Welcome to the Heavy Spoilers show I'm your host Paul and it's time to go ashes to ashes
this video we're gonna be breaking down the film to talk about the best easter eggs in
it that call back to the earlier evil dead movies.
Though this isn't centred around Ash there's actually lots of nods and references to other
films with us even getting a bruce campbell vocal cameo at one point.
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Yes the person that we hear there saying to destroy it is actually none other than Bruce
Campbell. To make things even crazier Evil Dead Rise Director Lee Cronin has stated that
this might actually be Ash himself due to all the timey wimey wibbly wobbly stuff that
the franchise does. We know that this record comes from 1923 and they have teased that
they could possibly explore something like this in an Evil Dead 6.
I'd love to see some of the characters from this coming face to face with Ash and we of
course get lots of callbacks to the movies from the outset.
The New Line Logo turns to a dark red similar to some of the posters we've had with the
franchise over the years and from here we go to the woods. This is shown almost as a
POV of something moving through them which is another style choice that Riami used in
his movies. The first film even starts off with something travelling through the woods
before we met our characters. Whereas that had more of a sinister side to it though this
is just a drone and it introduces us to Teresa. However we get lots of point of view shots
throughout the film echoing how it was used originally. Now we catch Teresa reading wuthering
heights this is later called out by Jessica who recites passages from the book.
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Huge shoutouts to Game Rant for pointing out that this could be a call back to the first
film when we see cards being counted psychically by Cheryl just like how the book is read.
Now I have seen some people saying that the lakeside could be a nod to another classic
horror in Friday The 13th. Whether that's the case or not I think it's undeniable that
the cabin is riffing on the setting of the first two. The fish eye lens effect here adds
so much to this shot with the forest almost warping around the area.
This is something we get in great effect later on with the peephole on the door carrying
the same style and when Danny exits the garage at the roughly the 15 minute mark. The gate
going up is framed in a reflection and it adds to the idea that evil eye is watching
everything.
Now the cabin itself looks like a pyramid which were of course used as tombs by the
pharoahs. It just adds this ominous feeling to it that's made worse by what happens with
Jess.
On the way though we get some shots of Flies stuck up and this could be giving a nod to
a little technique that Raimi used to use. Throughout the films he added the sounds of
buzzing flies to make the movies feel even more unnerving.
This is something that Cronin does himself with the nod to those movies also being added
into the ending of the cre
We can also catch an old clock here too which is likely a nod to the one from Evil Dead
2 that ends up bleeding. This too showed up in the remake as well with it being a big
part of iconography in the franchise.
Anyway after Deadite Jessica goes on the attack we get her rising out of the water mimicking
the shot from Apocalypse Now. That movie had lots of symbolism related to dantes inferno
and the nine circles of hell with it centring around a journey through the vietnamese Jungle.
Either way it's an awesome way to start the movie and from here we jump back to the day
before to see Guitar technician Beth learning that she's pregnant.
This carries on one of the key themes throughout the franchise which is Motherhood. We of course
have this moment with Beth, all the stuff with Ellie and beyond that things which have
happened with other characters. Screen Rant pointed out that Ash's mother left his family
before the events of the first film and that Annie's mother Henrietta played a big part
in Evil Dead 2. The 2013 Evil Dead film also centred around the passing of Mia and David's
mother and it's sort of like poetry they rhyme.
Now from here we watch as Beth visits her sister Ellie at the Monde Apartments which
is too framed to look like a pyramid due to the way the camera films it. We get a shot
of it from a wider angle at the 15 minute mark and can also see that the lampost is
set up to look like a Crucifix.
This is a reference to the Crucifix that ash stuck into the ground earlier in the franchise
and later on in the bank basement we see several of them laced throughout it.
Now here we're introduced to Ellie's kids Danny, Bridget and Kassie which further builds
on the idea of siblings throughout the prior films.
We've already talked about Mia and David but the first film had Ash and his sister Cheryl.
Mia and Cheryl were both the first ones to become Deadites in their respective movies
and looking at it chronologically Beths sister Ellie is the first too.
We get a nice bit of visual horror with Kassie cutting off her dolls head which could be
a reference to the beheading we witnessesed at the lake and what we get at the end. Youtube
is being super funny with our videos at the moment and demonetising them, even the bloody
thing got Demonetised because of the gore so I don't wanna show it but you know what
it is.
We learn that she's actually making a weapon which is called Staffanie to protect against
an apparent ghost that lives in the apartment building. The idea of a head being on the
bottom of a sharp object actually has roots in the franchise and the Kandarin Dagger had
something similar.
In Dannys room there's a three stooges poster and Raimi admitted that he took a lot of inspiration
from the comedy trio when making his movies.
At this point Bridgets invited to go watch all the nightmare on elm street movies but
she declines it.
We get a visual nod to this film later on with Beth dipping her hand in the bath tub
which she then uses to pretend she's being pulled in. During Elm Street we had the iconic
bath tub scene where Freddy's fingers popped out of the water before Nancy was pulled underwater
which Cronin said he was making Beth immitate.
Now the apartment block is rocked by a gigantic earthquake that cracks the floor. This is
something the cabin suffered to at the end of the second film when everything was going
to hell.
The idea of the basement being where the evil book is located is also somewhat of a parallel
to the prior movies with the hatch there acting like how the crack does here.
We get our first hint towards the chainsaw during this scene as we can catch an image
of one on the side of the Fonda's Tree Surgery Van. Mr Fonda appars later on in the film
and he's actually played by Mark Mitchinson who appeared in Ash Vs The Evil Dead. On top
of this there's actually a number of easter eggs here that call back to earlier movies.
You might notice that the chainsaw has a mustard colour to it and this is different to the
red that Ash's carried. However Lee Cronin said that the colour used here is to give
a little nod to the Oldsmobile Delta 88. This is a car that Raimi has used in all of his
movies and it appeared in the first three evil dead films before showing up as Uncle
Ben's car in Spider-man.
It even popped up during Multiverse of Madness when Strange and Christine go to the destroyed
reality that is the home of the sinister variant.
Though Cronin didn't fully bring the car across he did give a nod to this along with another
detail in the name Fonda. Peter Fonda's daughter Bridget was actually such a big fan of the
Evil Dead 2 that she asked to be in Army Of Darkness but unfortunately the lead female
role Sheila had already been cast. Instead she was given a smaller role and she appeared
as Linda in the recap sequence that showed the events of the first two films.
Now during this moment we watch as the kids carry in Pizza boxes which are dropped on
the floor when the earthquake commences.
When they go to pick them up we can see that the bottom of the box says 'come get some'
which yeah no prizes for getting that.
come get some
This is what Beth also says at the end of the movie when facing down against the Marauder.
Now there's also Henrietta as well who as mentioned earlier was a character that was
taken over by a Deadite. She appeared in both the Evil Dead 2 and then later on in the Ash
Vs Evil Dead series. She appeared in 2 with the iconic hatch scene which opened and closed
just like the lid of a pizza box.
Ey.
This was held together by a chain and chains are used on the door later giving us a sort
of parrallel of doors and chains being used to hold the creatures back.
Now when they discover the bank vault beneath I was legit like...woah mate don't go down
there that's where the ghosts who hears your keys jangling is. Look I know these movies
are purposely goofy but yeah they do have their nice bits of Horror as well.
Down here Danny discovers the book which is one of the three Naturom Demontos. Shown in
Army of Darkness these three books have popped up with the three key evil dead films. The
first book was of course what the initial story of Ash was built around with the 2013
Evil Dead film centring around the second.
The third appears here which brings with it it's own terrifying characteristics.
It really adds a lot of atmosphere to it and I love how the director just does subtle little
things he doesn't have to to elevate the supernatural things within the film. Even little moments
like us cutting to the elevator and seeing the number 13 really adds to it and shows
the attention to detail they were going for.
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button.
Anyway the book is opened with blood and the incantation is played on a record which callsback
to Evil Dead 2.
In that Ash played a recording by Professor Knowby which unleashed the demon similar to
what we get here.
That takes us into the elevator scene which is a a clear riff on the tree scene from earlier
in the franchise. Not only do we get another POV shot but we also get Ellie being strung
up by wires similar to how branches were used in that prior film.
Ellie seemingly dies and we get a fly crawling over her eyeball similar to Westworld and
eyes become a big thing with the tattoo gun. Dumped in the bath tub she is reborn and he
climbing from the water is reminicent of the start of the movie with Jessica at the cabin.
She attacks the other residents there and spits out an eye ball which lands in Jakes
mouth. This is a callback to the scene in Evil Dead 2 in which we get a similar thing
happen and we also see Mr Fonda busting out his boomstick.
Both of the iconic weapons in the movie are tied to Fonda with Beth getting her hands
on it before moving onto the chainsaw.
Anyway at this point we get Ellie singing a haunting nursery rhyme which calls back
to when Linda sang Ring Around The Rosie in the 1981 film.
They really go all out with everything and give us a moment that will mean I never look
at a cheese grater in the same way again.
Taking bridget down Ellie eventually manages to get into the apartment through the vents
which leads to one of the creepiest scenes in the movie. Depending on what the brightness
on your tv is, you might have to adjust it, but we can see Ellie sitting in the top corner
as Beth listens to the records. We cut back and forth between this moment a couple of
times and later on she crawls out from this point before she makes her attack.
She also says the line.
I will swallow your soul
Which is a callback to this moment.
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Fatally wounded by Bridget, Danny passes away and Beth and Kassie end up making a run for
it whilst the deadite shouts.
dead by dawn
This riffs on this moment from Evil Dead 2.
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Inside the elevator we watch as it fills up with Blood which is a callback to mine and
our editor Matts favourite movie The Shining.
This bursts open with the blood then gushing out of it similar to that infamous moment
from the horror classic.
Now Matt runs a channel that breaksdown lots of movies and tv shows as well over at Super
HeroNexus so definitely subscribe if you wanna see more videos like this.
Anyway in the basement we finally get the chainsaw scene against the marauder along
with the woodchipper moment. With Fonda being a tree surgeon it makes sense that he'd have
this along with a chainsaw and it's a nice way to explain how this ended up out in an
LA apartment building.
I also realised at this point that Beth is wearing a dark denim coloured dress which
is visually similar to the denim shirt that Ash wore in the original trilogy.
This leads into a big woodchipper scene which KComix on Reddit pointed out could be a nod
to the scene from Fargo.
This is used to kill the Marauder and blood rains down out the back of it like what happens
with Mia at the end of the 2013 movie.
Beth and Kassie go off into an uncertain future and we watch as Jessica is attacked upon leaving
the building setting up the opening of the film.
Also I think with Beth being called Groupie...that it might be a play on Groovy...ey...may...nope.
Anyway that's the end of the video bye.