For many years, fans of Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead trilogy felt the prospects of getting another instalment in the cult horror franchise weren’t looking good. When Raimi ended Ash’s onscreen adventures with 1992’s Army of Darkness, there was certainly room for more, but unfortunately nothing materialised.
Not that it wasn’t discussed. Raimi had teased the idea of a fourth Evil Dead film for quite some time – especially once he oversaw production on the 2013 Fede Alvarez remake of the original Evil Dead film. In the end however, despite revealing an actual plot for a fourth film, Raimi opted instead to take things in a different direction with an Evil Dead TV series on Starz — Ash vs Evil Dead.
Though some fans may have had initial reservations regarding the decision to bring Ash’s ongoing Deadite battle to the small screen, ultimately the series didn’t disappoint. All the magnificent, over-the-top gore that is the trademark of The Evil Dead franchise was alive and well, alongside the cocky bravado of Ash (Bruce Campbell) and a first season that pleased critics and fans alike. Now a new image has arrived courtesy of TV Insider, giving us our first look at season 2 of Ash vs Evil Dead.
The image finds Ash living it up in his idea of paradise on Earth, Jacksonville, Florida. Clad in character-appropriate tacky cabana gear, he’s seen here doing what Ash does best (after chainsawing Deadites into a soggy pulp, that is) – partying the night away and finding a particularly “handy” use for the chainsaw that replaced his actual appendage long, long ago. Given the deal that Ash made with Ruby (Lucy Lawless) at the end of season 1, it’s not surprising that our first glimpse at season 2 finds Ash putting his troubles behind him and getting back to resuming his favorite hedonistic pursuits. Unfortunately for him and his friends, the party is not likely to continue for much longer.
We’re going to have to wait until the fall to see exactly how the second season pans out, but fans can rest assured there will be plenty of gore and dark humor to keep things rolling along. Some might argue that Ash vs Evil Dead has a tendency to gloss over relevant plot points at times, but that’s always been a characteristic of the franchise. In the end, the onscreen action is so much fun that lack of overall clarity on some details is more easily forgiven.
Both Sam and Ivan Raimi have repeatedly contended that Ash vs Evil Dead is the fourth instalment of The Evil Dead franchise that fans have long been waiting for. While it’s likely that most fans would still love to see a new instalment on the big screen, the second season of Ash vs Evil Dead will hopefully continue to deliver everything that’s expected of it and much more.
Ash vs Evil Dead will return to Starz in the fall of 2016.
