October 29, 2015

For the last decade or so, it’s always been funny to catch Bruce Campbell doing one of his infamous Q & A sessions, because inevitably a fan would raise their hand and ask the same old question, “when are you and Sam Raimi going to do an EVIL DEAD 4?” At first, he would always make a big joke of the whole thing, considering ARMY OF DARKNESS didn’t exactly fire up the box office. But as the years went on, his frustration became a bit more evident as he ran out of unique ways of saying well, “never.”

In 2013, Campbell, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert helped produce a new EVIL DEAD movie, which took things back to the basics, delivered the gore, took out all the laughs and opted not to cast a new Ash. It was instead just a straight forward, go for the throat splatterfest, which for the most part was well received. But when it comes to EVIL DEAD, fans want Ash. They want Sam Raimi. They want the boomstick. And now, roughly 30-ish years after the original movie, they’re getting it all in a big way.

ASH VS EVIL DEAD premieres on Starz this upcoming Saturday evening, October 31th and we were lucky enough to catch the first 2 episodes of the 10 part series. As of this writing, it has already been picked up for a 2nd season, which is cause for celebration, because get this…. It’s goddamned awesome. Here’s 5 things you can look forward to when the series kicks off.

Same Ol’ Ash!

Bruce Campbell literally doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to reprising the role he’s most famous for. This is the Ash we know and love and last left off at the end of ARMY OF DARKNESS. Yep, nothing has changed. And we mean nothing! Except for the fact that Value Stop bought the S Mart in the interim. Ash has not done a goddamned thing in the last 30 years other than continue to work at the store, shirk all his responsibilities as “the chosen one” and instead regains tall tales to drunk girls at bars of how he lost his hand saving children in order to get laid. He’s pretty much the worst human being ever, and it’s hilarious. But this is EVIL DEAD, and the one thing Ash is inherently good at is slaying Deadites. It’s what he was meant to do. So when the carnage begins, and he fires up the old chainsaw, you’ll be treated to the confident bad-ass Ash that lead King Arthur’s men in battle against the Deadites in medieval times.

The Raimi Touch

Sam Raimi may have left his horror roots behind to concentrate on big budget studio movies, but it’s such a shame he doesn’t play in this sandbox more often, because he’s just so darned good at horror. In fact, in terms of filmmaking craft, he’s probably the best horror director out there. Sam may only be at the helm for the pilot, but usually the first episode of any given series sets the tone for what’s to follow, and having seen episode 2, they’re definitely following his lead with the scares, the laughs and the ambitious camera angles to tell this story uniquely. Just wait until you see all the tricks and treats that Raimi pulls out for this first episode. The Deadites are scary, the blood flows a plenty, and the situations he puts Ash in are what we’ve come to love and expect from something with “Evil Dead” in the title. There’s a moment where Ash must fight a little possessed doll, and it warms my little heart to see this behind the scenes still which shows Raimi himself piloting the little critter. Bless him, after all these years, he still relishes in putting Bruce Campbell in as much cinematic pain as possible!

Scary Deadites!

The EVIL DEAD always had a unique set of villains. They’re not quite zombies. They’re not exactly possessed ala THE EXORCIST. They are their own crazy thing, and after seeing them wreak havoc in various forms over the course of 3 movies, there’s no way anything new can be done with them, right? Wrong! The first Deadite we meet is actually freakishly in reverse. (Meaning, she pulls her own head backwards and all her limbs revert to her backside.) You’ve gotten glimpses of some of the other ones in store from the advance trailers, but it looks like we’re just scratching the surface with these first 2 episodes in terms of what evils awaits us in the future. And we can’t wait! BRING ‘EM!

Ash’s M.V.P.’s

In the new series, the most valuable players turn out to be Ash’s new sidekicks Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo). Pablo is a friend and co-worker from the Value Stop that looks up to Ash. His uncle told him stories of how evil is always around you, lurking in the shadows, and you must beware it! But one day, one man would rise up to fight against it. He believes that man to be Ash. And once the Deadites return, Pablo immediately becomes Ash’s right hand (errr…) man. And Ash being Ash, he loves to taunt and tease his buddy who may or may not illegally be in our country. On the other side is Pablo’s crush Kelly, a sarcastic no B.S. kind of gal, who exhibits snippets in the first episode of potentially being pretty darned good at kicking Deadite butt herself. That’s still to be determined, but with these two in tow, it looks like Ash will finally have some qualified help when it comes to tackling and defeating the Deadites, once and for all. (Or at least until Season 2.)

It’s More EVIL DEAD!

What more reasons do you need to look forward to this show? It’s more EVIL DEAD! Honestly, I started to take Bruce Campbell’s “never” response to heart as the years went by. And once the remake rolled around, I figured the lid was forever closed on the original EVIL DEAD trilogy. But the fact that this even exists and that all the original principles are back is truly a gift to genre fans. We may not have gotten EVIL DEAD 4, but we got something better. 5 more hours worth of EVIL DEAD. And with another season on order, that’s even more EVIL DEAD than we can possible ask for! Hail to the king, baby.

ASH VS EVIL DEAD premieres this Saturday night, October 31th only on Starz!