If there were any doubts whether Starz‘ new horror/comedy series “Ash vs. Evil Dead” would fail to live up to the legacy of Sam Raimi‘s first three Evil Dead movies, they quickly and swiftly were put to bed, then stabbed forty times for good measure and shot with a boomstick just for the hell of it with the first trailer released on Friday at Comic-Con and online shortly after.
Showcasing our one-handed, denture-wearing, waist-strap compacted hero Ash (Bruce Campbell) these many years after the events of Army of Darkness — fulfilling his days working at the convenience store (still), “telling lies about how he lost his hand in bars late at night,” and being “not really the guy who should be dealing with this right now,” as Campbell stated earlier — and giving a brief perspective into the gore and pus-filled adventures in store for him and his two new co-leads — Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) — this trailer does exactly what it needs to, sell bringing the character back and also to prove the unrated delirium initially engraved in the franchise is so very alive and undead.
Raimi’s touch is all over this thing, from the opening, swaying POV shots to the wacky zoom-ins/outs to general comic mayhem throughout. Campbell looks like he’s having a ball, and the promo is appropriately insane and genuinely funny. I don’t know, maybe all the Comic-Con coverage is actually making me a little punch-drunk or it could just be my reverence and admiration for Evil Dead, but I’m 110% on board for what’s being delivered here. Let’s go. Bring it, baby.
In addition to the trailer, Sam and Ivan Raimi, Campbell, showrunner Craig DiGregorio and co-star Lucy Lawless revealed the series begins its 10-episode season appropriately on October 31 at 9 p.m. They’re still in production in New Zealand, and the plan, apparently, is to make this season in hopes of continuing Ash’s legacy as long and efficiently as they possibly can. That would be both in terms of seasons and possibly a new movie, hoping to buddy up this character with Mia (Jane Levy) from the 2013 remake and have them fighting the evils of the Necronomicon.
So long as it’s good, I’m all on board with it. Raimi’s only directing the pilot, but it looks like he and, of course, Campbell have their hands lovingly all over this thing and it doesn’t seem like they’re going to try to make anything that’s not up-to-par with what they created before. Either way, it’s looks like this bonehead is goin’ for the ride.
Check out the trailer below:
