Right, so first things first: This isn't a total ripoff from Ash vs Evil Dead.
It really seems that way with the name being so similar, and then you go on to read the summary where it says it's about a reluctant aging hero fighting off infernal foes. But the similarities kind of end right there. Now, there isn't to say that there are no similarities with the Evil Dead franchise. The one-liners are there, the make up effects, the camera angles borrowed directly from Raimi's bag of tricks. But, watching the show, this all feels a lot more like homages and references to the Evil Dead (and other horror classics) than a blatant ripoff. As the pilot progresses, we come to see that the story does have it's own thing going on. And Sheriff Miller himself is pretty different from Ash. He's way less immoral and bohemian, and way smarter. He's kind of a retired badass. Now that I think of it, he shares way more similarities with Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley's character in Scrubs) than to Ash.
But that's enough about the show's relation to AVED. Let's move on.
First off, the acting in this one is top notch, specially for a (apparently) low-budget show. John McGinley delivers a spot on interpretation as Sheriff Stan Miller (but then again, the character does fall directly into his playhouse). Deborah Baker and Nate Mooney also give very endearing and funny performances during their quick, yet very entertaining screen time.
The comedy part of the show is great. It didn't have me rolling of laughter or anything, but the writing and jokes are pretty witty and with excellent timing. And the horror part of the show is surprisingly strong too. The second episode has one very interesting scene that I won't spoil. The creepy scenes are full of atmosphere, and the excellent (and quite unique) soundtrack only adds to the mood.
I do have two complaints about the show though: First, 20 minutes per episode is quite short for this kind of show, and because of that, the first episode had some pacing issues. Sometime a lot of stuff happened in a short period of time, and some of the plot elements didn't really had enough time to establish themselves in a satisfying and "believeble" way. The second episode does have way better pacing though. The second complaint I have is about the action sequences. I think the big baddies of each episode deserved a way more climatic and intense battle before they were dispatched, to give the show more intensity, but that really wasn't the case. Well, I hope the coming episodes features more hard hitting battles.
All in all, this show is a delight for horror fans. It's funny, it's creepy. And if you're an Evil Dead fan like I am, I think you will enjoy the references and the similar tone like I did.
It really seems that way with the name being so similar, and then you go on to read the summary where it says it's about a reluctant aging hero fighting off infernal foes. But the similarities kind of end right there. Now, there isn't to say that there are no similarities with the Evil Dead franchise. The one-liners are there, the make up effects, the camera angles borrowed directly from Raimi's bag of tricks. But, watching the show, this all feels a lot more like homages and references to the Evil Dead (and other horror classics) than a blatant ripoff. As the pilot progresses, we come to see that the story does have it's own thing going on. And Sheriff Miller himself is pretty different from Ash. He's way less immoral and bohemian, and way smarter. He's kind of a retired badass. Now that I think of it, he shares way more similarities with Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley's character in Scrubs) than to Ash.
But that's enough about the show's relation to AVED. Let's move on.
First off, the acting in this one is top notch, specially for a (apparently) low-budget show. John McGinley delivers a spot on interpretation as Sheriff Stan Miller (but then again, the character does fall directly into his playhouse). Deborah Baker and Nate Mooney also give very endearing and funny performances during their quick, yet very entertaining screen time.
The comedy part of the show is great. It didn't have me rolling of laughter or anything, but the writing and jokes are pretty witty and with excellent timing. And the horror part of the show is surprisingly strong too. The second episode has one very interesting scene that I won't spoil. The creepy scenes are full of atmosphere, and the excellent (and quite unique) soundtrack only adds to the mood.
I do have two complaints about the show though: First, 20 minutes per episode is quite short for this kind of show, and because of that, the first episode had some pacing issues. Sometime a lot of stuff happened in a short period of time, and some of the plot elements didn't really had enough time to establish themselves in a satisfying and "believeble" way. The second episode does have way better pacing though. The second complaint I have is about the action sequences. I think the big baddies of each episode deserved a way more climatic and intense battle before they were dispatched, to give the show more intensity, but that really wasn't the case. Well, I hope the coming episodes features more hard hitting battles.
All in all, this show is a delight for horror fans. It's funny, it's creepy. And if you're an Evil Dead fan like I am, I think you will enjoy the references and the similar tone like I did.