand off with a chainsaw in Evil Dead II (2)).
In episode 1, Ash becomes aware that the demons from his past may be coming back to haunt him again and it scares him. He tries to deny who he is and tries to run away after encountering a doll that becomes possessed by a Kandarian demon. His fellow employee from Value Stop named Pablo Simon Bolivar (Ray Santiago) crushes the possessed doll with a shovel. Ash tells him about the cabin and the book with flashbacks playing to the previous films. Ash also meets a new employee from Value Stop named Kelly Maxwell (Dana DeLorenzo) who he flirts with but ends up making things awkward between them.
Ash, Pablo, and Kelly fight the Deadites with ultra-violence and slap-stick and dark comedy. One instance of the ultra-violence is when Ash is pinned in his car and has to resort to stabbing a Deadite in the throat with a broken bottle while Pablo leans over and grabs the wheel. It’s so bizarre and intense that it takes your breath away. Lucy Lawless joins the cast as Ruby Knowby the mysterious woman who hunts down Ash (she’s the daughter of Professor Knowby). Jill Marie Jones also stars as Amanda Fisher who becomes traumatized because her partner turned into a Deadite and she had to kill him by shooting a huge chunk of his head off.
As a whole, the series is incredible, with so many Easter Eggs and one-liners galore! The greatest thing about the show is that new fans can experience Ash as he’s never been seen before. They really fleshed out his character and made him three-dimensional which makes him more believable when he interacts with the world that Director Sam Raimi has created in The Evil Dead Universe. The production values are incredible, especially when Ash goes into the cabin because it sends shivers down your spine because it was made just like the original cabin was and has so many Easter Eggs and little nods to the films any fan of the film franchise will be geeking out over it! The music goes so well with the show and the violence isn’t overused and is used to tell the story which is incredible to see because they show new and unique kills.
5/5
When you watch this series get ready to watch the whole season back to back, just like I did. It’s addictive viewing.
P.S.
Bruce Campbell is incredible in the show and deserves a special mention and critical acclaim for his portrayal as Ash.