‘Ash Vs. Evil Dead’ Star Bruce Campbell Responds: ‘How Much Blood Is There Going To Be?’
Another much-anticipated new series for horror fans is Ash vs Evil Dead, and while many fans of the Evil Dead film series are eager to see what Bruce Campbell and company are offering, diehard fans of the franchise are concerned that a television series won’t live up to their expectations.
As Starz reinvents the Evil Dead franchise with Ash vs Evil Dead, Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash Williams, an aging stock boy, gigolo, and monster hunter. A Deadite plague forces Ash to come out of retirement and prove himself all over again.
“It would be silly of us to rip the fans off by doing a watered-down version of the series,” Campbell said of Ash vs Evil Dead. “If this came out as a movie, it would be unrated. … The beauty of working with Starz is we have no content restriction whatsoever.”
In fact, Campbell reveals that a lack of content restrictions was a prime requirement, when the Ash vs Evil Dead team began searching for a distributor.
“It was very important we found a network that was willing to go to the limit and really let us go anywhere we wanted with the humor, outrageous horror [and] crazy amounts of gore, which is one of the hallmarks of the Evil Dead films,” added executive producer Sam Raimi.
“How much blood is there going to be?” was the most common question fans asked of Ash vs Evil Dead.
“I went blind the other day shooting a scene. That’s how much blood there is on the show,” Bruce Campbell revealed in response to the all-too-often asked question. “I’ve been gagged once and I went blind.”
Ash vs Evil Dead finds a balance of horror and humor, which has been particularly challenging for a half-hour series. Still, Raimi proudly points out that Ash vs Evil Dead is unlike any other horror-themed show currently available.
“Most zombie films or TV shows have to do with the monsters being the stars. We have a show that stars a monster fighter, a hero, one of us. We can identify with him.”
Ash vs Evil Dead also reunites Bruce Campbell with Xena star Lucy Lawless, and although the two may be friends behind the scenes, the same won’t be true for their Ash vs Evil Dead characters.
“She’s a bad b—h and she’s stalking Ash Williams,” Lawless said. “She’s got a big chip on her shoulder and a hot obsession.”
Bruce Campbell seems to have some very definite plans for using Ash vs Evil Dead as a kind of a spring board. It seems Campbell is as eager for more Evil Dead as the fans.
“This season will force us to make more movies,” Campbell said. “No matter what we say to them or what we give them, it will never be enough, and we’re very grateful for that.”
Ash vs Evil Dead will premiere Saturday, October 31 on Starz.
[Featured image courtesy of Starz/Ash vs Evil Dead]
