Ash vs. Evil Dead - Season 1 Review
This review of Season 1 of Ash vs. Evil Dead is spoiler-free!
Horror is not something that I find myself particularly interested in. I've just never been able to get myself to enjoy films in that genre because I'm most of the time cowering in the corner of a room. Television, on the other hand, I have found myself able to push through it for the sake of enjoyment and overall story. Ash vs. Evil Dead takes the horror genre and mixes it with a large number of comedic elements to create an interesting overall story. Along with this, I have not seen the previous films in this franchise as they never truly interested me. The difference here though is that this series does something that those do not: create a fun group of characters that can be given true arcs of a season of television.
As with all of our discussions, we start with the premise and story of the season. Ash is a deadbeat guy who for the past thirty years hasn't really made a life for himself after the finale to the original trilogy of Evil Dead films. The problem begins though when creatures from his past begin to arise and start trouble. These creatures: known as Deadites, are demon spawns that seak out the book known as the Necronomicon, and Ash himself. The resulting realization from Ash puts those around him in danger and creates a fun and unique story that is something different than what most people know of today. Comedic horror isn't something that is new, but Ash vs. Evil Dead does something special with its story. Sure it's generic and rather repetitive at points, but it manages to come across as pure fun for the viewer. I am happy with what occurred on screen, and that story is only improved by Ash himself.
Bruce Campbell is a joy to watch on screen as the titular character of Ash. Something is so genuine and fantastic about his portrayal that I don't often see in other characters. He seems to be having real fun in his role and it makes the show as a whole better for it. Ray Santiago's Pablo and Dana DeLorenzo's Kelly are both in this same vein. Everyone seems to acknowledge the large amounts of ridiculousness in the overall story, and they all use that to their advantage. The chemistry of the cast is great, with Pablo and Kelly being a bit of a standout. Ash is more of a standalone character who doesn't have any true investment in the others besides as a friendly bond, but those two are the emotional pull. Ash is just a man who's trying to get rid of the demons that have haunted him for many years. That sense of freedom that his character has allows him to make choices that some more righteous characters would not.
I've made subtle mentions of it throughout this post so far, but I want to focus on it more in depth. This show is just so much fun. The story is outlandish and whacky, the action is super gory and a CGI-fest, but that is what really makes it just so enjoyable. I mean, unless the direction of a show chooses to go extremely dark, putting Demons on screen against a man who wields a chainsaw would be hard to do in any other sense. This is a huge plus for the show as a whole, as once you understand the theme that is being put into place, you can speed through the show without realizing you've completed a season in one day. I have to imagine that the later films in the original trilogy follow this same sense of comedic parody that the series does. It just happens to be that it fits well, and I can't imagine many people will have a problem with it.
When reflecting on everything that is Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 1, there's a lot to digest. The most impressive part of this show as I have mentioned is how it manages to take a subject matter that could be really dark and make it into something fun and enjoyable. Bruce Campbell and company have helped build up a show that had no right being just as good as it was. With the first season ending in such a place that I did not expect, I believe that anyone else who watches the show may want to immediately jump into Season 2 (which I most certainly plan to do as well). If I were to suggest a specific group of people this show may be catered towards, it would most definitely be horror fans because even though the show is very comedic, its a true homage to the genre. But truthfully, Ash vs. Evil Dead is fun for anyone. As long as you don't mind gore!
