PIC of the Week – Ash vs. Evil Dead: The Complete Third Season
Article series by Ray Schillaci
Okay, before you Marvel maniacs go into overdrive over my decision to not award this week’s PIC of the Week to they’re beloved sequel, Deadpool 2, let me explain my reasoning. Who could possibly be more irreverent, outrageous, and laugh-out-loud funny than Wade Wilson/Deadpool? Bruce Campbell as Ashy “Slashy” Williams of Evil Dead fame, of course.
Ash. The one-armed chainsaw wielding nut job that dared to tread on The Three Stooges territory with bloody results. He, along with creators Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, took a paltry $100K horror film and launched it into a cult loving franchise with three films in all which eventually was rebooted and turned into a successful horror/musical on stage. Only later to become a beloved cable series on STARZ that would go on to three gloriously gory and campy fun seasons having Evil Dead fans rejoicing. Each season got more outrageous than the next when we originally thought the first season could not get close to capturing the original movies. Campbell, Tapert, and gang proved us wrong at every twisted turn.
The Ash Williams that we grew up with in the ’80s is no longer the tormented young man. The present day now gives us a middle-aged man-child that hides his girth with a man corset and revels in his bad behavior, which makes his character even funnier than before. He’s a dolt of a savior for mankind battling all kinds of evil. But, like Deadpool, Ash is not alone in his fight. He’s joined by his scrawny and absurd looking sidekick, Pablo, who deems Ash as “El Jefe” (The Boss), and considers himself an “El Jefe in training.” This brings to mind parallels of the tale of Don Quixote in a chaotic way. There is also Kelly, a moody young woman, who originally joined Ash and Pablo reluctantly, but has now become a bad ass scream queen who actually has evil screaming for mercy.
Then there are the hilarious turns by Lucy Lawless, once the Warrior Princess Xena, now as Ruby the ancient sorceress who has strong ties with the Necronomicon: Book of the Dead, and the Six Million Dollar Man himself Lee Majors as our man-child’s daddy. Add to this season something to really change Bruce Campbell’s character, an estranged wife and daughter, and we have a far more interesting Ash than ever before. Not only are we getting a more rounded Ash character (with a conscience no less) but the guy still knows how to show us a good time.
This season, Ash returns to his old high school, duels the possessed school mascot, discovers the “rift” between Earth and the supernatural world of the Evil Dead, and meets “baby” evil Ash with hilarious results. The whole time you’ll be saying, this is so wrong. You will not believe what Ash ends up going through. This final season tops them all.
Do you need to get caught up with the franchise (including the Starz series) to really appreciate season three? Absolutely! Of course, if you’re put off by crude humor, gore galore, and the sight of demonic children then Deadpool 2 may be a safer alternative (only kidding). Yes, the ribald humor, Monty Python type violence, and Ash’s smarmy attitude is not for general consumption. It’s basically a good display of bad boy naughtiness that only tickles certain people that revel in dark humor (like myself).
DP2 does offer a 4K version of the merc with the mouth’s shenanigans which is every bit as cool as the latest Avengers saga, but Ash’s antics are just fine on Blu, even though there are some remarkable practical effects that hit a sweet spot with me that might have been fun with a boost from 4K. The 1080p picture is crisp and scenes are never hampered by the many shades of darkness that Ash encounters. Audio is a kick-ass take no prisoners 7.1 Dolby TrueHD that captures every explosion and gut wrenching effect.
My only qualm (which seems to be happening a lot these days) is with the special features. Where the hell is a Sam Raimi interview? This is Evil Dead’s swan song and no Raimi. No extensive interviews with Bruce and company? Yes, there are audio commentaries, but come on, we want to see everybody, and what about a fond farewell to the king (Ash). What we get is nice, but nowhere near as extensive as last season’s special features.
¥ Digital download
¥ Audio commentaries
¥ Inside the world of Ash vs The Evil Dead, includes a vignette of the making of each episode
This is a worthy send off to a fun-filled series that can easily be a Halloween favorite for adults (18+) for years to come. For those uninitiated, you will not believe what you are about to see. You’ve been warned. Best Buy is also offering a steel case version as they did with last season. But, in my humble opinion, as with season two, the artwork on the steel case is no match for the regular case artwork.
Best price – Amazon and Best Buy – $19.99
