Tag Archives: Evil Dead

Review, Zombies

Ash vs Evil Dead – Season 1

Leave a comment

GROOVY!

Ash Williams is BACK in “Ash vs Evil Dead“!

What could be better than hearing that Bruce Campbell has resumed his mantle as the lovable horror-comedy shotgun-wielding, chainsaw-hand rube ASH???  Well, at least for fans of the original three films … (ED1, ED2, AOD)

“If Chins Could Kill” that chin would belong to none other than Bruce Campbell.  Presently, I’m little more than half-way through Season 01.  I’ve heard nothing but good things from other fans, and I quickly came to the same opinion.

Yeah, remember that creepy cabin?

Ash vs Evil Dead is staying true to the original films.  The story resumes 30 years later and Ash is … well, Ash.  He’s working at a chain store, living in a trailer park, looking for love, and not aspiring to much.  But then … after fighting The Evil Dead twice in a woodsy cabin and once with the aid of medieval knights, perhaps he’s laying low … or perhaps he’s lost his purpose?

Nonetheless, The Kandarian Demon has reemerged in Ash’s later-life, possessing hapless people and turning them into Deadites.  Ash has no choice but to gather those around him in hopes of keeping Evil from crossing over into this world.

Ray Santiago as Pablo and Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly

This new series in my opinion could not be better executed.  It lends honorable nods to the original films.  It not only strikes me as what the Sam Raimi team originally set out to accomplish, it also serves as an amped-up progression.

Ash vs Evil Dead is on the Starz network and filmed in New Zealand. Bruce is aptly joined by Ray Santiago/Pablo, Dana DeLorenzo/Kelly, and Lucy Lawless as Ruby Knowby.
(PSST!  For no apparent reason Wikipedia seems to downplay Jill Marie Jones who portrays Amanda Fisher during the first half of the season.)

Jill Marie Jones, Amanda Fisher
Jill Marie Jones as Amanda Fisher

Bruce Campbell – Official website

The music featured in Ash vs Evil Dead is also FANTASTIC!
The soundtrack is on my wish-list 🙂

Movie, Review, Zombies

The Vanguard (2008)

Leave a comment

Yellow Puss

I’m not sure if this is a Z-film.  Mashing together a few online summations of this film (mostly from IMDB) consists of … Zombie

The year is 2015.  Overpopulation and famine have plunged our planet into chaos.  One desperate survivor — an enigmatic man — journeys through this apocalyptic world hunted and pursued by hordes of rage-crazed zombies.

Frankly, that sounds like a pretty cool film — not to mention that we’ve seemed to survive that 2015 issue — but my perception was …. different. Zombie

In some respects The Vanguard seems to be a psychological abstract art-house film with black comedy bits — not to mention the presence of humans who have been medicated by some controlling corporation which turns them into mindless wondering killers, which strikes me as a possible different approach to ZOMBIES.

Mind you, the zombies are on the peripheral to the story and they look like they were created using left-over make-up from either of the Evil Dead films.  And what the heck the story of the film has to do with its cool name …. I haven’t a clue! Zombie

Frankly, this looks like another DIY flick.  Looking at IMDB …. it’s written and directed by Matthew Hope,  it’s classified as a low budget film … it appears to have been acted using friends and volunteers, and possibly assembled on a used iMac — but this was well done.  I liked it and I’m happy having seen it only once.

Links

Movie, Review, Zombies

Beast Within (AKA Virus Undead) (2008)

Leave a comment

Beast Within is rated Green Ooze and is one of BagpiperDon’s Favourite Zombie Movies.

This film should be watched at very least because it’s directed by two people with the names Wolf Wolff and Ohmuthi.

From what I can tell it’s a German Z-film made for American audiences.  It looks & feels a bit like 28 Days Later where an alternate version of the avian flu transmits a zombie virus.  Add to the mix Alfred Hitchcock‘s classic “The Birds” — and don’t forget the college slasher film element, which of course means we also see Z-film breasts — but I gotta hand it to Wolf Wolff and Ohmuthi, what is displayed isn’t gratuitous as with most Z-films.  The display of gratuitous Z-film breasts is tastefully done, but don’t watch this with your kids or your parents … or my parents.

Oh, and how about this — NO JOURNEY — even though the main charactres are at the epicenter, they feel that where they’re at is the best place to be.  Also, I gotta like the zombie cop who still eats doughnuts even though he’s undead, and I dig the recording of the grandfather’s voice that reminds me of The Evil Dead I & II.  The birds in “The Birds” were better than the digital birds appeared often enough in this film … which is saying something because I’ve never seen all of “The Birds“.

Beast Within AKA Virus Undead – IMDB and Wikipedia