For fans of Sam Raimi’s cult-hit Evil Dead franchise, the thought of Bruce Campbell laying waste to hordes of maniacal Deadites is a glorious sight. The grisly battles – which always result in veritable tsunamis of blood - have been the cornerstones of the horror franchise ever since Raimi’s perseverance succeeded in getting The Evil Dead off the ground in 1981. Two film sequels on and fans were desperate for a fourth installment, which arrived last year as a TV series.
While Ash vs Evil Dead isn’t every dedicated Evil Dead fan’s dream come true, the Starz series has been a resounding success to date. The medium of television seems to suit the concepts that made The Evil Dead famous in the first place, leaving the world of Ash and his ongoing battle against the Necronomicon much breathing room. Both story construction and a more in depth exploration of Ash literally facing all hell breaking loose benefit from weekly installments.
With season two of Ash vs Evil Dead having just kicked off, Starz has taken the opportunity to announce that after this season finishes, Ash and his stalwart crew of Deadite slayers will indeed be back for season 3. Deadline is reporting the news, revealing that Ash vs Evil Dead season 3 will debut sometime around next autumn, with 10 episodes. The reveal comes just after Bruce Campbell stated that he would like to do five seasons of the popular horror/comedy series.
If the viewer numbers are anything to go on, Ash vs Evil Dead’s fanbase has grown since the series premiered last October. The first episode of season two brought in 14% more viewers than last year’s season one premiere; and amongst adults in the 18-49 demographic, the first episode of season 2 enjoyed a 63% increase in viewership over season one’s series opener. The Ash vs Evil Dead crew recently appeared at New York Comic-Con, much to the delight of fans, where Bruce Campbell was in jovial spirits, teasing a third season as well as an Ash vs Evil Dead video game and handing out $10 bills to anyone who asked a question that he felt was worthy of compensation.
The potential for growth with Ash vs Evil Dead seems sizeable at the moment - and the downright glee that its carnage-filled episodes induces amongst new and longtime Evil Dead fans alike is a definite recipe for success. Sam Raimi doesn’t have any plans as of this writing to bring the franchise back to the big screen, which while disappointing for some of the more hard-core Evil Dead fanbase, could also be seen as a positive. After all, with at least a sizeable portion of his most rabid fanbase being sated by Ash vs Evil Dead, maybe he’ll now be able to move on to building something else. (A Drag Me to Hell franchise? One can only hope.)
For now, fans will likely enjoy what’s in store with season 2 of Ash vs Evil Dead. What’s more, knowing that there is already a third season on the horizon makes for an exciting future – one in which Ash’s battle against the greatest evils known to man will arguably grow in scale and ghoulish, blood spattered fun.
Ash vs Evil Dead season 2 airs Sundays at 8pm on Starz.
Source: Deadline
