Ash vs. Evil Dead Pilot Coverage: Groovy

The “Evil Dead” is considered by many horror buffs to be one of the best horror series ever made. In fact, just say the name Bruce Campbell to any horror fan and watch them squeal with delight. After twenty-three years, Sam and Ivan Raimi and Bruce Campbell have teamed up with “Starz” to create a new series based on “Evil Dead” called “Ash VS Evil Dead.” The first episode is everything an “Evil Dead” fan ever wanted.

Thirty years after the events of “Army of Darkness” Ash is living in a trailer park and is still employed at “S-Mart.” Everything has been peaceful up until recently when he and a girl read a passage from the “Necronomicon Ex Mortis” while on a marijuana high. Now Ash has to once again lace up the chainsaw and boomstick to fight against the deadites.

This series has a nice mixture of comedy, horror and gore. The comedy bits are laugh out loud funny and the gore is gallons of blood gushing like a geyser. Of course, some of the gore is CGI and is a bit disappointing.

Ash still spews out one-liners and can sweet talk the ladies. Campbell still has the acting chops to pull off Ash even after twenty-three years. It’s still a joy watching him play Ash.

There are a few nitpicks with the story. First off, the Raimi somehow thought it was a great idea to create the cliché cop character that gets mentally scarred after seeing something horrifying. It comes across as something that should be in a different show.

Also, many fans will notice three major things about Ash. Firstly, he had a metallic hand that moved in “Army of Darkness” whereas here it’s wooden. Second, Ash says he told nobody about what happened in the woods when he told all of his coworkers the entire story in “Army of Darkness.” Lastly, the store Ash works at is called “Value Stop,” instead of “S-Mart” for reasons never explained.

“Ash VS Evil Dead” is an awesome addition to the “Evil Dead” franchise. It has Ash’s one-liners, comedy, horror and gore despite some of the gore looking CGI. The cop character and other minor nitpicks can be forgiven since the rest of show is groovy enough to be enjoyed.