Ash v.s Evil Dead (2015-2018)
The Hero From The Sky Returns.
Going into AVED (2015-2018) I had no idea what to expect. What I know now is that I underestimated it wildly. The show is extremely fun, the easiest of easy watching, and captures the spirit (or should I say spirits) of Evil Dead brilliantly.
Heavy spoilers ahead for Season 1.
In this post I’ll do a brief review of the pilot, as well as sharing my general thoughts having watched the rest of the season. Sorry if my review is a bit all-over-the-place - I haven’t gotten around to rewatching it since my first time so I’m going off my notes! Sorry in advance!
Episode 1, El Jefe, hurls us straight back into the world of Ashley J Williams. It has been decades since the events of the original films, and he is washed up and alone. His missing hand has been replaced by a rosewood copy - very classy - and he uses this to his advantage, relentlessly flirting with every woman he runs into. Early into the episode he has sex in the bathroom of a bar, and during this intimate moment the woman briefly jumpscares us, turning in a classic Deadite. This sets the tone for what is to come.
Soon after this we get a flashback of Ash and a lady-friend going to his trailer to get high. He offers to read the Necronomicon as a kind of segue into yet more sex, and as far as we can tell, he rereleases the Deadites on the world. Yikes.
So, things are looking bad. The show so far is already brilliant, and when we watch a policewoman, Amanda, execute her possessed colleague, we feel certain that a wave of carnage is just around the corner. This scene is great - someone gets impaled on deer antlers, Silent Night Deadly Night (1984) style, and our heroine gets scissors nailed through her hand. Nasty shit. The sound design works hard to make it gnarly, too. There’s an especially inspired scare as a torch is dropped on the ground, and as it spins we watch with bated breath as a Deadite advances toward us.
While the pilot isn’t as splattery as it might be, it’s still pretty red and sticky. This improves vastly as the show progresses, anyway.
Ash, as it turns out, is still an incompetent stockboy. At S-Mart (Shop smart) we meet his coworkers, who will become core characters of the AVED ka-tet. First off is Carlos, super fun and instantly loveable, and second is Kelly, undeniably intriguing, and a badass off the bat.
Campbell is, of course, fantastic as Ash. He is weird, creepy, and offputting, but still oddly charming.
There is a fantastic creepy moment with a plastic doll, which is a top-tier sequence right up until it leaps on Ash, dispelling the tension. However when it gets murdered it bleeds, and that is exactly the thing you want. Pablo proves himself as dependable.
After some madness with The Forest, we reach the moment of truth. Is Ash still the warrior we remember? An axe thrown straight through a Deadite’s hand says yes. A blood-spattered shitshow ensues, with truly awesome shotgun combat, and then the iconic chainsaw coming out. Vivian makes a wonderful Deadite, and her nearly poking an eye out with her rapidly extending nail is gut-churning. It works in perfect tandem with the overall silliness of the tone, and when she is defeated you feel like cheering. The whole thing leaves you adrenalised and cracking up - a super strong start to an Evil Dead show.
By the way, Episode 2 doesn’t drop the ball. The gang have the world’s most uncomfortable dinner, and Ash chainsaws a Deadite’s head off.
Now for some more-or-less random notes on the rest of the season:
Killing Kelly’s mum is so rough. This show doesn’t fuck around.
Ash spends a good amount of time tripping balls.
There are some nasty and hilarious kills. Roller skates in the head is one of my favourites.
The Necronomicon mask is classic - but genuinely distressing.
Kelly’s possession is great - possession is hard to do well in an oversaturated market, but this does a damn good job. Great physical performance. Plus, the demon is freaky-looking.
Amanda’s death comes as a serious shock. Impalement is always memorable.
Everyone is brilliantly characterised. The more you see of Ash, the more depth he seems to have. He does have something of a character arc, but fundamentally he is stubborn.
The death and rebirth of Ruby is very fun. She makes for an excellent antagonist.
We go to the OG cabin and Linda briefly returns! Hooray!
Ash dismembering his clone to Just the Two of Us is perhaps my favourite moment of the entire show.
The child-demons are creepy as shit. Fuck that noise.
Catching the chainsaw out of the air over and over is classic. Made me laugh every time.
Ash’s hand returns, rotting and possessed as it was last time we saw it. This is a splendid decision.
Ash’s final decision, effectively dooming the world to the Deadites, is a great subversion of our expectations. Big fan of this choice.
The show contains buckets of blood.
I want to also state that Season 2, from what I’ve seen, might be even better than the first. It is mega nasty, not pulling a single punch. Throughout it is is fucking horrible, consistently intense, and first and foremost, focused on staying funny throughout. Great stuff. Light spoiler - the Oldsmobile gets possessed and it is the coolest fucking thing ever - I NEED a Christine remake STAT.
My final, most important point is appreciating Bruce Campbell in this show. His acting talent and physical comedy skills haven’t wavered, and if anything he’s even cooler and funnier than before.
Anyway, let me know if you’ve seen the show, and what you thought,
As ever, thanks for reading,
Until next time,
H.E.
I loved this series.
Mad that this one slipped off a streaming service before I could finish.