Ash vs Evil Dead

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Ash vs Evil Dead
Ash-vs-Evil-Dead logo.png
Official logo
Genre Comedy horror
Based on Characters
by Sam Raimi
Developed by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Composer(s) Joseph LoDuca
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Producer(s) <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Cinematography <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • Dave Garbett
  • John Cavill
Editor(s) Bob Murawski
Running time <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • 25-37 minutes[1]
  • 41 minutes (pilot)
Production company(s) Renaissance Pictures
Release
Original network Starz
Picture format <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Original release October 31, 2015 (2015-10-31) –
present
Chronology
Preceded by Army of Darkness
External links
Website

Ash vs Evil Dead is an American comedy horror television series developed by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Spezialy for the Starz network. It is set in Raimi's Evil Dead universe, with Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams, and acts as a sequel to the original trilogy.

Jill Marie Jones, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, and Lucy Lawless also star. The series is executive produced by Campbell, Raimi, Craig DiGregorio, and Robert Tapert, who originally produced all four Evil Dead films.[3] The series premiered on October 31, 2015. Three days before the series' premiere, Starz renewed it for a second season.

Premise

The series is set 30 years after the first three Evil Dead movies. Ashley J. "Ash" Williams works at the "ValueShop" mart as a simple salesclerk. His life has gone nowhere and he now lives in a trailer, drinking at night bars and having occasional sex with various women. After having inadvertently read the incantation from the Book of the Dead again, he unleashes the Kandarian Demon one more time. A new set of events brings him to assume his former fighting persona and face the new Evil Dead plague in order to save human race.

The events of the third Evil Dead movie, Army of Darkness, are not directly referenced.[4][5][6]

Cast

Main Cast:

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Campbell stated, "Ash has survivor's guilt. You could have a heyday with his PTSD. He's a war vet. He doesn't want to talk about it, and he'll lie about that stump on his hand to impress the ladies. This is a guy who's got some issues. He's emotionally stunted. But, he's the guy you want in the foxhole next to you."[7]
A co-worker who becomes Ash's loyal sidekick. Pablo believes in Ash's heroism even if Ash himself doesn’t. He was raised by his uncle, a shaman, who had told him of evil and of a man who can fight this evil, "El Jefe", who Pablo believes is none-other than Ash.
A woman trying to outrun her past. Reluctantly dragged into the fight against evil with Ash and Pablo, Kelly finds a different kind of family with her fellow slayers.
A disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.
A mysterious figure who is myopic in her quest to hunt down the source of the recent evil outbreaks. She claims to be the daughter of Professor Raymond Knowby and sister of Annie Knowby from Evil Dead 2.[12] Apparently, Ruby blames Ash for the deaths of her family members and has been trying to track him down for years, vowing to kill him at all costs. She has since announced herself to be the original author of the Necronomicon, making her a Dark One, which seemingly contradicts her claim to have been a Knowby. But, she can be burned by the Kandarian dagger, a weapon that only burns deadites, which implies that she may be a Knowby that is possessed by a Dark One. During the series, she also displays superhuman abilities.

Recurring Cast:

The sole survivor of a hiking group, she is rescued by Pablo and Kelly when they reach the cabin. She is later indirectly killed by Ruby when the evil was set loose.
Pablo's shaman uncle, Ash, Pablo and Kelly go to him for help against the Deadtites. He is killed by the demon Eligos when he performs an exorcism on Kelly to release her for Eligos' thrall.

Production

It was revealed at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con that director Sam Raimi was developing an Evil Dead television series. It is written by Raimi, his brother Ivan Raimi, and long-time film collaborator and friend Bruce Campbell with the plan for Campbell to star in the series. This was further confirmed by Campbell at Ohio Comic-Con 2014.[9] On interviews, Campbell said Starz channel was the only network that would give them the ability to be unrated and unrestricted; Campbell has stated that Starz does not require the crew to create alternate, "wimpy" versions for television.[13] Due to legal issues, the events from Army of Darkness can not specifically be mentioned on the show.[14] Original film series producer Robert Tapert has returned to co-produce along with Raimi, Campbell and Craig DiGregorio.[15] So far two seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead consisting of 10 episodes per season (30 minutes each) have been ordered by Starz.[16] On February 11, 2015, Ray Santiago and Dana Delorenzo were cast in the roles of Pablo Simon Bolivar and Kelly Maxwell.

The series details reads "Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons – personal and literal."[8][9] The first season started filming in the spring of 2015 in New Zealand.[9] The pilot episode of the series was written by Sam Raimi (who also directed), Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy.[15] In February 2015, Starz confirmed that Jill Marie Jones will be playing the leading role of Michigan State Trooper Amanda Fisher.[10] In March 2015, Lucy Lawless will co-star as Ruby, a mysterious figure who's on a quest to stop the evil outbreak and believes that Ash is the one who's the cause of it.[11] In April 2015, Starz released a new graphic teaser advertising the TV show is coming in the Fall of 2015, along with a new poster for the series.[17]

Episodes

Season 1 (2015–16)

The first episode is 45 minutes long and premiered as a sneak preview at midnight on October 31, 2015, and it had 233,000 viewers.[18]

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. viewers
(millions)
1 "El Jefe" Sam Raimi Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy October 31, 2015 (2015-10-31) 0.437[19]
Thirty years after his epic battle against the evil Deadites, Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) is living in a trailer park, working in a ValueShop department store, and spending his evenings womanizing in dive bars. After seeing a demonic visage appear on a woman's face, Ash recalls having a recent Marijuana-addled "poetry read" with another girlfriend, from the Necronomicon, which he still keeps locked in a trunk. Elsewhere in town, Michigan state police detective Amanda Fisher, (Jill Marie Jones), investigates a disturbance at an abandoned house and encounters Ash's demon-possessed girlfriend who kills her partner. After defeating the possessed woman, she is then forced to put down her undead partner who attacks her. Later, Amanda meets the mysterious Ruby Knowby, (Lucy Lawless), who seems almost too understanding about the horrors Amanda has witnessed. As more evil happenings occur around him, Ash realizes he unwittingly reawakened the horrible curse again and decides to slip out of town, but he is stopped by his co-workers, Pablo, (Ray Santiago) and Kelly, (Dana DeLorenzo), who realize he's to blame for what is going on. After having to kill his possessed neighbor, Ash reluctantly decides to resume his old chainsaw-wielding persona once again.
2 "Bait" Michael J. Bassett Dominic Dierkes November 7, 2015 (2015-11-07) 0.276[20]
Pablo and Ash help Kelly who is worried about a strange call from her father and the sudden return of her lost mother, (Mimi Rogers), who was feared dead years ago. Ash remains suspicious of the mother believing she's a Deadite impostor. Meanwhile Amanda follows leads that Ash Williams is behind the recent deaths and strange happenings around town and decides to track him down. Ash and Pablo arrive at Kelly's father's house to find Kelly's mothers acting normal. However, after being provoked at the dinner table by Ash, Kelly's mother reveals herself as a Deadite and kills Kelly's father with a fork. After a madcap fight between her and Ash, the Deadite tries to convince Kelly that she's fine now, but shows herself again and Ash kills her. After burying the two bodies, Kelly agrees to accompany Ash and Pablo and the three drive away.
3 "Books from Beyond" Michael J. Bassett Sean Clements November 14, 2015 (2015-11-14) 0.383[21]
With the mysterious Ruby one step behind them, Ash and his friends seek out Lionel, the owner of an occult bookstore, "Books from Beyond," to find a way to undo the evil curse. Lionel uses the Necronomicon to summon the demon Eligos in hopes of compelling it to give the answers Ash seeks. The ceremony goes awry when Amanda arrives to arrest Ash and Eligos escapes the summoning circle. In all the chaos, Ash does manage to get a cryptic response that the solution to his predicament resides within him.
4 "Brujo" David Frazee James E. Eagan November 21, 2015 (2015-11-21) 0.448[22]
After dealing with the demon, Ash leaves the uncooperative Amanda handcuffed in the bookstore and trapped with a demonic-undead Lionel. She is saved however by Ruby, and after learning of her interest in Ash, the two join forces in hunting him down. Meanwhile Pablo takes Ash to meet his shaman uncle, a "Brujo", who may be able to help. Along the way Kelly gets sick and acts strange having been unknowingly possessed by Eligos. Eventually the Brujo gives Ash a drug-induced vision of himself relaxing on a pier in Jacksonville, Florida, (Ash's favorite fishing spot), where his pet lizard Eli appears tells him he must bury the Necronomicon deep in the place where everything started – the cabin in the woods. During the trip, a possessed Kelly attacks Ash.
5 "The Host" David Frazee Zoe Green November 28, 2015 (2015-11-28) 0.430[23]
The Eligos-possessed Kelly convinces Pablo and his uncle that Ash is the one possessed. Elsewhere Amanda and Ruby close in on Ash by using Ash's severed undead hand to guide them. The Brujo prepares for an exorcism while back in Ash's trailer, Kelly tries to seduce Pablo and later kill him. Once the demon reveals himself the Brujo performs the exorcism on Kelly, forcing Eligos to leave, but not before the Brujo is killed. During a funeral for the Brujo, Pablo takes his uncle's sacred medallion. Back at the trailer, Pablo gives ash a new mechanical hand that he had been working on.
6 "The Killer of Killers" Michael Hurst Nate Crocker December 5, 2015 (2015-12-05) 0.402[24]
Ruby and Amanda arrive at the Brujo's ranch just having missed Ash, but the charred skeleton of the Brujo emerges from the funeral pyre and confronts Ruby telling her that she'll never have the book for herself. The two fall into the pyre which then explodes. Amanda leaves in Ruby's car but notices Ash's hand has disappeared. On their way to the cabin, Ash, Pablo and Kelly stop at a roadside diner to meet Lem, a old militia friend of Ash, and ask for help in acquiring some weapons. While Ash tries to scam his way out of paying the diner check, Pablo and Kelly return to the trailer and deal with the Necronomicon which comes alive and reacts to the Brujo's medallion. Meanwhile, Amanda confronts Ash and arrests him, just as her police chief arrives. Soon however, the evil force attacks the diner turning the police chief, and a waitress, into Deadites. Having barely escaped the horror, Lem calls his militia buddies to "arm up" but he is soon attacked by the evil force. Back at the smoldering diner, Amanda agrees to join up with Ash's group.
7 "Fire in the Hole" Michael Hurst Sean Clements, Dominic Dierkes and Ivan Raimi December 12, 2015 (2015-12-12) 0.452[25]
Ash and his group go to meet the militiamen, but find they have been attacked by a demon-possessed Lem. Lem attacks them again, but Ash and Amanda become trapped in the militia bunker with him. Meanwhile Kelly and Pablo escape to the woods, but the militiamen, (thinking the two are government agents and their friend Lem is infected with a government virus), hunt them down. Back at the Brujo's ranch, Ruby emerges from the funeral pyre unharmed, she goes to the diner and resumes her search for Ash. Eventually Pablo and Kelly rescue Ash and Amanda and get the weapons from the militia, but Ash has unexpectedly vanished. A closing scene shows Ash's severed hand crawling through the woods toward the cabin.
8 "Ashes to Ashes" Tony Tilse Michael J. Bassett December 19, 2015 (2015-12-19) 0.465[26]
Armed with his chainsaw, shotgun and the Necronomicon, Ash returns to the sinister cabin after 30 years. He finds Amanda behind him who convinces him that he shouldn't face the evil alone. Meanwhile Kelly and Pablo are lost in the woods but find a group of hikers consisting of Brad, his fiancée and Heather, who lead them toward the cabin. At the cabin, Ash is taunted by the severed head of his old girlfriend Linda that he left in the work shed three decades ago. In the cabin, Amanda listens to the old tape recorder about the Necronomicon. Ash suddenly appears and tells her that they should just leave and be together, but Amanda notices his putrid hand and he attacks her. She manages to cut off and destroy the hand, but imposer-Ash impales her on the antlers of the deer head in the living room. The real Ash then finds Amanda just before she dies. Pablo and Kelly return and Ash tells them that she was killed by another evil-Ash that is running around somewhere.
9 "Bound in Flesh" Tony Tilse Rob Wright December 26, 2015 (2015-12-26) 0.343[27]
Pablo and Kelly confront the two Ashes and once they realize who the impostor is they kill him. Ash decides to chop up the bodies of the impostor and Amanda before they turn into Deadites, but the hikers return. Pablo and Kelly lead them away while Ash dismembers his clone. Suddenly the Necronomicon starts talking to him, trying to convince him not to bury it. He throws the book in the refrigerator then notices Amanda has disappeared. Amanda, now a Deadite, attacks Pablo, Kelly and the hikers. She kills Brad and his fiancée and Heather breaks her leg. Ruby arrives however and Amanda runs off. Returning to the cabin, Ruby confronts Ash, introducing herself as the one whose been cleaning up his mess. She explains that the book cannot be simply buried but needs to be dismantled. Ash agrees to destroy the book and cuts off its face, but once he hands it over Ruby begins a ritual to unleash the evil upon the entire world. Ruby claims to have written the Necronomicon and the face of the book animates and attaches itself to Pablo.
10 "The Dark One" Rick Jacobson Craig Digregorio January 2, 2016 (2016-01-02) 0.508[28]
Before Ash can react to what is going on, Amanda returns and attacks him. He manages to defeat her but notices Ruby and Pablo have disappeared into the cellar. He goes down to find them but the evil force pounds the cabin and Ash falls down the steps. He suddenly finds himself back in his trailer with the Necronomicon. Ruby appears and tells him that he was destined to stand against her, but she tries to broker a truce by offering him what he desires the most – a peaceful retirement in Jacksonville. Refusing the offer, Ash find himself back in the cellar and under attack by a demonic child the book-possessed Pablo had belched up. Meanwhile, Kelly and Heather attempt to survive a demonic onslaught. Heather ends up being dismembered while Kelly is locked out of the cabin. Eventually Ash has a final showdown with Ruby where she promises that if she releases the evil she can keep it under her control. She promises to let Ash and his friends live in peace if Ash accepts her deal. Ash of course, makes the worst decision possible. As a result, Ash hits the road with Kelly and Pablo in tow, while the radio reports sinkholes opening up around the world.

Season 2

Three days before the series premiere, it was renewed for a second season.[29] At a presentation to the Television Critics Association on January 8, 2016, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said that he “saw the first script a couple days ago" and that progressing on the season was going "full steam ahead."[30]

Music

Joseph LoDuca, a frequent Sam Raimi collaborator who composed the scores for the Evil Dead movies, contributes the original music for Ash vs Evil Dead. The series also leverages excerpts from various 1970s and '80s popular songs, particularly featuring artists (e.g., Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent and Frijid Pink) from the greater Detroit area where Season One's action is based (and where Raimi, Campbell and Tapert grew up). In an interview, Sam Raimi states that the music selected for the series is based on the lack of growth the Ash character has progressed over the past 30–35 years, and that, "the music should reflect the last time he was engaged in society, and living".[31]

On November 11, 2015, it was announced that the Joseph LoDuca music score entitled "Ash vs Evil Dead: Music from the STARZ Original Series" would be released by Varese Sarabande digitally on December 11, 2015 and via audio CD on December 18, 2015.[32][33] The following are the tracks that are on that album:[32]

List of Popular Songs Featured in Ash vs Evil Dead
Title Performed by Played during Episode Ref.
"Space Truckin' (1997 Remix)" Deep Purple Opening of episode 1. "El Jefe" [31]
"End Of The Line" Frijid Pink Flashback scene 1. "El Jefe" [34]
"Journey to the Center of the Mind" Amboy Dukes Chainsaw scene and credits 1. "El Jefe" [35]
"Highway Star (1997 Remix)" Deep Purple Car fight 2. "Bait" [36]
"Knife-Edge" Emerson, Lake & Palmer Credits 2. "Bait" [37]
"Loose" The Stooges Credits 3. "Books from Beyond" [38]
"Midnight Rider" The Allman Brothers Band Car ride scene 4. "Brujo" [39]
"Here I Go Again" Whitesnake Drug trip 4. "Brujo" [39]
"Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow" Funkadelic Credits 4. "Brujo" [39]
"Down by the Water" PJ Harvey Car scene 5. "The Host" [40]
"Is It My Body" Alice Cooper Bong scene 5. "The Host" [41]
"Stranglehold" Ted Nugent Credits 5. "The Host" [40]
"Be My Lover" Alice Cooper Washroom fight 6. "The Killer of Killers" [42]
"All My Ex's Live in Texas" Whitey Shafer Ash eating at diner 6. "The Killer of Killers" [43]
"Freakin' Out" Death Diner fight 6. "The Killer of Killers" [42]
"Renegade" Styx Credits 6. "The Killer of Killers" [42]
"Time Has Come Today" Bootsy Collins Credits 7. "Fire in the Hole" [44]
"The Two of Us Together" Don Gibson and Sue Thompson Credits 8. "Ashes to Ashes" [45]
"Just the Two of Us" Bill Withers Chainsaw the clone scene 9. "Bound in Flesh" [46]
"I Could Write a Book" Dinah Washington Credits 9. "Bound in Flesh" [46]
"End Of The Line" Frijid Pink Trailer scene 10. "The Dark One" [47]
"No More Mr. Nice Guy" Alice Cooper Car ride scene 10. "The Dark One" [47]
"Back in Black" AC/DC Credits 10. "The Dark One" [47]

Reception

Critical

The first season of Ash vs Evil Dead has received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 98% "Certified Fresh" rating based on 44 reviews, with the critical consensus reading: "True to the movies that spawned it, Ash vs Evil Dead is a gory, hilarious, and audacious resurrection of Sam Raimi's beloved horror franchise."[48] Metacritic gave the series a rating of 75 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[49] Based on community reviews the series holds a 9.7 out of 10 rating on IGN.[50]

Accolades

Year Association Category Nominee(s) Result
2016 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards[51] Best Television Series Ash vs Evil Dead Won
Best Actor on Television Bruce Campbell Won
Best Supporting Actress on Television Dana DeLorenzo Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Horror Television Series Ash vs Evil Dead Pending
Best Actor on Television Bruce Campbell Pending
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards Best TV Presentation Ash vs Evil Dead: Brujo Winner [52]

References

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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3357283/doesnt-ash-work-s-mart-ash-vs-evil-dead/
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  30. ↑ http://www.slashfilm.com/ash-vs-evil-dead-season-2-script/
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  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

See Also

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