“Hail to the king, baby.” - Ash Williams (Army of Darkness)
The 80’s brought us many things: thrilling music, wacky fashion and a plethora of iconic horror films with characters that are cultural titans even now. One of those characters? Ashley J. Williams from the “Evil Dead” franchise. Even if you’re not well-versed in the world of horror, you may have heard of this character. If not, you’d be surprised to know that other shows and movies have been making references to Ash for years. One of the most well-known examples is in an episode of Phineas and Ferb. Of course, there are plenty of references you can find throughout the years.
The three-movie original franchise has been revered and hailed for its absurdity, ruthlessness and blood-soaked comedy. It has one of the most devoted fan bases of all time, with the main star, Bruce Campbell hosting events admiring his work in the films playing the titular chainsaw wielding hero Ash Williams.
After the third and final movie in the franchise ended on a cliffhanger, people were eager to see where Ash’s story continued. After years of fans demanding for a reboot, in 2015 we were blessed to receive a three-season T.V. show that continued the original plot from the last movie in 1993, “Army of Darkness.” The show, “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” ran up until it was canceled in 2018. However, the hype around this series didn’t die out here. Accounts on TikTok sprouted up, making edits of Ash throughout the movies, highlighting his iconic catchphrases and badass moments. Along with this, video games like “Dead by Daylight” created collaborations that featured Ash as a playable character with voice lines made by Bruce himself. Seemingly, with people making content and sharing clips of the films in the form of memes, the movies have gained enough notice and intrigue that Bruce and his associates announced a new “Evil Dead” movie in the making.
This one, however, won’t feature Bruce’s iconic character, but rather stars Lily Sullivan who plays a teen named Beth, who is tasked with taking on the undead as it possesses her mother and terrorizes their apartment complex. The film, “Evil Dead Rise,” will be in theaters Friday, April 21 and is supposed to keep all the same horror and gore as the previous installments. One thing that sets it apart however, is that this film intends to focus more on the origins of the series’ titular novelty: the Necronomicon, also known as the Book of the Dead, and explore the significance behind the book and its otherworldly powers.
Even with this release coming up, the previous movies in the original franchise are becoming more loved by younger generations, so much so that in 2022, it spawned its own video game.
“Evil Dead: The Game” is a horror-survival game that takes four players on a journey to collect items to combat the undead and play against another person taking on the role of a Kandarian Demon. You’re able to play as characters from all the movies, and even some from the show, and just after a few months of being released, has been awarded the title of Game of the Year.
It’s clear this franchise is entering its prime, as now more than ever is it being recognized by critics and new fans alike. This has resulted in many collaborations using the series’ characters and their likeness to sell products, appear on television and even be in other video games.
Ash has appeared as a character you can buy in the massively well-known shooter “Fortnite”, and the coffee company Bones is now selling a coffee blend called “Army of Dark Chocolate” with the name and packaging made to look like Ash in the film “Army of Darkness”. Perhaps one of the most interesting collaborations though is the new episode of Impractical Jokers set to feature Bruce Campbell as the celebrity guest. In the promo video TruTV shared on Twitter yesterday, one of the jokers, Brian “Q” Quinn is seen in the promo dawning the familiar holster and navy-blue shirt and chainsaw hand Ash has in the films.
It’s always nice to see an under-appreciated movie getting the recognition it deserves, especially such a unique franchise like “Evil Dead”. While the overall “haunted book possesses everyone and everything around it and it's up to one man to save the world from evil,” is not original at all, the ability to crack jokes about the films and make memes about it, combined with the active and creative community of people sharing content and collecting merchandise of the franchise has truly made it a resurgence into the mainstream.
If you’re interested in campy, bloody, wacky fun, I suggest giving these films a watch; they're equally entertaining and off-the-wall unhinged, but it’s completely worth it.
Mia Ashby is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Mia by emailing her at ma237419@ohio.edu.
