Summary
- Ash vs Evil Dead is a must-see horror TV series that combines scares and ghouls with a killer cast and impressive practical effects.
- The show is a return to form for the Evil Dead franchise, providing the over-the-top horror and comedy elements that fans have been craving.
- The series is as hilarious as it is horrifying, with Bruce Campbell delivering top comedic form and the supporting cast adding to the comedic tone.
If you're looking for a solid horror TV series, then you could do much worse than Ash vs Evil Dead. In terms of scares and ghouls, this mid-2010s series truly has it all. We're talking a spooky horror atmosphere, imaginative monsters, vile gore, impressive practical effects, a strong storyline, and a killer cast made up of Bruce Campbell, Dana DeLorenzo, and Ray Santiago. Beyond its horror-adjacent creative choices, Ash vs Evil Dead is also just flat-out funny. This series pushes the comedy harder than any other title in the Evil Dead franchise. For some fans, that might be a bit off-putting, but for those who just want a fun and sinister TV show that juggles creepy and comic, this is a must-see. Don't just take my word for it, either. This is the highest-rated horror series on Rotten Tomatoes. Even if you aren't a fan of that site, landing a 99% Tomatometer score while also being this audacious is undoubtedly impressive.
If you're an Evil Dead fan, and you haven't watched this show yet, then it's best that you get some context before jumping in. Ash vs Evil Dead doesn't carry the bleak tone of the first film, nor the 2013 Fede Álvarez remake, but half of the movies in this series don't either. This has more than all the fun that you'll find in Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and Evil Dead Rise, so much so that you could chalk this series up to a flat-out comedy with horror elements. But that shouldn't scare off the horror fans who are looking for their next nightmarish fix. Ash vs Evil Dead goes all in on that department. By airing on Starz, Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Campbell, and co. were able to craft an even more gruesome and disgusting series than any other channel would have provided. Ash vs Evil Dead's particular brand of scares, laughs, and a small audience of devoted fans makes this the ultimate cult horror show.
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Ash vs Evil Dead
TV-MA
Horror FantasyComedy
- Release Date
- 2015 - 2017
- Network
- Starz
- Showrunner
- Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi
Cast
-
Lucy Lawless
-
Dana DeLorenzo
-
Ray Santiago
-
Bruce Campbell
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
BUY
Ash has spent the last thirty years avoiding responsibility, maturity, and the terrors of the Evil Dead until a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind and Ash becomes mankind's only hope.
- Seasons
- 3
'Ash vs Evil Dead' is a Return to Form for the Franchise
Ash vs Evil Dead might have come only two years after the franchise was revived by the 2013 reboot, but it feels more like a throwback to the original movies than that film ever did. That feature-length project was gravely serious and pitch black in tone — a choice that fans appreciated, but didn't quite scratch the itch we were all feeling. What we wanted was over-the-top horror, a tone that juggled both the light and the dark, and of course, Bruce Campbell returning as Ash Williams. With this series, it feels as though the team behind those original movies heard our cries. After three seasons, each made up of ten 30-minute episodes, fans were given all the Ash Williams-centric Evil Dead that they could possibly need.
Picking up 30 years after the original Evil Dead trilogy, Ash vs Evil Dead follows its titular character as he, once again, plunges head-first into a battle against the demonic forces of the Necronomicon. This comes in the most bone-headed way in which the Kandarian Demons have ever been revived: after Ash smokes a bunch of weed in his mobile home trailer and reads from the Necronomicon to impress a woman that he has over. From there, he bands together with his department store co-workers, Pablo (Santiago) and Kelly (DeLorenzo), to try and rid the world of the Evil Dead once and for all. From there, we meet warriors who have lived their lives trying to keep the demons at bay, family and friends of Ash's, and dig up secrets about his past that the movies never explored. It also provides us with the most developed version of Ash that we've ever seen.
'Ash vs Evil Dead' Develops Ash Williams More Than Any of the Movies
This adventure doesn't just take Ash to the cabin from the classic movies, it also brings him back to his hometown, a military base, a spooky morgue, Jacksonville, Florida, and more. Ash vs Evil Dead doesn't just drop us into the same old Deadite monsters and scenarios but with a new location as a backdrop. 30 episodes of this show gave the creators plenty of room to get creative with the ghouls that pop up. There are possessed cars, dolls, bodies from a morgue, and even gigantic Deadites. Still, a few classic villains from throughout the series appear here and there. This gives us enough to keep new and old fans satisfied. No matter how you personally are meeting this show, as long as you're a horror fan, you'll be sure to have a great time. How could you not have fun with a series that combines its Evil Dead tropes with classic horror stories like Christine, Child's Play, and the works of H.P. Lovecraft?
‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ Is as Hilarious as It Is Horrifying
Ash vs Evil Dead is a total overdose of horror. This series has some of the most disgusting stuff that you'll ever see in a movie or a TV show, ranging from its over-the-top gore to an absolutely vile scene involving a possessed colon. That said, a possessed colon sounds pretty silly, right? You'll find that every time that this show makes you squirm, it's also bound to make you howl with laughter. Bruce Campbell, in particular, is in top comedic form. He's rolling off hilarious one-liners, insults, and quips like it's nothing. This is also while turning up the slapstick comedy all the way. Even in his late 50s, Campbell was taking endless floods of blood and guts to the face, and going all out with some pretty strenuous Three Stooges-inspired action scenes. As for the supporting cast, Santiago brings a charming wide-eyed wonder to the role, while DeLorenzo delivers every line with a sarcastic edge. Even when this show leans hard into true horror, this cast doesn't let the tone stray too far from still being a good time.
Unlike Other Horror Shows, 'Ash vs Evil' Dead Didn't Overstay Its Welcome
Unfortunately, Ash vs Evil Dead had a fairly short run. Three seasons of TV isn't nothing, but the series ends on such a great note that you can't help but wonder where else things would go. Seriously, if you think the original ending of Army of Darkness is a great cliffhanger, then think again. Ash vs Evil Dead ends in such a way that it's hard to believe that it'll never be followed up. Evil Dead Rise was an enormous success both critically and financially. In terms of the latter, it's made more money than any movie in this entire series. Let's hope that Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi saddle back up sometime and give us the Mad Max-inspired Evil Dead outing that we were promised at the end of Ash vs Evil Dead.
That said, part of the fun of Ash vs Evil Dead is that it's now one of those horror releases that was underseen when it came out, but is now enjoying a second life on various streaming services. Since it finished airing on Starz, Ash's standalone show hopped over to Netflix and is now on Hulu. The success of Evil Dead Rise has to have helped as well, and made new fans look back on older projects in the franchise. Any way you roll it, this is one of those series that you want to be in the know about.
Most importantly, its short run is also proof that this series never overstayed its welcome. In 30 episodes, each clocking in at half an hour, you can tear through Ash vs Evil Dead like it's nothing. This is a wonderfully breezy roller coaster of a series that more than lives up to its title as the highest-rated horror show. Do you need gore? Got it. Atmosphere? That too. Fun leads? Check. Chock full of laughs? You bet. In a world that's filled with shows like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, and The X-Files, shows that were all great at a time but went on far too long, Ash vs Evil Dead is a brief but fresh breath of air. It would be fun if the series was revived or if a feature-length sequel was made, but if we never get that, then that's okay. Ash vs Evil Dead is the perfect send-off for its titular character, and a killer horror show as it is.
Ash vs Evil Dead is available to stream in the U.S. on Hulu
