The Evil Dead films and the streaming series.
I will forever be a fan of Bruce Campbell for his portrayal of Ash Williams, the everyman dragged into the horror and hilarity of The Evil Dead. The first film is by far the most outright horror of the series, with the following films drenched heavily in comedy with some stand-out performances by Campbell. Ash is not the typical hero in this series, either on the big screen or small. He is reluctantly dragged into this madness, doing his best to remain amongst the living. The first two films are set in the now typical cabin in the woods and utilise the Necronomicon Ex Mortis, roughly translated as the Book of the Dead. It is easy to see where Raimi got his influence for this fell book, and it works well as this tome of utter horrors that drag demons and worse into our world. I admit that I am much more familiar with Evil Dead 2, I have watched it far more than the original, so my review here will reflect that. Ash is dragged into this as a man simply looking for a romantic getaway with his girlfriend. Linda is killed after Ash unwisely plays the recorder in the cabin, Professor Knowby reciting passages from the book. She is turned into a Deadite, and Ash is forced to kill her to survive, decapitating her with a shovel. After burying her, he returns to the cabin in hopes of waiting out the night. Things do not go that simply for our reluctant hero as the evil spirit of the wood begins to press in on him. Soon Ash is possessed too but the spirit is pushed from him by the dawning sun. After hours unconscious Ash awakes and flees the cabin only to find the bridge out and dusk soon descending upon him. Fleeing back to the cabin, pursued by the malevolent spirit, Ash hides there in the hopes of waiting it out. Unfortunately, he is not that lucky, strange events begin to play out around him as the summoned evil begins to work on breaking him down. At this point, we learn that Knowby's daughter and partner are coming to the cabin to see the deceased Professor, bringing with them the lost pages from the book. Throughout this Ash is being attacked, and Linda returns from her grave, her disembodied head biting his hand after a nasty dream. Ash rushes to the workshed and soon manages to remove her, ready to deal with her before he is attacked by her body wielding a chainsaw. It is at this moment that we see the Deadites can switch back to appearing normal, Linda's head begging Ash not to kill her before viciously mocking him and returning to its unnatural visage. Returning to the Cabin Ash continues to spiral before his hand begins to turn and we have one of the funnier scenes as his hand attacks Ash and renders him unconscious. The scene following is one of the bloodiest in the film as Ash cuts off said hand with the chainsaw. I do like the little nod with the use of the book 'A Farewell to Arms.' being atop the pile he places on the bin to keep the hand contained. Again we get another amusing scene as the hand escapes, and a little battle of wits plays out before things take another nasty turn for Ash.
Here things begin to change as the others arrive at the Knowby cabin, Ash mistakingly firing at them before he is subdued and through into the root cellar beneath the cabin. Things escalate further as Henrietta rises from the floor of the root cellar and attempts to eat Ash. The film moves quickly as the Deadites seek to kill them, and fear and paranoia take their toll on the group of survivors in the cabin. As you can imagine, things don't go well, and slowly their numbers are whittled down as their fight for survival continues. They have a way to fight back, to rid themselves of the evil, but it is not an easy task, and Ash finds himself returning to the cellar to face Henrietta and reclaim the pages. I still love the design of the Candarian Demon possessing Henrietta as the pair face off in a fierce fight before Ash gains the upper hand and we move to the end of the film. Annie and Ash are left to face the physical embodiment of the evil after the first part of the passage has been quoted, frantically they attempt to complete the other half as Ash is left to face it. Of course, things don't go well as Annie is stabbed in the back by Ash's evil hand. Annie finishes the incantation as Ash fights, and for a moment, we think everything is fine until the summoned portal doesn't close, and Ash is sucked in after the evil. The scene works well with the right amount of tension and dark humour, Ash crashing from this world into another, the closing scene hinting at what shall befall our hero next.
The next film follows directly from the ending and I believe that the series hints that the film didn't happen. At least in the newer canon. Army of Darkness is one of my favourite films with many quotable moments in the film that still makes me chuckle to this day. The medieval setting and Ash's apparent set-up as the man here to save the people from the Deadites are done well, Ash is eager to return to his time and willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal. Again humour is at the forefront of this film, with less horror at the fore. Hunting for the Necronomicon at this time, Ash is tasked with returning it after using the incantation of a particular passage. Which, inevitably, does not get uttered correctly as Ash forgets the ending. The scene in the mill is one of my favourites as Ash is left to battle tiny evil versions of himself before swallowing one and the subsequent development of 'evil' Ash. Again humour is key here, not horror, and the ensuing fight and almost three stooges-like feels to the scene make it enjoyable for one of my generation. This is a very different film from the previous ones, with the castle and siege, the fighting, and the much bigger stakes, yet it all works. Though I will admit the film doesn't have the greatest of special effects, that is even more evident nearly thirty years later. This film rides on the charisma of Campbell, and to his credit, he manages it most of the time. There are some weaker elements here than the tighter viewing of the first two in the trilogy, but it is still a fun film to watch. It is worth noting that there are two endings to the film, but most will only know the one where Ash is returned to his time and works in the S-Mart, a return of the Deadites plaguing Ash once more.
The series is set with a much older Ash, and thirty years have passed since the events of the original. It seems little has changed for him, and after a night of drugs and booze Ash reads from the Necronomicon, starting things all over again. This iteration works well, largely due to the introduction of Kelly and Pablo. These two poor souls are dragged into Ash's mess, and before long, they are all deep into the world of the Deadites. The introduction of Ruby, the ever-brilliant Lucy Lawless, tightens up the story as we gain an element of mystery and stakes that might have been missing otherwise. In my opinion, the second series is the best, with a better story and some interesting turns by the writing team. It would not be fair of me to give too much away about the series in total, I might go into that at a later date. I recommend fans of the films give the series a go. It is fun, and there are plenty of callbacks to the original films.
I would be remiss of me not to mention the remake. I enjoyed it, for the most part, the performances were good, and the tension in the film is well maintained. It doesn't quite have the magic of the original, but it is a solid effort and worth a look for horror fans.
So if you enjoy campy horror films give The Evil Dead a try. Ash is one of the funniest and most beleaguered characters in the genre. Though some of his character traits haven't aged well, in this age of people being easily offended it is worth noting that some of his humour might offend some. For me, the humour works well, and the better effects and production values of the series have made the experience all the better.
Let me know what you think in the comments and if there are any films you would recommend. Later folks.
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