Ash vs. Evil Dead The Complete Third Season Blu Ray Review (Lionsgate)

Ash vs Evil Dead is a horror comedy television series produced by Sam Raimi (Evil Dead Trilogy, Spider-Man Trilogy, Darkman, A Simple Plan, & Drag Me To Hell), Robert Tapert (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, American Gothic, & Spartacus), & star Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead trilogy, Burn Notice, Bubba Ho-Tep, Jack of All Trades, & The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.). It follows Ash Williams many years after the original Evil Dead trilogy (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, & Army of Darkness). It was originally going to be the 4th film in the franchise but it was easier to get it funded as a TV show. It was produced for & aired on Starz during it’s 30 episode run. The third & final season was directed by Mark Beesley (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, Power Rangers Mystic Force, & Legend of the Seeker), Andres Meza-Valdes (No Seasons, Boniato, & Haunt Ed), Diego Meza-Valdes (Stripper Wars, Play Dead, & The Babysitters), Daniel Nettheim (Last Man Standing, Doctor Who, & The Hunter), Regan Hall (3 Hours & Fast Girls), & Rick Jacobson (Bitch Slap, Baywatch, The Unborn II, & Bloodfist 6/8).

Ash Williams (played by: Bruce Campbell from Maniac Cop 1/2, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, The Hudsucker Proxy, & Escape from L.A.) is finally celebrated as a hero in Elk Grove. After defeating all the evil around, he decides to open a hardware store. It doesn’t last for long & he discovers a life changing secret when he meets Brandy Barr (played by: Arielle Carver-O’Neill from Suburbs & Worst Year of My Life, Again!). Ruby Knowby (played by: Lucy Lawless from Xena: Warrior Princess, Spartacus, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, & EuroTrip) disguises herself & tries to get close to Brandy to use it against Ash. Kelly Maxwell (played by: Dana DeLorenzo from A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, Impress Me, & The Mad Ones) returns with a new friend who is leading the search for The One to defeat The Dark One. Pablo Bolivar (played by: Ray Santiago from Meet the Fockers, The Sasquatch Gang, Raising Hope, & Suburban Gothic) & Dalton (played by: Lindsay Farris from Home and Away, Gods of Egypt, & The Code) are already off to a rough start. Neither one trust each other so it causes some problems between the group. Brock Williams (played by: Lee Majors from The Six Million Dollar Man, The Fall Guy, Killer Fish, & Tour of Duty) tries to warn them about an otherworldly hurricane brewing. More Knights of Sumeria agents come to join them to defeat evil. The situation gets more chaotic as when others join the excitement! Can Ash & his crew survive one last battle with the Evil Dead to save the world again????

Ash vs Evil Dead was a true gift all horror fans all over the world. One of the most iconic characters in the genre made his return & he was on TV every week! It has been a long time after Army of Darkness before this started. His cameo in the Evil Dead remake resurrected all hope & got everyone excited to see their favorite chainsaw swinging anti hero back. Ash vs Evil Dead honestly had a great run on TV & the fact it lasted for 3 seasons tells you how much support it had. These days television shows get cancelled after a few episodes fail to find an audience quick. This show was never censored & it always had all of it’s creative choices displayed for everyone to witness. Since it had so much freedom, it got better & crazier with each season! It didn’t hold back & delivered all the goods that you would expect from the Evil Dead franchise. It introduced a younger & modern crowd into Ash’s chaotic world.  Season 3 was everything I hoped for & more after viewing it. I wish it could have went on for a few more years because this wild & fun material had so much potential for further explanation. Bruce Campbell was born to play this role & no one will ever be able to replace him.

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Lionsgate! The bloody visuals on every 1080p (1.78:1) episode looks top notch here! It was great to see the Evil Dead universe expanded on television & it will be missed by so many horror fans all over the world. I loved the atmosphere & crazy settings here. It has 3 different audio options which include English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0, & French: Dolby Digital 5.1 on two blu ray dsics. The tracks provide an awesome extra boost with all the action & horror in this last season. Both picture & sound are very impressive on this release. They add to the already entertaining experience of Ash vs. Evil Dead. It also has English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles.

Let’s discuss the special features on these two blu ray discs. Audio Commentaries for “Family:” with director Mark Beesley, executive producer/actor Bruce Campbell, & actress Arielle Carver-O’Neill. “Booth Three:” with executive producer Bob Tapert, director Mark Beesley, & actress Lucy Lawless. “Apparently Dead:” with executive producer Bob Tapert, directors Diego Meza-Valdes, Andres Meza-Valdes, & actress Arielle Carver-O’Neill. “Unfinished Business:” with actors Arielle Carver-O’Neill, Dana Delorenzo, & Ray Santiago. “Baby Proof:” with executive producer Rick Jacobson, stunt coordinator Stuart Thorp, & actors Dana Delorenzo & Ray Santiago. These commentaries are all featured on disc 1 for this release. If you are into that type of extra then you are for a treat with this blu ray. It’s full of information, stories, & just them having fun with their experience on this show. Disc 2 has a decent amount of extras on it. Audio Commentaries for “Tales from the Rift:” with executive producer Bob Tapert, visual effects supervisor Tim Capper, & actors Dana Delorenzo, Lucy Lawless, & Ray Santiago. “Twist and Shout:” with director Mark Beesley, executive producer/Actor Bruce Campbell, & actresses Arielle Carver-O’Neill & Lucy Lawless. “Rifting Apart:” with executive producer Bob Tapert actors Arielle Carver-O’Neill, Dana Delorenzo, & Ray Santiago. “Judgement Day:” with executive producer/writer/director Rick Jacobson, executive Producer/actor Bruce Campbell, & actress Arielle Carver-O’Neill.

“The Mettle of Man:” with executive producer/writer/director Rick Jacobson, executive producer/actor Bruce Campbell, & actress Arielle Carver-O’Neill. It’s pretty cool that every episode gets covered here. It’s full of information, stories, & just them having fun with their experience on this show. It’s also great to hear Bruce Campbell involved in a few more tracks for this disc. As far as commentaries goes, he’s one of the best of all time! There’s never a dull moment with him & he always elevates the overall experience. “Season Overview” is almost 3 minutes & it covers the basics really quick for the viewer. You get updated on all the new additions including the characters added to this season. “Inside the World of Ash vs Evil Dead” has several short featurettes covering each episode for Season 3 which include “Inside Episode 301: Family” (2:02),” Inside Episode 302: Booth Three” (1:40), “Inside Episode 303: Apparently Dead” (1:55), “Inside Episode 304: Unfinished Business” (1:48), “Inside Episode 305: Baby Proof” (2:07), “Inside Episode 306: Tales from the Rift” (1:46), “Inside Episode 307: Twist and Shout” (1:42), “Inside Episode 308: Rifting Apart” (1:55), “Inside Episode 309: Judgement Day” (1:58), & “Inside Episode 310: The Mettle of Man” (1:36). They are quick recaps that go into details about the plot, characters, effects, & everything else that’s going on for the show with a brief view inside the Evil Dead world. Ash vs. Evil Dead was one of my favorite television shows of all time & I hate to see it go after only a few years but I am grateful for those few seasons because it was an awesome update on an iconic horror character. BEYOND recommended, the show may be dead but it can still live through home video so make sure you support this release & check it out!!!!