With three movies and a quasi-remake/sequel that is officially part ofEvil Deadlore, there is a lot of existing material to pull from in creatingAsh Vs. Evil Deadfor TV. And while there will be more than enough obvious references and homages to the original trilogy resting on the surface throughout this 10-episode run, there are also plenty of Easter Eggs hidden deep within the show itself. If you’re a huge fan of Ashley Williams and his fight against this all-consuming force of darkness, you’ll notice some of these treasures right away. Some are more obscure. And a lot of them are layered on top of each other in scenes that require a quick eye and a fast pause button.
InAsh Vs. Evil Dead,Bruce Campbellreprises his role asAsh, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of theEvil Dead. When aDeaditeplague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons -personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip. The first season will span 10 episodes, and a second season has already been announced.
The cast is led byBruce Campbellin the role of Ash Williams,Lucy Lawlessas Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks,Ray Santiagoas Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick,Dana DeLorenzoas Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.
Starz announced a marathon of all theEvil Deadmovies this past Friday, October 30, which was hosted byBruce Campbell. The marathon started at 8 PM ET with 1981’s The Evil Dead at 8:00pm ET/PT, followed by 1987’sEvil Dead 2: Dead by Dawnat 9:30 PM ET and concluding with 1991’sArmy Of Darknessat 10:55 PM ET. The marathon also featured a newsneak peekat the series. Fans were encouraged to join the social media conversations throughout the night using #EvilDeadMarathon and other scene-specific hashtags that will appear within each movie. This was a great opportunity for everyone to relive the original movies, and then be able to discover some of the Easter Eggs that are hidden in the new series. Of which there will be plenty. About all the goodies left for enterprising fans to find,Bruce Campbellhad this to say in an earlier interview withEW.
“You just have got to pretty much look closely on your high-definition television set. There’s a lot of stuff in Ash’s trailer that is similar to what we had in the past movies. There’s references to things like Michigan State University and Faygo Redpop! The art department really went crazy making it as authentic as possible. I remember Sam and I walking through it and we were just blown away. So for the intense fan there’s a lot for them to look at. We’re also going to revisit - I have to be careful how I say this - but we’re going to revisit some things that are familiar, and the recreations are amazing.”
Way back in 2012, we were allowed to visit the set of the 2013Evil Deadremake, and as we were shown through the woods and the cabin, the set decorators pointed out that some artifacts from the first two movies had been preserved and placed back into this sorta-sequel. If you see the piano or the wall clock while watching, know those are the original props that appeared in The Evil Dead andEvil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. If you look close enough, you’ll be able to spot some of those exact same items in various scenes throughoutAsh Vs. Evil Dead.
So far, we’ve only gotten an advanced look at episode 1, titledEl Jefe. And held within it’s tight 40 minute runtime are quite a few obscure and not easily noticeable Easter Eggs that will likely take you a second or third viewing to spot. But some are going to pop right out at you. We’ll have to wait for a future episode before Michigan’s favorite Faygo Redpop makes it’s iconic appearance. Though, right out of the gate, we get to see Ashley sucking on a Hi-C juice box, getting hyper and rehydrating before he heads out to a night on the town drinking at the local Woodsman Tavern. The Boppin' Strawberry box art looks like blood splatter, and you’ll notice that motif running through the duration of this initial episode. You may also marvel at how much it makes Ash seem very childish. Which he is. First, watchAsh Vs. Evil Dead. Then come back for these 8 Easter Eggs you probably missed!
8[1] 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88
The classic returns! This is the easy one to spot. The 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 was the car driven by Ash in both 1981’s The Evil Dead and 1987’sEvil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. It was turned into a War Wagon forArmy Of Darkness, and was even seen in theEvil Deadreboot in 2013. But more than that, this is the quintessentialSam RaimiEaster Egg. It has appeared in every single movie he has ever directed. Even the period fantasyOz: The Great and Powerful. Though, you’ll have to get a magnifying glass out to find it in that movie. While this is an easy Easter Egg to spot, as the car is back up and running, serving as Ashley’s main mode of transportation, what you may not have noticed is that the address for Books from Beyond is 1973 Olds Road, Berkley, Michigan. Books from Beyond is going to play a key roll in the future of the series. And we’ll likely get to meet the owner of the shop Lionel Hawkins at a later date.
7[2] The Axe and The Shovel
The iconic chainsaw hand isn’t the only weapon returning in Ash’s fight against the darkness. First up, we get to see the shovel that Ash used to chop off Linda, his girlfriend’s head in the original The Evil Dead. The same shovel he uses to bury her. It makes a return here in a scene that finds Williams being attacked by a demonic doll named Lil Lori, a nod to the much hated Lori Grimes fromThe Walking Dead. Once Ash finally breaks free of this tiny monster, his new sidekick Pablo steps in, bringing the head of the shovel down on the poor dolly, splattering her like an insect, which sprays blood everywhere. He then swings the shovel over his shoulder in an ode to Ash’s iconic, cocky stance. Later in the episode, we see the original Axe that Ash used to dismembered the possessed Ed inEvil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn. It hangs on the wall in his Airstream. As a Deadite breaks through the window and grabs his other sidekick, Kelly, by the throat, he throws the axe in a brave act of heroism, and it chops the demon’s hand off. Which is off course in homage to Ash losing his hand in Evil Dead 2.
6[3] Michigan State Alma Mater
ThoughAsh Vs. Evil Deadis being shot in New Zealand, the story is set in Michigan. Perhaps it’s been a while since you last saw the originalEvil Dead. But in that movie, we learn that Ashley Williams actually went to college at Michigan State University. He arrives at the lost cabin in the woods with four other alumni. Did he graduate? We’re not sure, but perhaps that will come up further along in the series. In the first episode, we see that he still cares about his Alma Mater. If you look closely, you’ll see a Michigan State shirt in Ash’s Airstream. And when he opens the foot locker, where he keeps the Book of the Dead hidden behind old 8 tracks and copys of Club Broad magazine, there is a Michigan State baseball cap. The Fish Market in Erie, Michigan also gets a shout out in the form of a T-shirt hanging outside of Ash’s neighbor’s house. And police detective Amanda Fisher goes to grab a quick bite outside of Blue Lake Diner, another fine establishment in the real area of Michigan. DirectorSam Raimieven attended Michigan State before dropping out to make the originalEvil Dead.
5[4] The Cabin in the Woods
The first two Evil Dead movies take place in a secludedcabin in the woods. And the third film took place during medieval times.Ash Vs. Evil Deadis the first time that we really get to see Ash interact with the outside, modern world. But the idea and concept of the Cabin has not been abandoned. In fact, it is represented twice. Once during the opening act, when Ashley visits the local Woodsman bar. The establishment is very reminiscent of the original cabin, and serves as a visual representation. And if you look closely in the background, you will see the axe iconography all throughout the layout of this set. And then, in the bathroom, there is a very cool saw blade lamp. The very next location we see in the show is the home of Ash’s former lover. It has been leveled by Deadite activity. Police detective Amanda Fisher arrives to investigate, though we’re not sure why. Before they enter the house, we getSam Raimi’s iconic tracking shot through the woods, which is seen in all four of the previous movies. And it enters this house much like it enters the cabin in the woods. Once inside, if you look closely, you’ll see a lot of original props from the cabin itself, including the rocking chair that Ash sits in to guard the door, and a lot of the antlers hanging on the wall. Between the Woodsman Tavern and this nondescript house, its almost as if we haven’t left the cabin at all.
Here’s a quick blink and you’ll miss it Easter Egg that is more subliminal than anything else. After having been attacked by aDeadite, Fisher’s partner becomes possessed. He goes to attack Amanda, but she is quick on the draw, and blows his brains out. Its a spectacular explosion of bright red blood. Slow it down frame by frame, and you’ll see that the CGI viscera actually forms the shape of the face seen on the cover of the Book of the Dead. Otherwise known as the Necronomicon. Interesting tidbit. While the remake takes place in the same universe asAsh Vs. Evil Dead, it had a decidedly different look. The new Starz series brings back the original book, and its incantations. The book plays such a key role in the series, though, pointing that out shouldn’t really be considered an Easter Egg.
3[6] The Yellow Shirt Antler Kill
As we pointed out, the house that Fisher and her partner enter in the second act of the pilot has a very similar decor as the cabin in the woods. But that’s not all. Fisher’s partner is wearing the exact same yellow shirt as Annie in Evil Dead 2. Even creepier. If you look at some of the press photos, she is seen in that shirt standing underneath the same Antlers that Fisher’s partner is thrown into, thus killing him. And, he is thrown in the exact same manner as Annie is, when she is confronted by the possessed Ash inDead by Dawn. The home investigation is a nice little homage to that second sequel. And it’s as though Sam Raimi is purposely revisiting both movies with the first two acts of his pilot. The Woodsman Tavern represents Evil Dead 1. And the home in the middle of nowhere is the visual representation of Dead by Dawn. Pretty neat, right?
2[7] The Three Stooges
Sam Raimiis a huge fan of The Three Stooges. And has paid homage to them in his previousEvil Dead movies. In the past, he has pulled scenes directly from the old black and white shorts, giving them a horror twist. He does that again here, with one of the pilot’s best moments. As we mentioned earlier, Ash is possessed by a demonic doll named Lil Lori. The horrifying thing attacks Ashley’s face, biting his nose. To get her off, in a direct ode to The Three Stooges, he slams his face with several flower pots over and over again. It’s a brilliant bit of physical comedy from starBruce Campbell, and recalls some of the funnier ‘splatstick’ schtick from the second movie. This single scene certainly makes this all feel like an honest to god follow-up to what has come before it.
1[8] End Credits Song
What is that catchy end credits song? It sounds like something from a 70s kids show. Rock enthusiasts from that era will know it well. It is The Amboy Dukes ‘Journey to the Center of the Mind’. And it’s also the name of a famous TV trope that is often used. A relative to the “Fantastic Voyage” Plot, this trope happens when, instead of traveling into another character’s physical body via Applied Phlebotinum, they enter their mind. The problem this is supposed to solve can range from recurring nightmares to memory loss to psychological disorders, and even the odd Convenient Coma. Sometimes psychological aspects of the character can manifested as physical beings, as seen in the show Herman’s Head. Since it lays bare all the innermost thoughts and feelings of a character, it can be used as an extreme case of the Big Ego, Hidden Depths or In Another Man’s Shoes. IsSam Raimiusing this song to hint that everything we’re watching is actually taking place in Ash’s mind? Is this a dream he’s having after he took that sleeping potion in the alternate ending ofArmy Of Darkness? What exactly are we supposed to take from this? Its a clever way to end the show, and has a lot of students of TV and subliminal idealism asking big, deep questions. It certainly answers the question about those two alternateArmy Of Darknessendings in a clever way. Perhaps,Sam Raimijust thought it was a catchy way to end the episode. But we all know he’s smarter than that
Raimi directed the first episode ofAsh Vs. Evil Deadthat he wrote with Ivan Raimi (Darkman, Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell), and Tom Specially (“Chuck,” “Reaper,” “Desperate Housewives”). Raimi also serves as executive producer, with Rob Tapert (Evil Dead, “Spartacus,” Xena: Warrior Princess") and Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) along with Craig DiGregorio (“Workaholics,” “Chuck”) who serves as executive producer/showrunner. Ivan Raimi serves as co-executive producer and Aaron Lam (“Spartacus”) and Chloe Smith (“Spartacus”) serve as producers. Take a look at the first four minutes ofAsh Vs. Evil Deadbelow.
