Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015-2018) Series Review

Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015-2018) Series Review

Happy Halloween! 

Marking the end of this sequel-a-thon is not a movie review, but rather a series review. The Evil Dead remake was pretty good, but it wasn’t the return to the franchise everyone had been waiting for since Army of Darkness. After the remake came out, stirrings about a continuation began. Would it be Evil Dead 4? Army of Darkness 2? An eventual crossover between the characters of Ash and Mia? In 2015, Ash vs. Evil Dead premiered on Starz network, which seemed fitting, given this horror series began as a less mainstream film, and ended up on a less mainstream network. 

Ash vs. Evil Dead features the return of Ash Williams, with Bruce Campbell reprising his role, as well as introducing a few new characters to battle the deadites alongside him. Sam Raimi (who directed and co-wrote all three movies, plus produced the remake) produced the series, co-wrote the first episode, and directed it. All episodes run half-an-hour, but the pilot is 45 minutes, making it more like a mini-movie. 

I was a little skeptical of Ash vs. Evil Dead at first, even with the original creators returning. It was nice to just have them as movies, but a series? My main concerns were 1) it wouldn’t retain the same level of gore and insanity as the films, being on TV, 2) it would lack new ideas, or eventually run out of ideas, or repeat old gags, and 3) it would shift the focus from Ash to some new inferior character who would eventually take the spotlight. 

My concerns were set aside rather quickly. Ash vs. Evil Dead is, in short summary, the ultimate continuation of a great film series as a great TV series. As a sequel primarily to Evil Dead II, it’s damn near perfect. The humour is laugh-out-loud funny, the gore is extreme and well-executed, but most-importantly, the characters are entertaining as hell, including new additions Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly, Ray Santiago as Pablo, and Lucy Lawless as Ruby. I’ll break it down by each season, and try not to spoil too much. 

Season 1: The setup is pretty much perfect. We meet Ash Williams again, 30 years after his last battle with the deadites, and he’s…the same. Just older. I expected no less. He works at Value Stop (not S Mart, which I guess is because they didn’t have the rights to show any footage from Army of Darkness in the first season, for some reason), with Latino co-worker and pal Pablo, who is in love with their other co-worker, Kelly. Ash accidently reads from the book of the dead again, but it doesn’t come off as repetitive or senseless. He gets stoned, and reads from it to impress one of his lady friends, as one does, which is what unleashes evil once again. Pablo and Kelly end up tagging along with him to fight evil, but their motives are sound, and they are instantly welcome additions to the narrative. 

The Evil Dead films had a very specific look and style, and the show does a pretty amazing job of retaining both, but also making it feel more current and distinctly its own thing. We have the cool camera tricks and practical effects back, but thankfully, it still has that lower-budget grit to it, which I was worried would be discarded. There is some poor cgi, though it’s pretty minimal in this first season. One of the highlights is the eyeless blue demon that shows up in episode three, but the standard deadites we’ve come to love are also back, and they’re given just enough screen-time and creative things to do to even top anything done in Army of Darkness. 

As far as negatives go, there are almost none for me with this first season. The pacing is really good through the first half, but toward the final two episodes, it gets a little uneven. There’s also an encounter with some teenagers that I kind of wish had been the teens from the Evil Dead remake (no references are made to that film at any point), but I guess that might have gotten too complicated. The dialogue, expansion of the lore, the twists, the action, and the horror are all exceedingly well done. 

 

Season 2: OK, so the first season set the bar pretty high. What could they do to better themselves now? How about, 1) up the gore, 2) up the surprise factor, 3) make the characters even more interesting and entertaining, and 4) go even wilder with the storylines? 

Yeah, they did all of those things.

Season 2 is actually even better than the first season. The evil character of Ruby was part of the main mystery of before, but now with her true nature and purpose exposed, what else could they do with her? Well, they make her into a sort-of-protagonist, and she becomes even more interesting. Everyone goes through a lot, but incredibly, the stakes still feel high and the tension is still there, because it still feels like they are always in constant danger, and anyone could die, even though it’s a TV show, and the show must go on. 

All I’ll say about the upping of the craziness and gore is, Episode 2: The Morgue. Once you see it, you’ll know what I mean. It’s the scene; probably the craziest since the tree rape in the original. 

This season is chocked even more full of references to past films, but none of them feel forced or lame. There are even references to other horror classics from the same era as The Evil Dead (two words: possessed car), but it never overshadows the originality. I’m amazed by how inventive the storylines were still able to be, but I think it’s mainly thanks to the new characters. The only thing about Season 2 that bugs me is, it’s so perfect, and ends on a non-cliff hanger, which makes it feel like it could be the perfect conclusion to the story…but because this is a series, it had to continue.  

Season 3: with expectations severely high, it seemed nearly impossible to top what’s come before, and all-in-all, season three isn’t as good as seasons one or two, but it’s still a fun watch all the way through. 

Even though they did so much in season one and two, it still felt like there were more storylines to be explored for season three, and the setup is there. In season two, we met Ash’s dad, which proved to be more entertaining and meaningful than I originally expected, and this time, we get to meet the daughter he didn’t know he had. But, unfortunately, it’s not that well-executed. She’s not a very interesting character, and Ash’s interactions with her pale in comparison to the interactions he’s had with Pablo, Kelly, and even lesser characters in the past. 

Seasons 1 and 2 managed to feel perfectly within the world of the Evil Dead films, while still showing progression, but season 3 doesn’t quite feel like Evil Dead at times. For instance, there’s a part where an iPhone becomes possessed, and it’s just kind of strange to see such an old-school style of horror meshed with such a modern thing like the iPhone. 

One of the main issues I found was for much of the season, the core characters are split up. Most of the best parts of the show are a result of the chemistry of the main cast. The season 3 storylines vary in how interesting they are, but it isn’t until the end of the season that the characters come together and things escalate from pretty good to great again. Ruby doesn’t have as much to do this time, and is somewhat of a disappointment, but then again, there wasn’t much that could be done to top her role from before. 

The gore is still satisfyingly over-the-top as always, but not as inventive as season 2. It still has one truly outrageous moment that tries to top the outrageous moment from season 2, but again, isn’t quite there, and I think it’s to do with execution. The first 2 seasons just felt better executed overall than season 3. This time, the roving camera through the woods didn’t look quite right, there’s a lot more obvious bad cgi, and the camera work isn’t as innovative (save for a few clever shots). 

I wish I could say Ash vs. Evil Dead went out with a bang, but other than the very end of the very last episode (which I won’t spoil), the third and final season wasn’t everything I hoped it would be. The series turned out to be strangely similar to the film trilogy, with the first season being unexpectedly awesome, the second season being even better, and third season being good, but not as good as the previous two. Still, I’m glad the show ended at three seasons, instead of continuing and getting progressively worse. Evil Dead remains one of the supreme horror franchises, largely because it hasn’t been totally driven into the ground. 

So that’s Ash vs. Evil Dead: a fantastic show, and a bigger and better continuation of the movies than I ever thought would be made. I hope they let Evil Dead rest for a while longer before bringing it back, maybe with another feature-length film to officially give Ash Williams his send-off? As of writing this, Bruce Campbell says he’s done playing Ash, but we’ll see what the future brings. 

And that will conclude this year’s Creepy Cinema marathon! I hope everyone enjoyed it; I finally talked about many franchises I’ve been wanting to cover since starting this tradition, but there are still many more horror movies to talk about. Expect Clayton’s Creepy Cinema to return once again in October 2019! Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Evil Dead (2013) Review

Evil Dead (2013) Review

When it comes to horror movie remakes, taking something old and obscure and not that great to begin with (like My Bloody Valentine, for example) and doing it over again is relatively harmless. But when you take a beloved horror classic, there’s the potential to upset a lot of fans. It’s one thing to remake the first entry in a tired franchise, like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13^th, but the Evil Dead series was a special case. It only consisted of three films, all of which were acclaimed, so why remake it? 

I was skeptical of the Evil Dead remake from the beginning, but once I found out it was being produced and guided by the creators of the original, I started getting more hopeful. Then I got really hopeful when the first red band trailer came out; to this day, that rapidly-cut series of images is a frightening, effective, and accurate preview of what it’s all about. I saw it in the theater opening weekend, and was not at all disappointed. My opinion still stands, Evil Dead is a good remake, and a good modern horror movie. 

First of all, there are some key factors to consider when approaching a remake like this. 1) The effects have to be an improvement. Usually this isn’t a problem, but sometimes, terrible cgi is used in places where practical effects would still look better (Nightmare on Elm Street remake comes to mind). 2) The actors should be decent. No academy-award-winning performances needed, just believable, scared young adults. 3) Extreme gore and violence that tops whatever came before. In the case of Evil Dead, it was go all-out, or go home. And they went all-out. 

Evil Dead has some of the goriest scenes in any horror movie I can think of. Gone is the campy humour, which I did miss, but ultimately, to have retained it would have been a misstep. This Evil Dead goes for pure terror, the way the original intended. That’s what it’s all about, and it nails it right in the first scene. A girl is tied up in a cabin, surrounded by strange-looking folk, and her dad douses her with fuel and strikes a match, triggering the demon possessing her to come forth. She swears at him and threatens to rip his soul out. Now that’s how you start things off! 

Then we go to the kids arriving at the cabin, just like in the original, only this time, the motives are a bit different. They aren’t just here for a good time, their friend Mia is trying to get over her heroin addiction, which is a simple but logical change to the story. The isolation is meant to help her, and when things start going crazy, no one believes her because they think she’s just in withdrawal. If only that were it. One of the idiots reads from the book of the dead, which he found wrapped in barb wire (as if that wasn’t enough of a hint not to read it), but the effort he goes to in order to read from it is just too over-the-top to believe, making it one of the things I really don’t like in this movie. 

The acting is mostly all bad, which isn’t an improvement from the original, but not really a step down, either. What we needed was one main character to prevail toward the end, and for that character to be likable and badass. This time, it’s Mia, played by Jane Levy, who I think is a very underrated actress. It was wise not to recast the character of Ash, who should forever be played by Bruce Campbell. In fact, Ash isn’t in the movie at all (except an end credits teaser), this batch of kids is entirely new. Aside from a few minor story details, it’s everything we’ve seen before. The roving POV, the boom stick, the chainsaw, the deadites, the tree rape scene, it’s all there. And of course it is, it’s a remake; the main differences are in the details of violence, but also in the way the evil comes about.

The special effects are all mainly practical, and look great. There is tons of blood and gore and grime on everything, and the cinematography is excellent. Visually speaking, it’s a slicker-looking version of the original, with all the same elements, just dialled up and refined. In terms of topping the insane-levels of gore from previous movies, they manage to match it, and then surpass it. It’s not as playfully inventive, though, it’s more about being as brutal as possible, which works for the overall approach to the material. As far as criticisms go, I don’t have a lot beyond the bland characters and repeated elements of the other movies. Had the characters been more original, and played by better actors, it probably would have elevated it to being one of the best horror movies of the decade. 

Evil Dead is maybe not one of the best horror remakes of all-time, but it’s certainly a very good one. I still prefer the original any day, but if getting a remake is what we needed to have the original series continue, then fine by me, because they could have done a lot worse than this, and what came after was worth the wait. 

Army of Darkness (1992) Review

Army of Darkness (1992) Review

Army of Darkness picks up right where Evil Dead II left off, with Ash Williams in the middle ages. He encounters Lord Arthur—as in the legendary King Arthur—and is captured. His chainsaw and shotgun are confiscated, and he’s thrown in a pit with a deadite. Once again, things kick off in exciting fashion. Later, the people cower in his shadow, terrified by the power of his shotgun, as he holds up the gun and declares, “This…is my boomstick!” It’s an amazing line, and just one of many quotable pieces of dialogue.  

Ash wants to get back to his own time, but he has to retrieve the Necronomicon from a spooky forest, and he has to say three words before doing so, “Klaatu barada nikto” or else the dead will rise again. Sure enough, Ash forgets the last word, so he just mumbles it, but that’s not good enough. The army of darkness arises, along with an evil clone of Ash, and attacks Arthur’s castle, but the real Ash is fully equipped to lead the battle against them. 

I saw Army of Darkness before I saw Evil Dead II. I wish I hadn’t. I definitely recommend watching this series in order of release. To make the jump from the first Evil Dead to Army of Darkness was a bit jarring, because by this point, the focus is not on horror, but comedy. I didn’t love it the first time, but have since grown much fonder of it upon revisiting. The title initially threw me off. Why not Evil Dead 3? Or The Medieval Dead? Apparently, the original title was Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness, but because it was co-produced by Universal, the studio wanted it to have a wider appeal, so went with just Army of Darkness, which I think was a minor mistake. 

To say Army of Darkness is the worst of the Evil Dead films is a huge disservice to the movie. The effects somehow manage to retain the low-budget look of the previous two, while also looking far better. They are so elaborate, with more deadites than ever, and many other really well-executed practical makeup effects, that it’s entertaining to watch just in those regards. But, the humour is also very well done, though some of the jokes are extremely slapstick, and don’t always land that well. The other reason to watch, is for Bruce Campbell. He’s perfected his physical comedy skills in this one, and once again carries the movie from beginning to end. 

Having said that, does Army of Darkness live up to the previous movies? I say yes, but it doesn’t surpass Evil Dead II, for me. It’s hard to compare it to the original Evil Dead, because they’re quite different, but not so different as to totally alienate fans of one or the other. I just find the pacing isn’t as good, and I miss the horror aspect. At least they didn’t try to be scary and fail, they just don’t really go for as many scares this time. At times, Ash’s incompetence feels a little overbearing, instead of funny. In the end, though, you just have to laugh. 

The best moments are, of course, funny moments, like when the skeleton army first attacks Ash from underground, and when Ash clashes with himself. In addition, the set designs are quite good, and the visual effects have that undeniable charm. It’s strange to think such elaborate stop-motion effects were still being used at the same time Jurassic Park came out, which revolutionized Hollywood with its ground-breaking computer generated effects and made stop motion a thing of the past. It may be an outdated technique now, but stop motion will always be entertaining to watch, and I’ll always appreciate all the work that goes into it. 

For being the third film in a horror series that was already ambitious and excellent twice over, Army of Darkness accomplishes what few threequels can, in being even bigger, more-refined, and funnier than the previous installment. It’s great, but not quite on the same level of classic as The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II.