Last Sunday night, Ash Vs. Evil Dead aired its series finale, to the mixed reactions of fans and critics. A few weeks prior, reports got out that Starz did not renew the horror comedy show for a fourth season. Bruce Campbell later announced that he will finally be retiring the character of Ash Williams; a role he has played for close to 40 years. The role that rocketed him to cult fame.
Although it’s sad to see Ash go, as well as his companions Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo), we can still look fondly back on the series, remembering the moments that made us gag or laugh out loud. These particular scenes stand out in my mind because of their incredible use of practical effects or simply because they had me in stitches. If you haven’t watched all three seasons yet, there might be a few spoilers below.
Ash reads the Necronomicon while stoned (Season 1 Episode 1)
It’s been 30 years since the events of Army of Darkness. Evil is banished and Ash has returned to a relatively normal life working in a department store. He’s put on a few pounds and is still missing his right hand, yet he’s still convinced that he’s irresistible to women. One night, while smoking reefer in his trailer, Ash tries to impress a girl half his age by reading “poetry” out of the Necronomicon. After the hazy one-night stand, Ash has completely forgotten about the incident until he meets a woman at the bar who briefly turns into a deadite. Only then does he remember unintentionally summoning evil, thus kick-starting the whole series. I love how the only reason evil comes back into the world is because Ash got too stoned for his own good.
Ash visits the morgue (Season 2 Episode 2)
After its revealed that the Necronomicon has been safely hidden inside of a corpse, Ash goes to retrieve it from the local morgue. But upon arriving, Ash discovers that the corpse has been possessed by evil. Instead of the whole body coming back to life however, only its intestines have become sentient. Ash tries to fight off the tentacle-like intestines, but they manage to wrap around him and drag his head into the anus of the flatulent corpse. Very few will likely have the stomach to watch this scene in its entirety. Even the sound effects are sickening. I’m surprised they were even allowed to air it on television.
Kelly Vs. the Ashy-Slashy Puppet (Season 2 Episode 8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss6x9Nc_VDM
Ash is being held in an abandoned insane asylum, so it’s up to his friends to go save him. While searching the rooms, Kelly comes across a hand puppet version of Ash, with button eyes and a small chainsaw. In the previous episode, we saw Ash talking with the puppet in a schizophrenic delusion. At first, Kelly thinks that the puppet “adorable,” until it comes alive and bites her in the leg. Fans were ecstatic when they were able to buy the prop replica of the Ashy-Slashy puppet, but maybe you might want to keep it in its box, just to be on the safe side.
Ash visits the sperm bank (Season 3 Episode 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3f_FxzXJsM
It would be difficult to top the morgue scene from Season 2, but this scene comes close. Ash is investigating whether someone had used his semen for evil, so he pays a visit to the local sperm bank and decides to make a deposit while he’s there. He goes into a secluded room to rub one out, bringing a pile of porno mags with him. However, evil seems to follow Ash no matter where he goes. Midway through his session, the centerfold model comes to life. Her hand reaches beyond the magazine page and chokes Ash. He manages to fight off the magazine, only to be attacked by the sperm bank employee, armed with vials of Ash’s own seed. The whole situation gets very sticky very fast, with “Take Me On” playing throughout.
Ash Vs. his evil son (Season 3 Episode 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=733pOVf-yrM
In Season 3, it’s revealed that Ash is a father, not only to a teenage girl, but also to a son, who was bred by the evil Ruby (Lucy Lawless) to take over the world. Ash is forced to fight his own infant spawn, but the little guy has a few tricks up his sleeve. He crawls into the body of headless backpacker, taking control of the body. It’s very strange to see a baby head poking out the neck of a large Norwegian woman, though things get weirder when the body stands on its hands and the giggling baby pokes his head through the lower orifice. To quote Ash, “that is so wrong, in so many ways.”
What’s your favorite scene from Ash Vs. Evil Dead? Let us know in the comments below
