Action Figure Review: Bloody Ash & Cheryl Williams from The Evil Dead by NECA

 

   I've been on a bit of a vacation, but not to a cabin the woods! I'm back now and ready to hit the ground running with some new reviews. NECA has been making action figures from the Evil Dead series since 2006 (the S-Mart Ash from Cult Classics) but it wasn't until 2022 that NECA released a version of Ash from the original 1981 film The Evil Dead. This year we're getting another release and this time it's a two pack! NECA has bundled a somewhat different blood splattered version of Ash with his sister, Cheryl. It's pretty amazing that NECA is still giving us new figures from this property and I'm quite excited to get a new figure of Cheryl. This is a great set with some fantastic new accessories, too. Ready to check out these two siblings doomed to some intense sibling rivalry? Then join me after the break...

The Facts: Ash Williams

Height: 6 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/ hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 2 swappable portraits, 3 interchangeable right hands, shovel, axe, and chainsaw. 

The Facts: Cheryl Williams

Height: 6 1/2 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs,balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 3 swappable portraits,  6 interchangeable hands, sketchbook, sketchbook page, fireplace poker, and grave.

Non-Scalper Price: $70 dollars 

Comparison:

* On the left is the 2022 Ultimate Ash Williams while the "Bloody" Ash from this set is on the right. What's different? Other than the paintjobs, the portraits are different and the arms. The previous Ash has some seriously limited arm movement, but this one has a great range of movement at the elbows. He's an improvement there for sure.

The Positives:

* This "Bloody" version of Ash is largely a repaint of the original figure from 2022, capturing Ashley J. Williams on his wat to becoming the groovy hero of time who totes a boomstock, said farewell to arms, and is known as "el jefe" to his posse.  He's still mostly just an average guy and this figure shows that with a blue long sleeved shirt, brown slacks, and an average build. Now, though, he has improved elbow articulation and he's covered with blood. His outfit has lots of impressive textures , though the crazy amount of blood on Ash definitely is what will draw your attention first. 

* Here's a shot of Ash from the back to show the blood splatter all over this guy. Painted on blood can look kind of fake sometimes, but I think NECA has done an admirable job of making it looks fairly realistic and still wet, too. He doesn't feel gunky or anything, though you might expect that he would. The blood splattered paint effect is quite impressive, hinting at the horror that went on inside that cabin in the Tennessee wilderness. 

* NECA has really swung for the fences with these likeness for Bruce Campbell, and I think overall they've been quite successful. Expressive faces can be quite tricky to capture and The Evil Dead Ash really looked quite different from Evil Dead 2 Ash as Bruce's face changed quite a bit during those years. This is a great sculpt of a younger Ash and I love the open mouth and the eyes darting to the side. Ash is pretty much running on adrenaline here and he knows there's something hideous coming up behind him. This portrait actually works better with the previous release.

* This second portrait works best with this release as the blood splattered face matches the blood soaked outfit. Again, NECA nicely captured Bruce Campbell's likeness with an expression showing him completely baffled by and without words for what's happening to him. The blood paint effects are also just fantastic.

* Everything below the waist looks excellent, too. There's not as much blood splattered down there, but there is some. Ash's pants and shoes look accurate to those shown in the film, so kudos to NECA for the detailed work. 

* If you have the previous Ash figure or have picked up any NECA figures in the last few years you know what to expect here. NECA includes all of the joints you'd expect on a modern action figure and everything is very sturdy. They've really improved their durability in the last decade. Ash isn't going to be crouching like Spider-Man or anything but he does look fantastic in realistic poses and has a solid range of movement at most joints. The elbows were improved on this release, so he has a nice elbow bend now (the original figure was pretty limited). 

* Ash doesn't come with many extra hands and those he has are just alternate right hands. There are three different grips for holding his various weapons (chainsaw, axe, shovel, and even the shotgun from the previous figure). They're the same molds as last time, though they do have blood-soaked paint applications on them now.

* The chainsaw Ash uses in The Evil Dead is a Homelite XL-12, a different model from the later films. NECA did a stellar job of recreating it here and while the XL-12 logo isn't present, all of the other details are there. It's the same great sculpt as the chainsaw from the previous figure, though now it's not just nicely weathered but also covered in blood. NECA always does fantastic work on their accessories and this piece is extremely impressive.

* This thing is a marvel and is covered with realistic details. There's even a starter cord and a gas cap.

Back in 2022 I commented on the double bladed axe which the basic released Ash came with, saying: "I'm sure you can find a single bladed axe, or perhaps NECA will release an alternate version of this Ash. Maybe covered in blood from the end of the film?"

How about that, huh? We now have a blood covered Ash from the end of the film with the single bladed axe. It looks nice and is incredible useful for fending off deadites. 

* Last up for Ash is the shovel he uses to kill his deadite possessed girlfriend, Linda. This is an excellent shovel with some great paintwork. The weathering on the blade is just fantastic, as is the bloody edge. Fantastic stuff. I mean, does anyone do accessories as nicely as NECA?

* Let's take a look at Cheryl Williams, played by Ellen Sandweiss. Bloody Ash is cool, but Cheryl is the reason most of us picked up this set. There just aren't enough deadite figures out there! While it would have been cool if we had a standard Cheryl portrait here, Ash's sister is presented in full-on deadite mode. She's wearing a long, casual green shirt (very 1970s!) and some black pants. It's basic but authentic. 

* Cheryl's also sporting some blood streaks on her shirt. Is it her blood or someone else's? Probably a mix of both, really. It also looks nice and wet.

* Cheryl comes with three swappable portraits showing her different deadite transitions. First up is the most basic, but the one I still find to be the spookiest. Her hair is blowing in the supernatural wind that always seems to affect the deadites, her eyes are horrifying with their milky whiteness, and her mouth is set in a pretty nasty sneer. She's even got a bandage on her forehead, though it's not doing much for her now, is it? 

* The second portrait is absolutely nasty and definitely doesn't even have a hint of Cheryl's likeness anymore. It's rotten looking with swollen skin, crazy hair, and lots of bloody gashes and welts. It's pretty spooky and just perfect for when you want to lock her in a fruit cellar. 

* And here's Cheryl's final headsculpt. Her hair is falling out, her skin is rotting off, and she's not beetn able to stop Ash from destroying the Necronomicon. It's got that chunky look that the deadite faces have in the original movie and it's pretty darn unsettling.

* Cheryl's articulation is very similar to Ash's with mostly the same joints and range of motion. She can utilize her accessories and make some very creepy movements. She's also a solid, durable figure and, if you've purchased any NECA figures in the last 5 years, you likely know what to expect. She's not going to be dropping to the ground and striking Black Widow poses, but she's plenty posable for a deadite and should provide another nice adversary for Ash. We now have at least one deadite from each film with Ash and the TV series, right? I think the only Evil Ash is from McFarlane, though, so maybe someday NECA can get Army of Darkness rights again. 

* Cheryl comes with more hands than Ash, surprisingly (and that's not a joke about him having to lop off his own hand in Dead by Dawn). She comes with six, five of which are more normal poses. Creepy and deadite possessed sure, but still more normal. There's a right right hand grip, a pair gesturing, grasping hands, and a pair of more relaxed hands.

* The sixth hand has Cheryl holding the pencil. Yes, the pencil she uses initially for sketching the grandfather clock and the Necronomicon, but also the pencil she plunges into Linda ankle. Yes, that one. There's even blood on it! The Evil Dead is absolutely a tense, bloody film but that pencil in the ankle just makes me cringe every time. Yikes!

* Cheryl comes with quite a few accessories of her own. Here's the fireplace poker she uses to slam Ash across the small of the back as he's trying to destroy the Necronomicon (all while the deadite possessed Scott is gnawing on his leg). Brutal!

* Linda's grave is also included. Think we'll ever get Linda, Scott, or Shelly? Shelly is terrifying in The Evil Dead, but the dancing corpse of the second film would be pretty terrifying as well. This is a really cool accessory that should make your display just a bit cooler. Nice detail on the wooden cross and excellent paint work. 

* Chery's sketchpad has her drawing of the grandfather clock face on it. It looks like an actual pencil drawing and has a rubbery texture to it, giving it a bit of flex. The clock is actually on a separate "page" that can be removed from the sketchpad. 

* "Tear off" the top page and you get a sheet where Cheryl, possessed by the deadites, has begun scrawling a crude image of the Necronomicon. There's even some tear marks sculpted here, showing that she wasn't being particularly careful with her art.

The Negatives:


* This is less of a negative and more of a caution: Be sure to add some hear to Cheryl's sleeves the first time you swap hands. The hands seemed a bit stuck so I had to use a bit of heat to remove them the first time. Afterwards, everything seemed to swap just fine.

   I was thrilled when this set was announced and even more thrilled when I stumbled upon it in stock on Best Buy's website. Best Buy, huh? Who would have thought? While you might already have the previous The Evil Dead Ash, this one comes with new portraits, improved articulation, and enough new accessories to still be worth your time. Who doesn't want their Ash figure slathered in blood? Cheryl is also a new character from the original classic and NECA really went all out with three portraits and some cool accessories for her, too. It all makes for a very impressive set. Easily a Great and a 1/2 set from me. There's a lot of stuff here for Evil Dead fans who love the classic original film.



   This is the first figure of Cheryl Williams I've reviewed.

   The forces of evil fear Ash Williams! Keep them afraid by checking out all of my Ash reviews: The Cult Classics S-Mart Ash, the NECA The Evil Dead Ultimate Ash Williams, Evil Dead II Deadite Ash and Hero Ash, and the Hero Ash update from the 2-pack with Evil Ed, the Toony Terrors Ash, and the One:12 Collective Ash.

For more NECA The Evil Dead reviews, check out the following:
Ultimate Ash Williams