Ash vs. Evil Dead is Evil Dead on Steroids
Throughout both history and fiction there have been countless stories of men causing death and destruction because of their love of a woman. Helen of Troy was apparently so hot that Paris and Menelaus saw fit to fight a bloody war over her attention. Marc Antony was so smitten by Cleopatra that it started a civil war, which ultimately led to numerous deaths and his own suicide. Yet neither of these events could hold a candle to what Bruce Campbell’s character, Ash, would do just to impress a woman. In order to get a little action, Ash inadvertently opens up a portal to Hell.
Thus starts the series that every Evil Dead fan didn’t realize they needed until now. Ash vs. Evil Dead is everything Evil Dead was but pumped full of steroids. Bruce Campbell is asked in an early episode, “Are you gonna live up to who you are?” The answer to that is a resounding hell yes! The over-the-top rivers of blood spray is back. There are more beheadings in the first two episodes than the whole of the French Revolution. Red fluids splatter across people’s faces like they are in a blood-infused Super Soaker fight. Sam Raimi, who has returned to direct a few of the episodes, has clearly been given a much bigger budget than the original films. The extra cash has obviously gone toward the gore department.
The blood and guts aren’t the only elements returning from the original films. Many of the corny, yet hilarious pre-kill quips are back in full force. Ash has a reasonably witty line before many of his executions. The show perfectly mixes genuinely funny moments with gross-out gore. It is this balancing between humor, camp, and extreme violence that really makes the show what it is. However, a show is nothing without a star. Bruce Campbell, certified American Hero, is back and is as cool as ever.
“How does it feel to be back?” his character, Ash, is asked.
“Groovy” he nonchalantly responds, shotgun slumped over his shoulder. Campbell is somehow able to make the narcissistic, almost idiot-savant Ash still charming.
Yet it’s not just the Bruce Campbell show, the supporting cast is almost as fantastic. Ash’s colleague and eventual Deadite killer Pablo has the perfect amount of innocence and naiveté to balance out Ash’s almost excessive manliness and self-indulgence. Jill Marie Jones brings a fierceness and badass attitude to her character, Detective Fisher. Lucy Lawless is her typically great self. Her characters over the last ten years seem to be simultaneously annoyed and smirking, like she somehow knows better than the rest of us. Her character Ruby does not stray from this working formula. The person who really surprises in this show is Kelly, played by Dana DeLorenzo. She brings a gritty sexiness to the screen that fits in perfectly with the atmosphere of the show. For me, she really stood out as someone who can stand up to the mystique and mighty aura that is Bruce Campbell.
For those who haven’t seen Evil Dead, there is a very brief recap halfway through the first episode, but I highly recommend you watch the films. They are, of course, cult classics for a reason. However, you definitely don’t have to have seen the original Evil Dead films to enjoy the TV series. If you like elements of ‘B’ horror shot with a decent budget and a quality cast, check out Ash vs. the Evil Dead.
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