Someone’s back in the fruit cellar.
The Starz series “Ash vs. Evil Dead” has been pure fan service in all the best ways, essentially serving as the Evil Dead 4 that we were all 100% convinced we were never going to actually get. Season 2’s penultimate episode, which aired this past Sunday night, was in many ways a prequel to the original classic, as a drunken and inconsolable Ash Williams traveled back to the 1980s on a quest to rewrite history: if he never messed around with the Book of the Dead in the first place, well, his life and the lives of many others would’ve been a whole lot better off.
And Pablo would still be alive.
Ash headed back to the cabin in “Home Again,” and the episode was capped off with a surprising appearance from Evil Dead 2 villain Henrietta. The possessed wife of Professor Knowby, Henrietta tricked Ash into unshackling her down in the fruit cellar, leading to an epic battle that managed to take place 30 years before their first one. Or I guess Evil Dead 2 was their second battle.
Time travel is confusing!
Believe it or not, Ted Raimi was once again the man who brought Henrietta to life in “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” just as he did in Evil Dead 2, and we caught up with Raimi for an exclusive chat about the unexpected role reprisal. As it turns out, it was as unexpected for him as it was for us.
“I thought I’d left that behind me 30 years ago,” Raimi explained. “You know, like a girl you might have dated decades earlier. She was fun, sweet and sassy but you lost her number in 1999. Then she calls you and asks for a date and you say, ‘Well, why not?’ In this case, it was the Henrietta that got away.”
“It was like some kind of an acid trip flashback,” he continued. “No Fallujah to recall, thank goodness, with me shaking in my dark closet gripping an M4 rifle, but powerful. The set was exactly the same and Bruce and I were dressed the same – gave me chills. At one point during shooting in the cabin for episodes 209 and 210, Bruce turned to me and said: ‘Well Ted, we’ve come a long way in 30 years!‘”
Talk about careers coming full circle, huh?
Ted Raimi’s struggles with the massive Henrietta costume on the set of Evil Dead 2 have been well documented – he’s gone on record as stating that it was the most grueling experience of his entire career – so we naturally had to ask him if things were a little easier this time around.
“Well, SORT of!” Raimi replied. “The special effects team in Auckland, New Zealand that created Henrietta’s suit and make up is really a first rate, top notch, super-talented group. They kick some special effects ass down there. They did make it easier to wear but now that I’m older it balances out: Easier EFX make up but harder to be in a burning hot suit! It was hell to wear. But doing the fight scenes again with Bruce Campbell was well worth it. Also, Rob Tapert, our executive producer, was incredibly encouraging and enthusiastic about me doing it. I think under normal circumstances, a producer wouldn’t give a shit WHO was under that make up. But Rob is an actor’s producer – he loves watching actors do their stuff – he wanted an performer and not a double so I was very happy to oblige him.”
Raimi went on to explain that the process of getting into the costume was much the same as it was back in the 1980s.
“Essentially, there is no difference,” he told us. “It was three or four hours in the chair every day while the effects team glued that stuff on me and slipped me in the fat suit. Hell on earth but I loved every minute of it. Digital effects have progressed ten thousand years worth since we shot ED 2 but practicals are still JUST the same: Blood pumps, rubber latex, glue, the works.”
“I’m a very lucky character actor,” Raimi added. “That monster, Henrietta, is in the famous monsters hall of fame now. She made an impression. It’s a great honor. It still really resonates with fans for some reason. It’s a thrill.”
Catch the “Ash vs. Evil Dead” Season 2 finale this Sunday night, December 11th!
