They say time freezes during a traumatic moment, but the same can be said about a moment of disbelief.

Even though “Ash vs Evil Dead” doesn’t premiere on Starz until October 31st, I was lucky enough to check out the first two episodes of the new series that spins off of Sam Raimi’s legendary The Evil Dead franchise.

I have been waiting more than 20 years to see Bruce Campbell return as Ashley J. Williams. It’s been so long that my first viewing of the episode didn’t seem real. Technically, “Ash vs Evil Dead” is the extension of Raimi’s idea for Evil Dead 4, which meant that it lived in the same universe as the first two Evil Dead films and Army of Darkness. While there’s off-the-cuff references to the latter, Raimi takes a second of pause and give viewers a recap of the first two movies (through a projection on boxes in the back of Value Stop, Ash’s new place of employment).

Raimi directs the premiere episode, which focuses solely on an older and wiser(?) Ash. We learn that Ash exhumes the same air of confidence that he’s always had, so much so that he brings along Magnum condoms for his night in the bar bathroom. He’s still as witty as ever, with none of his jokes feeling schlocky or hammy. Even though he lives in a trailer and is a stock-boy, Ash’s chin is always up in quite an inspiring way. He’s still the anti-hero we’ve all grown to love.

And even though there’s a lot of character beats jammed into the first episode, Raimi is able to organically blend it into the action. He shows us why he’s one of the best genre directors ever, delivering more scares in a 30-minute episode of television than most directors can in an entire feature film. “Ash vs Evil Dead” carries an absolutely unrelenting pace that pauses only so Ash can get the last word.

What’s so interesting with “Ash vs Evil Dead” is that, since it lives in the universe of the first three films, it’s allowed to carry the same spirit. Unlike the Evil Dead remake of 2013, the scares are in the shot selection, as opposed to cheating with gross-out gags. There’s a lot of slapstick humor that reminds me of many of the scenes from Army of Darkness, and it’s incredibly unapologetic. “Ash vs Evil Dead” goes anywhere it wants and doesn’t give a shit who’s along for the ride. The proof is in how much CGI is actually used in these two episodes.

While I admittedly hate blood that’s so clearly digital, Raimi mixes it with an insane amount of practical effects work that it’s inconsequential. This is also where the tone of the series is important. The fact that “Ash vs Evil Dead” is playful in nature and insanely over the top allows for the excessive use of gore and digital effects work. One shot may spray digital blood across the screen, but it’s then cut with physical gore that allows our brains to accept it. I guess my point is, you don’t need to worry about it.

What you should worry about are the various directors that participated in this 10-episode debut season.

Joining Raimi in the director’s chair are Michael J. Bassett; Canadian filmmaker David Frazee who shot a few episodes of “Orphan Black”; New Zealander Michael Hurst of “Xena” and “Spartacus” fame; Aussie Tony Tilse who shot “Underbelly”; “Xena” and “Spartucus” vet Rick Jacobson is responsible for the season finale.

The names were a bit concerning, but I assumed that Raimi would be watching over everyone’s shoulder. I’m not so sure…

The debut episode of “Ash vs Evil Dead” was everything an Evil Dead fan could ask for – maybe even more, considering. Yet, I continually found myself frustrated with the camerawork in the second episode. Raimi found so many unique ways of delivering legitimate, jump-out-of-your-seat scares that the second episode was a face-plant next to it (This truly shines a spotlight on just how good Raimi is). When the credits hit, it all became obvious: MICHAEL J. BASSETT. Yes, the “director” behind such “classics” as Solomon Kane, Deathwatch and Silent Hill: Revelation 3D. Bassett’s episode of “Ash vs Evil Dead” borderlines incompetent and has me legitimately frightened for what comes next (for proof, enjoy the flaccid scare with Kelly’s (Dana Delorenzo) Deadite mother, Suzy Maxwel (Mimi Rogers)).

I’ve never been so high and so low at the same time. While Raimi’s episode of “Ash vs Evil Dead” is a celebration of the franchise and genre, its pitfalls are glaring when Ash’s adventures are shot through other filmmakers’ eyes.

No matter, Ash is back and I don’t want to appear ungrateful. It’s going to be hard to undermine Bruce Campbell’s charm and charisma for 10 straight episodes. And with Sam Raimi (hopefully) supervising them all, I anticipate “Ash vs Evil Dead” meshing together to deliver one hell of a horror roller coaster ride!

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