Ash vs Evil Dead is an American comedy horror television series that was developed by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, and Tom Specially for the Stars network filmed in New Zealand. It is set in Raimi’s Evil Dead universe, with Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams, and acts as a sequel to the original trilogy.
The series is set approximately 30 years after the first three Evil Dead films’ and serves as a sequel to that trilogy. Ash Williams works at the “Value Stop” as a simple stock boy. Also working at the store is his friend Pablo and the object of Pablo’s affections, Kelly. Ash has seemingly done very little with his life since returning from 1300AD at the end of Army of Darkness, and the beginning of the series sees him living in a railer and drinking alone in bars. However, Ash must soon renounce his routine existence and become a hero once more by taking up arms and facing the titular Evil Dead. Pablo and Kelly decide to join him on his quest to save humanity.
Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, and Lucy Lawless also star. The series is executive produced by Campbell, Raimi, Craig DiGregorio, and Robert Tapert, who produced all four Evil Dead films. The series premiered on October 31, 2015. Three days before the series’ premiere, Stars renewed it for a second season, which premiered on October 2, 2016. On October 7, 2016, while at the New York Comic Con, Stars announced that the series had been renewed for a third season which premiered on February 25, 2018. On April 20, 2018, it was announced that the series had been cancelled after three seasons.
The Series Itself (4.75/5):
Season 3 of Ash vs Evil Dead is a continuation of a show that has not only delivered with every episode; but it’s one that takes the entire concept of implementing a little bit of “stupid” to allow things to work. Providing audiences with an extremely loopy, and entertaining adventure, Bruce Campbell and friends really take things up a notch with this season. There are cameos from some new people that allows for a refreshing feeling with this season, and they help to take the series into a new direction. That is, had they opted to continue it; I personally feel that it was a mistake to cancel the series.
Picture Quality (5/5):
As another series that I had previously seen as it aired, Season 3 of Ash vs Evil Dead on Blu-ray looked absolutely beautiful as it played out across my living room television. Giving its viewers a richer and sharper presentation, the Blu-ray provides a much more real experience than its broadcasted counterpart. Special effects were really well blended in with the natural elements, offering an ultimately defined experience as the sillyness continues.
Audio Quality (5/5):
Bundled with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix, Season 3 of Ash vs Evil Dead practically offers an absolutely immersive experience for its viewers that are able to make use of the technology. While it doesn’t include the use of the elevation aspect, the power that roars through the channels available from within were enough to make everything really enjoyable. The transitions from channel to channel were effortless, allowing for awareness of the viewers location in relation to the screen. Dialogue is spoken cleanly, and allows for everyone to be heard and understood without having to manually adjust the volume levels at all.
The Packaging (4/5):
The Blu-ray release of Ash vs Evil Dead: Season 3 comes packaged in your standard two-disc Blu-ray amaray case. Within that case are the two discs that make up the season, each disc featuring the same piece of artwork that is the same as what’s been provided on the case art. The disc art is the same between the two discs as well. While there are no DVD copies included with this release, there is a digital copy redemption pamphlet that’s been included for the various streaming platforms as well as a slipcover that’s been made available in the original pressing of the release that features the same artwork that’s been made available on the case art.
Special Features (3/5):
While there are only a few features that have been included on this release of Ash vs Evil Dead: Season 3 the content that’s been included not only offers a deeper look at the storyline that’s associated with the season; but, it also shows somewhat of a behind the scenes look at the work that went into making the season. I do feel that the content could have been more detail oriented, offering more information for audiences. Included with this release is:
- Season Overview
- Inside The World Of Ash vs Evil Dead
- Audio Commentaries
Technical Specs:
Video
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Subtitles
English SDH, Spanish
Runtime
Original Series: 300 minutes
Final Thoughts:
It really is a damn shame that the folks at Starz have decided to end Ash vs Evil Dead. The series as a whole has been one really entertaining experience and a nice extension fo the original trilogy. Providing audiences with not only a mostly wholesome storyline, but a fun one at that. Season 3 was a really nice continuation of the saga, and is one that really delivered upon all expectations. The visual and audio presentation of the Blu-ray release were absolutely phenomenal as it provided a cleaner image in relation to its broadcasted counterpart, and a richer audio experience that really does great at placing its viewers in the middle of the action. Special features, while sparse, were headed in the right direction and would have been enough had they were more detailed. If you’re considering checking out Ash vs Evil Dead, I would absolutely recommend it. Season 3 was made available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning on August 21, 2018.
Note: This Blu-ray was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.