Review Fix Exclusive: Ray Santiago Talks Ash vs. Evil Dead

Every great hero needs an equally great sidekick.

Batman has Robin; The Lone Ranger has Tonto and Captain America, Bucky. One hero that has made due without the help of a trusty sidekick is Ash Williams.

The hero of the “Evil Dead series took on deadites single-handedly for three films, literally – this has changed with the Starz series “Ash vs. Evil Dead.”

The freshman series sees Ash take deadite killing on the road, but this time he has company. Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) join Ash on his journey to save the world from the evil dead, and it is in Pablo where Ash finds the Scottie Pippen to his Michael Jordan.

An immigrant from Guatemala, Pablo was born into the world of the supernatural; however, unlike the wise-cracking Ash and pessimistic Dana, Pablo tends to look at the good, because, well, he is good.

“He’s really dedicated to doing good,” said Santiago “And, you know, I think he wants to leave his mark in the world and he’s been struggling to do it. So he sort of finds an opportunity with Ash and Kelly to sort of do better for all of mankind. So he’s just really excited to do that.”

Pablo’s penchant for wanting to do good is not a particular staple of the horror/comedy genre “The Evil Dead” franchise operates in, which makes his character that much more refreshing – it also helps that one of the creators of the franchise, Sam Raimi, saw that unique quality in Santiago.

“He [Raimi] said that I can tell that you’re a good person. And you both, sort of, at the same time like a good person,” said Santiago, describing a conversation he had with Raimi.”And he was like, maybe you have some instances where you’ve been screwed over. And we just want to make sure that throughout the entire series we see Pablo’s heart because he is the sort of, the eyes of the audience in a lot of ways.”

It is not just Pablo’s positive outlook that makes him a key member of Ash’s team; his niftiness with tech is just as valuable – as the season goes on audience members begin to learn more and more about Pablo from electronics, like the fact that, the man knows his tech.

“So along with Pablo being the heart of this team and always being the good conscience and making sure that everybody’s mind is in the right place and doing the right thing, Pablo’s smarter than most people would expect him to be, “said Santiago. “He’s got a really good tech savvy background and throughout the season, you’ll see that, sort of, come into play and him help out with that.”

So, if you need a mechanical hand, Pablo is the plug.

Outside of the perfect blend of horror and comedy, what separates “The Evil Dead” as a franchise is one thing and one thing only: The fans.

The fans that continually beg for more and even after a critically and commercially successful remake just wanted more good ol’ Ash going through literal hell and those rabid fans are attaching themselves to Pablo.

“I’m so glad that the fans have been so welcoming,” said Santiago of the series’ fans.” Because, you know, horror fans are – they’re the best. They’re so loyal and they’re also taken down if it sucks. So I’m so happy that they’ve embraced us with open arms and that they’re enjoying Pablo.”

Warm reception and all, Santiago does not look to rest on his laurels as he feels once he starts to see it as he’s made it everything will start “crumbling down and ending.”

“I just try to keep my feet on the ground and walk, and go to work and do what I’m supposed to do and try to make – you tell people a story then make them laugh, make them cry. And as long I just, you know, make sure I do that, I feel like I’ll be good,” said Santiago.