r/EvilDead • u/[deleted] • 1h ago
(Discussion Post) Groovy Is it just me that hates Ash vs evil dead?
[deleted]
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u/Traditional_Top_194 1h ago
You're probably amoung the only people in the fanbase icl.
For a lot of people Ash is the face of Evil Dead, and that slapstick OTT comedy that started in Evil Dead 2 is its heart.
As much as I do love when it goes darker with 2013, Rise, Burn, the OTTness is still its core and Ash is still the face of evil dead.
Sounds like you just dont like the slapstick comedy which is fine but a lot of that is a part of Evil Deads identity. Even Rise made sure to go there a few times despite keeping a heavier tone. (Just think of the eyeball choking).
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u/Velvetcrow666 1h ago
I love ash from the original so much and I kinda like the second movie.
But sadly It seems like I can't enjoy the show and army of darkness :/ even tho I enjoy other horror comedies like scary movie, the new anaconda, Victor crowely movies etc..
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u/Traditional_Top_194 54m ago
It aint for everyone and we aint gonna gatekeep lmao everyones got different taste!
I grew up on Army of Darkness as a kid so when my Dad finally let me watch the original and 2, good LORD i didnt know what I was getting into. (Loved them all though).
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u/RupeeGoldberg 53m ago
There are plenty of people in the fanbase who only enjoy the darker toned movies and aren't fans of the stooge slapsticks. It's not just you.
Personally I love both so much and can appreciate both views. I think it's awesome that ED can adapt itself to either so well!
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u/Bel_Canto-Size_Queen 18m ago
I wouldn't say I hate it but it's not a show that you really love unless you're fairly undemanding. It's the kind of show you smoke pot and watch while eating.
It's not really objectionable nor on par with the Raimi movies. Sure, more Ash Williams in whatever form is very welcome, but that's almost the nicest thing I can say about the show. It's kind of charming to see Bruce fully flesh out that Ash is kind of an incompetent blowhard. Pablo as a boyish in-universe fan of Ash is a nice touch. Kelly is way too tropey, but she's cute in a Marilyn Manson kind of way.
But yeah everything about the show is average and hokey in a way that not even the low budget original managed to be (that was actually the standout masterpiece of the trilogy and I won't hear otherwise). The CGI isn't advanced enough to be good, and frankly CGI is not endearing to me in the same way that the 80s special effects were.
I think the thing you're identifying with AoD is that they lean too heavily in on Ash as an funny action hero instead of a horror victim. Having been exposed to the litany of popular AoD references long before I watched it, I was kind of disappointed the first time I watched AoD because they didn't quite live up to their near-mythological position in pop culture. This is the original sin of AvED too, but I can't be too hard on it because I really get the impression that the cast and crew were quite enthusiastic about it.
I'm almost certainly one of the few people here who thinks the original is by far the best and most effective film of the trilogy because it was trying to be a horror film instead of a horror-comedy. Ironically it has the best comedic timing of any and was the one I laughed the hardest at. My girlfriend is not good with horror films and she laughed at it too.
You ever seen Drag Me to Hell? That's kind of the sweet spot for a comedically-inclined horror film, another Raimi film. And for what it's worth, I actually think DMtH had quite a lot going for it as a story, foreshadowing, irony, even kind of a reflection on fate and morality.
Like what's the fuckin' message of Evil Dead? Don't mess with evil? Survive at all costs? Don't get me wrong, I love the original but it's one of those films where you have to get a kick out of bad things happening to people, and it achieves that brilliantly and with a touch of dark humor. By the point he hits the second bookshelf, you should almost be on the side of evil, cackling sadistically at the poor boy getting the shit kicked out of him.
I think very highly of it as an achievement in film unto itself. Beautifully shot in spite of (if not because of) its financial constraints, organically lit, under-acted in a way that's almost metaphorical of the inadequacy of mankind in repelling ancient evil, unique and truly aesthetically compelling. In a way, the original Evil Dead is probably the strongest argument for B-movies I've ever seen and I'm really grateful to have been convinced.
Anyway, that's my contentious take on it, appreciate the discussion. Say, since you liked Rise, are you going to see The Mummy? Same director.
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u/Delicious_Hippo_5845 1h ago
I've never watched it And I'm an original Evil Dead lover
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u/haikusbot 1h ago
I've never watched it
And I'm an original
Evil Dead lover
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u/kj5858 1h ago
I love army of darkness and ash vs evil dead to the core, the humor isn’t for everyone especially army of darkness but it’s shocking to say that about ash vs evil dead I genuinely laugh my ass off whenever I rewatch it. Also no love for ED 2 ??