ASH VS EVIL DEAD SEASON 2

by Joe X Young 

There's a surfeit of horror and bags of laughs to be had during what is probably one of the most brutal gorefests on TV

 
For me it's 'The Chin for the Win' as 'Ash vs Evil Dead': Season 2 arrives on Blu-ray™ and DVD 23 October 2017.
 
Unless you've been living in a vacuum for the past thirty years you can't help but have encountered Bruce Campbell in 'The Evil Dead' films as they are somewhat legendary and quite probably the best horror/comedy franchise ever devised. Back in late 2015 the movie fans such as myself eagerly anticipated the release of the announced TV version, our hopes were that it would contain similar irreverent comedy and gore as the original films, even if it needed to be somewhat watered down for modern TV sensibilities, however that wasn't to be. It was better. We were treated to ten glorious episodes of horror action, vile special effects and one liners worthy of, or indeed better than, the original outings, with the main man 'Ash Williams' (The chin himself, Bruce Campbell) once more dishing out a much needed dose of justice to those pesky little 'Deadites'.
 
If you haven't seen the first series I will bring you up to speed in a basic, non-threatening and major spoiler-free way.
 
Roughly 30 years have passed since Ash took on the Deadites in the 1300s, and he's back in the present day and working as a stock-boy in a supermarket. All very low key, but he seems content to go through the motions until once again he encounters the Deadites. As he is well aware of what they are and what to do about them he's duty bound to kick some Deadite butt, ably assisted by two of his co-workers 'Pablo' (Ray Santiago), and 'Kelly' (Dana DeLorenzo). There's more to this than just defeating Deadites, as Ash also has to battle against the mysterious and formidable 'Ruby' (Lucy Lawless) and her nightmarish 'children'. There's a surfeit of horror and bags of laughs to be had during what is probably one of the most brutal gorefests on TV and each episode left me wishing it was an hour longer as I believe it's even better than the original three movies.
 
Okay? Still with me? Here we go for season two:
 
Season two brings even more to the table with a piling on of the action, more blood and guts, the inevitable laughs and the introduction of Lee Majors (TV’s “The Six Million Dollar Man”) as Ash’s father. When Ash returns to his home town of Elk Grove things are about to take a turn for the nasty as he has to deal with Ruby and encounters a whole new set of problems involving the demon Baal, the Necronomicon and as if things couldn't get any worse, a bunch of joyriders who steal Ash's beloved Delta, yes folks, that heap of junk is still running!
 
I was happy to see Ash Vs Evil Dead mainly because there's so little like it out there in the horror world, so to have it return as a TV series of such high quality was simply inspired, and I'm glad to say that it works perfectly. All of the cast are superb, with credible personalities and even in a horror series played for laughs there are moments which really grab a hold as these are people you can't help but care about because the character development is exceptional, taking what could be just basic sidekicks and villains and giving them real depth. I dare you not to fall at least a little in love with the hilariously potty-mouthed 'Ashy Slashy', you'll see what I mean when you watch it. Chief (or indeed 'Jefe') among the cast is of course Bruce Campbell who does a sterling job of continuing the role he made famous thirty years ago as if he'd never been anyone else other than our favourite chainsaw/gauntlet armed, boomstick wielding hero.
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If you're a fan of the original films then you really need to see the series, and if you're a fan of season one then you'll find season two to be even better.  I know I did.

The Extras
Disc 1

• Audio Commentaries - Sadly only the first three episodes of disc one receive an audio commentary. The first two commentaries feature  Bruce Campbell, who commentates in a spectacular way that only Breuce Campbell is capable of, along with actors Lucy Lawless, Ray Santiago, and Dana DeLorenzo (for the season premiere "Home" and the second episode, "The Morgue"). The third episode, "Last Call", features commentary from Executive Producer Rob Tapert along with Lawless and DeLorenzo.  All three commentaries are great listens an add an extra layer of enjoyment to the episodes, I would have loved to have a complete set of episodes, but at least these three are excellent. 

Disc 2

• Audio Commentaries - Even more episode commentaries are waiting for us on Disc 2 of this set, "Trapped Inside".,"Home Again" and "Second Coming" all receive another set of great commentary tracks.  Fun insightful and full and well worth a listen.  
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• Season 2 First Look - Then we have a brief overview of what to expect from season 2, could probably have done with adding this as a skippable chapter on the first episode, but nevertheless it is still a nice little round up with some good input from the stars and creative forces behind the show.  
• Inside the World of Ash vs Evil Dead  -  Be warned these ten small features contain a lot od spoilers for this season so if you are watching this season for the first time, it might be best to skip these until you have watched all of the episodes.  
• Up Your Ash  - Dedicated to the second episode "The Morgue". and the scene which has the honour of being the grossest scene of the whole season, and trust me there was a lot of competition for this. 
• Women Who Kick Ash  -One of the great things about this show is in its treatment of the female characters, these are your common garden Scream Queens, these are arse kicking Scream Queens of the highest order and this segment pats tribute to  Lucy Lawless, Dana DeLorenzo, and Michelle Hurd,  with supplementary input from  Bruce Campbell and Ray Santiago.
• Puppets are Cute What could be more groovy than Ash?  I think the only thing that could be is a puppet version of Ash and this feature takes a look at the cute velvet version of Ash. 
• Dawn of the Spawn - Takes a look at the character design of the spawn of Lucy Lawless's character of Ruby. 
• Bringing Henrietta Back  SPOILER AHEAD---- A look at how the character (the "deadite" version being once again portrayed by Ted Raimi) was brought back.
• The Delta ( We have all wanted to own a 1973 Delta 88 Oldsmobile. and this segment takes a look at one of the most recognisable cars in film and TV 
• How to Kill a Deadite  - Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, and Dana DeLorzenzo fill us in on the best way to kill a deadite, with a chainsaw being the best go-to weapon.
• Fatality Mash-Up  - Everyone loves a good death scene and this groovy feature highlights the best death scenes of the season. 

 
'Ash vs Evil Dead': Season 2 arrives on Blu-ray™ and DVD 23 October 2017 so it's out NOW and contains plenty of extras.

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