Starz Summons Halloween ‘Evil Dead’ Marathon Before ‘Ash Vs.’

For as much as Starz’s Ash Vs. Evil Dead intends to reward fans of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s Evil Dead trilogy, new viewers will undoubtedly need some jumping off point. Thankfully, Starz knows just how to conjure nostalgia and education alike, marathoning all three Evil Dead movies to lead into a Halloween sneak peek of Ash Vs. Evil Dead.

Beginning Friday, October 30 at 8:00 P.M., Starz has set movie and TV star Bruce Campbell to host a special marathon of all three films, including Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army Of Darkness. The event will culminate at 12:15 P.M. (technically Halloween at that point), debuting a sneak peek of Ash Vs. Evil Dead before the premiere at 9:00 P.M., October 31.

Meanwhile, for those looking to catch up on their own time, Evil Dead can be streamed over Starz, Starz Play and Starz on Demand. Evil Dead 2 will become available from October 26 to 30, followed by Army of Darkness from November 1 on.

So reads the official Ash Vs. Evil Dead synopsis:

Campbell will be reprising his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.

The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus”) as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago (“Touch,” Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.

The first episode was written with Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy, with Sam Raimi also serving as executive producer alongside Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell. For those unfamiliar with the original Evil Dead, the film followed Campbell’s Ash and friends as they visited a woodland cabin, where they accidentally release demons intent on possessing the living.

There’s plenty more blood to shed before Ash Vs. Evil Dead’s fall premiere, but pull the cord on the above and below previews, and stay tuned for more!