by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Welcome to Cross-Platform Partners! In honor of a new movie release, I have selected a TV show to watch to pair with the movie. Think of it as a way to get hyped for the new movie, a preview of things to come, a means to tide you over if the movie won’t be released where you live for a little while, or a change of pace if you’ve run out of related movies or sequels.
For April, I picked Ash. Vs Evil Dead to pair with Evil Dead Rise.
We are in a much different era when it comes to the Evil Dead movies. Gone are the days of boom sticks and chainsaws attached to hands. Now we have a much more (arguably) scary and violent series. Although the new series takes place after the events of the original series, it doesn’t feature Ashley Joanna Williams (Bruce Campbell) as the main character. The bridge between the two series is Ash vs Evil Dead.
Taking place several years after the events of Army of Darkness, the series picks up with Ash hanging up his deadite-killing ways. He’s putting his head in the sand and avoiding the Necronomicon. He knows he’ll have to encounter the book again one day, but it isn’t until two coworkers, Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo), encounter the same monsters Ash is so familiar with that Ash is forced to put the chainsaw back on and use his knowledge to finally put an end to the Necronomicon.
The gap between the show and Army of Darkness is over 30 years. A lot has changed from a societal standpoint, so this is an opportunity for Ash to maybe show some growth. Although he’s still the same old prick that he is in the show, Ash vs Evil Dead gives us something that our main character desperately needs: friends. He is a perpetual lone wolf, and has done things largely on his own throughout the Evil Dead movies. We got to see some true character development with Ash, a welcome addition to a larger-than-life movie character.
Pablo and Kelly are two regular coworkers when the series begins. Both of them have a lot of strong character development, which turns them into reliable and loyal friends to Ash. It helps show him he doesn’t have to do everything by himself. By the end of the series, Ash is willing to risk everything to save them. It’s a far cry from the guy we saw in the original movies. Santiago and DeLorenzo deserve a ton of credit for their performances. They complement Ash in a lot of ways, and they help him navigate his quest. Are they the perfect companions? Absolutely not. They have self-doubt and anxieties that jeopardize Ash’s quest. However, they aren’t afraid to call Ash out on his crap, and they trust each other, even when the situation makes no sense or feels dire.
I don’t watch a lot of shows on Starz, so one thing I immediately noticed about Ash vs Evil Dead is how bloody and gory it is. It’s understandable why, because the series is based on a horror franchise, and has Sam Raimi’s fingerprints all over it. This show is a bloody good time. There are a lot of creative ways that Ash kills deadites, and the sheer amount of blood that was used for this show is insane. The makeup design is outstanding, and the use of blood for the deadites is top-notch throughout the series.
The three-season arc of Ash vs Evil Dead shows us a reluctant Ash taking arms against the deadites to get rid of the Necronomicon once and for all. A major force against Ash is Ruby (Lucy Lawless), who has a connection to the Book of the Dead. Lawless is a stellar complement to Campbell. Both have played big personality figures before, so to watch them go toe-to-toe is great. Ruby’s story is a bit uneven, with Season Two showing her working in conjunction with Ash and his crew.
Another person who has a great turn as a guest star is Lee Majors, who plays Ash’s father. They have an estranged relationship, and we figure out why Ash is the way that he is. Ash gets all of his bad qualities from his dad. The limited amount of times we see them interact tells us how toxic of a father he is. Majors manages to turn a typical bad father storyline into something where we get to see some redemption. We don’t see that until later on in the series when it appears to be too late.
Of all the seasons, the third one is my favorite. It’s the most bonkers, but it shows a side of Ash that I didn’t think he could have. After many reveals throughout the season, Ash is more vulnerable than ever emotionally, and is taking on a more paternal role with his crew. It’s refreshing to see Ash evolve, since during the first few Evil Dead movies (and the first two seasons) he’s been the same type of guy. The final episode actually made me tear up, something I did not expect from an Evil Dead property.
Ash vs Evil Dead is the rare TV continuation that manages to take the existing movies and make the universe better. Great companion characters, a fun story, and Campbell make the series a wild ride. The stinger they leave us with for a potential Season Four hurts to watch, though. Given the direction of the show, I wonder if the showrunners knew this is how this was going to end. Either way, the end of this series will be one of the greatest setups for a season of television that we never get to see.
Given the events of the new Evil Dead movie, I’m looking to see how the post-credit scene connects (if at all) to Evil Dead Rise. I’m curious where this story fits in with the entire series, since the new set of movies is supposed to be a continuation of the original series. In the end, I’m hoping Evil Dead Rise is a frightening movie with inventive ways for deadites to be killed.
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Serializd