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Ash Slices His Way Through Deadites in “Ash Vs. Evil Dead Season 2”

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Written by Shannon McGrew

Following “Ash vs. Evil Dead”‘s hugely successful debut on the Starz Channel last year, audiences have received the gift that keeps on giving in the form of Bruce Campbell’s portrayal of the much older, but just as amazing, Ash Williams. This past week, in preparation for the Blu-ray/DVD release, I had the chance to binge watch the second season in its entirety, and though I didn’t like it as much as the first season, it still lived up to the high standards of what I expected.

“Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 2” kicks off with Ash (Bruce Campbell), Pablo (Ray Santiago), and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) living their lives in Jacksonville, FL. However, since evil is never far from Ash, it once again rears its ugly head forcing Ash and the gang to leave FL and return to his hometown, Elk Grove. Once there, they are confronted by Ruby (Lucy Lawless), who informs them that the evil is also stalking her and she needs their help. Against their better judgment, the gang forms an unlikely alliance with Ruby in hopes of destroying the evil that has befallen them before it destroys Elk Grove.

The show wouldn’t be what it is without the incredible chemistry between all the actors. Bruce Campbell once again shows no signs of slowing down in terms of his witty one-liners and undeniable charm. This season there was more of a focus on Ray Santiago’s character which I really enjoyed. Though Pablo will always be Ash’s sidekick, the fact that they gave him an intriguing storyline that included the Necronomicon was quite entertaining. As for Dana DeLorenzo, that woman can do no wrong in my book. She is a force to be reckoned with who has located her true calling in kicking ass and taking names. Lucy Lawless one again proved her worth as Ruby, though I felt her storyline wasn’t as strong.

(L-R) Dana DeLorenzo and Ray Santiago star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment ASH VS. EVIL DEAD

 

One of the aspects that I loved so much about the first season was the designs of the deadites as well as the creatures released from the Necronomicon. This season there wasn’t as much creature design which I really missed. The main focus was on the deadites, which were just as amazing as they have always been, as well as Ruby’s “children”. I did enjoy how these monstrosities were designed and how they interacted with those they confronted, but I really felt like something was missing in the overall design of the creatures. We were also introduced to the incredibly powerful demon Baal, played by Joel Tobeck, who made it his personal goal to do whatever he could to try and destroy Ash and retrieve the Necronomicon. In regards to the gore level in this show, gore-hounds will be pleased as punch to learn that there are some spectacular death scenes. One thing this show is not in need of is more carnage and destruction, it has that in spades, and quite honestly, it’s one of the best parts of this series.

(L-R) Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment’s ASH VS. EVIL DEAD

I did enjoy that we got to go to Elk Grove and see what Ash’s hometown was like 30 years later. This was made especially intriguing by the introduction of Ash’s father, played by veteran actor Lee Majors. Their interaction was a combination of humor, hatred, and comeuppances, that made for some quality television viewing. It became quite apparent very quickly as to why Ash has the personality that he does due to the type of person his father is. Having to go back to Elk Grove forced Ash to confront his past and those who believe that he was the true killer – and many, many people believe Ash (or as they call him, Ashy Slashy), is the one responsible for all the murders years ago in that fateful cabin. With Ash going home, the viewer gets to see some fantastic cameos, most notably by Ted Raimi and Ellen Sandweiss who played the original Cheryl in The Evil Dead film.

Overall, “Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 2” still comes out on top and is easily one of the best television shows I’ve seen in years. Though I may not have been as blown away as I was with the first season, I still think this one has some incredibly amazing moments and reveals. Going back and learning about Ash’s life and seeing his hometown really gave viewers a better understanding of why Ash is who he is. The writers also did an impressive job of bringing the show’s story full circle with the return of the infamous cabin in the woods. As for those wondering if there will be a season 3, have no fear, as the third season has been filmed! With that said, there will be so much more to come and many more deadites to be killed.

“Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 2” is now available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD from Lionsgate.

 

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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