The Evolution Of Ash Williams

Immediately following the exploits of Evil Dead II’s conclusion, Ash Williams is transported to 1300 A.D., where new challenges await. Third, in a trilogy of Horror-themed classics, the forces of evil are unleashed once again to wreak havoc in a world where Ash is the chosen one – unwittingly tasked with surviving their clutches.

But this isn’t where it all started. Campbell first portrayed the character in ‘The Evil Dead’, a low budget gore-fest directed by Sam Raimi, released in 1981 to critical and box office success. The name for the character was a reference to his ultimate demise, or at least what Raimi thought might become of him. In ‘The Evil Dead Companion’ book by author and film historian Bill Warren, Raimi suggests, about our hero’s originally intended fate, “that’s all that was going to be left of him in the end”. But the character’s fate was not to be, with offers knocking at the door for another instalment and a visionary director who found a way to bring him back once again. In the original, Ash is a loving and caring boyfriend, helpful pal and innocent bystander. His actions here are out of necessity and usually only successful out of luck.

His transition into the more assertive survivor came in ‘Evil Dead II’ (originally marketed with the sub-title, Dead By Dawn). Here, Ash is more developed (on paper and on-screen), often resourceful at the best of times – but never so much that he seems like a MacGyver of solutions. If anything, he’s in the right place at the right time and in one of the best cliff-hangers ever, survived by the once again enormous box office takings and adoring public. This brings us to number 3.

In ‘Army Of Darkness', Ash embodies the tortured soul of a man who’s been to hell and back. Keep in mind I’m distinguishing him in the context of the genre, which by this stage added more comedy to the horror. With sarcasm and ego still intact, the character is now an unlikely hero with a bold and charismatic approach to danger – even if he doesn’t know what he’s doing half the time. But that self-doubt is endearing, making him just as loveable as intimidating and these traits are what make him the quintessential version of Ashley J Williams. This made the fans ravenous for more – but it would be sometime before anything in this format would be attempted again.

Where we go next is a path many modern-day pop-culture icons travel. For in 1992, Dark Horse Comics released an adaptation of ‘Army of Darkness’ using the same title (my copy sits safely in a long box by my desk). In this three-issue run, Raimi’s original script was used to re-tell the tale in ink, keeping the same ending. John Bolton, best known for his photorealistic illustrations, handled both writing and inking, resulting in a perfect transition for the character into the comic book world. The book did moderately well (better in later years), Bolton continued dedicating his skills to the horror genre and Ash’s traits were undamaged from the change to this new medium.

The venture into comics took a long hiatus but eventually returned to resume the story in 2004 with ‘Army of Darkness: Ashes To Ashes’, extending the universe by changing the setting and re-introducing the time travelling mechanic from its predecessor to great lengths. The four-issue release stayed faithful to the lore and its main protagonist, often taking time to explore more of Ash’s history. A year later they picked up right where the previous one left off with ‘Army of Darkness: Shop Till You Drop Dead’. Only this time, the writers were more interested in the fantastic journey than the growth of Ash, evident from the complex nature of the stories time travelling scenarios and the more cartoonish style adopted for this iteration.

From here on in, the most noteworthy additions from the comics were the countless crossovers, adding to Ash’s machismo and crusader-type qualities. What’s amazing is how consistent most publishers were with continuing the arc, rarely deviating from what they were following and always trying new things. If there’s one run that really caught the attention of horror aficionados around the world, it was the ‘Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash’ series. Based on an unused script for a possible movie, these comics started a never-ending campaign for a film version. And although that story would remain confined to the pages of those books, the creators found other avenues to expand their universe and keep their franchise alive.

And so we find our favourite chainsaw-wielding hero trading blows in the digital realm. With the announcement of ‘Hail To The King’ in 2000, Ash was finally immortalised in gaming via PC and console ports. The plot ignores the comic canon, choosing instead to follow the last film and return the character to that cabin where it all started. Two more official titles kept the new narrative intact and all were voiced by Campbell himself. Having Campbell on board strengthened the quality through continuity for Ash and paid special attention to his persona, while cleverly expanding the lore by developing new villains and more backstory. One of the best inclusions was a level in a mental institution for the criminally insane where Ash was being held, in an alternate timeline, following the bloody end of ‘Evil Dead II’.

Other video game appearances include ‘Poker Night 2’, ‘BroForce’, ‘Dead By Daylight’ and the upcoming ‘Evil Dead: The Game’, set to be released in 2022. I can’t speak to the unreleased adaptation, but the rest mentioned do stay faithful to his identity.

For some, an introduction to the mythos was via 2013s ‘Evil Dead’, where a short cameo (seconds short) from our lovable champion, with a brief message, hinted at his approval of this new creation. But an ‘Evil Dead’ picture without the chosen one just wasn’t what the masses wanted. And that appearance just raised interest for Campbell to reprise his role. With a hungry mob demanding a proper re-boot, Raimi went back to the drawing board. Suffice to say, that’s how we eventually got the series ‘Ash Vs Evil Dead’ in 2015. Now much older, Ash was fully fleshed out and ready to battle. The show would go deep down the rabbit hole, exploring his family and hometown while introducing sidekicks and flaws aplenty. It was an opportunity to demonstrate how human the character really was and had him ultimately confront his figurative and literal demons.

And that pretty much sums up our subject in a nutshell (albeit a continually evolving one). If there’s one angle I’d like them to explore more, it would have to be one where they honour the original ending for ‘Army of Darkness’. The version you usually see in Australia is the US release, featuring the ‘she-demon’ conclusion. If you haven’t seen the alternate UK version ending, I implore you to seek it out. For me, the UK version raises the steaks and opens Ash to an even grander adventure, feeling more like a natural progression from the humble beginnings of the originals' one location shoot. All in all, I’d say this is as close to a perfect film as one can hope for. It’s the movie I’ve seen the most times in my life and, although not my favourite of all time, one I can still revisit on any occasion, for any reason.