Ash Vs. Evil Dead appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on these Blu-Ray Discs. Expect visuals similar to those seen in Season One.
Sharpness consistently looked solid, with only a smidgen of softness in occasional wider shots. This meant the majority of the episodes appeared accurate and well-defined.
No signs of jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and the shows lacked edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent as well.
Unsurprisingly, the programs opted for a fairly orange and teal palette, though Ash didn’t blast us with those hues. They remained low-key and looked fine given the production parameters.
Blacks seemed deep and dense, while low-light shots offered appealing clarity and smoothness. Across the board, the episodes looked positive.
In addition, the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack of Ash fared nicely, with soundscapes that accentuated all the wild action. The series came with plenty of gruesome mayhem, and the audio managed to evoke these elements in a lively manner that used all the channels in an active, engrossing way.
Sound quality seemed consistent with expectations, as speech appeared distinctive and concise, without edginess or other issues. Music showed nice range and impact as well.
A dominant aspect of the tracks, effects came across as full and dynamic, with clear highs and deep bass. The audio of Ash suited the material and added punch to the proceedings.
Audio Commentaries accompany six episodes. We hear from the following participants:
“Home”: executive producer/actor Bruce Campbell and actors Dana DeLorenzo, Lucy Lawless and Ray Santiago;
“The Morgue”: Campbell, DeLorenzo, Lawless and Santiago;
“Last Call”: DeLorenzo, Lawless, and executive producer Robert Tapert;
“Trapped Inside”: Tapert, DeLorenzo and Lawless;
“Home Again”: Tapert, Campbell, DeLorenzo, Lawless, Santiago and director/co-executive producer Rick Jacobson;
“Second Coming”: Jacobson, Tapert, DeLorenzo, Campbell and Lawless.
Across these, we get info about story/character areas, cast and performances, stunts, sets and locations, effects and related domains.
Though never great, the commentaries consistently seem fun and enjoyable. We learn a reasonable amount about a good mix of topics, and the participants ensure matters progress in a lively manner. Don’t expect tons of great details from these tracks, but they’re still solid discussions of the series.
On Disc Two, we get some added material. Inside the World brings 10 clips that run a total of 16 minutes, 50 seconds and includes comments from Tapert, DeLorenzo, Lawless, Campbell, special effects supervisor Brendon Durey, prosthetics/makeup effects designer Roger Murray, property master Matt Cornelius, prosthetics workshop supervisor Dan Perry, production designer Nick Bassett, and actors Ellen Sandweiss and Lee Majors.
“Inside” looks at story/character areas, various effects, cast and performances, stunts and action, vehicles, sets and locations, and connected topics. “Inside” rushes through the season‘s 10 episodes in a hurry, but it gives us some good details.
A mix of short featurettes ensue. We find Season Two First Look (2:17), Up Your Ash (2:22), Women Who Kick Ash (2:08), Puppets Are Cute (1:09), Dawn of the Spawn (1:22), Bringing Henrietta Back (1:35), The Delta (2:13) and How to Kill a Deadite (2:18).
Across these, we hear from Campbell, Santiago, DeLorenzo, Tapert, Lawless, Murray, writer/executive producer Cameron Welch, and actors Michelle Hurd and Ted Raimi
We learn about story/characters, various effects, stunts and action, cast and performances, puppets, and vehicles. These clips tend to be too brief but they add some decent details.
Finally, we locate a Fatality Mash-Up. It runs a mere 49 seconds and presents a collection of violent sequences. It’s a lot of gore in one package.
Though not quite as delightful as the prior year, Season Two of Ash Vs. Evil Dead still musters a giddily gory combination of action, horror and comedy. Led by the inimitable Bruce Campbell, S2 chugs along well. The Blu-rays boast very good picture and audio along with a decent selection of supplements. S2 continues