Bruce Campbell previews 'Ash vs Evil Dead' season finale

Things were not looking too good for our demon-battling heroes at the end of last week’s Ash vs Evil Dead. Bruce Campbell’s titular character, for example, was trapped in the basement of the franchise’s famed cabin with Deadite Henrietta while Ray Santiago’s Pablo was still suffering from an extreme case of being dead.

So, what can we expect from this Sunday’s season finale of the Starz horror-comedy?

“It’s the final showdown of Ash and this one particular guy, Baal,” says Campbell. “That’s it! Last episode of the season! Stuff’s gotta happen! So, it’s gonna be pretty big! I would say to people, also, Ash and the team will do anything to bring Pablo back. Anything!”

While Campbell may be short on details he does insist the finale will leave fans satisfied. “That’s what it’s all about,” he says. “You’ve got to leave people satisfied. You can’t f— ’em over. You’ve got to give them what they want. You’ve got to give them the carnage, and the mayhem, and then, story-wise, you’ve got to do some form of a happy wrap-up. With Evil Dead, it’s never happy, but you need to give audiences the sense that it was worth investing in these characters.”

It is widely agreed the show found its groove with this second season, thanks in part to some enjoyable nods to the franchise’s history, like the casting of Ted Raimi as both Ash’s childhood friend and as Deadite Henrietta, a role he originally played way back in 1987’s Evil Dead II.

“Ted and I were on set, looking at each other, all suited up and we were like, ‘Wow, nothing’s changed in 30 years! Our careers haven’t gone anywhere!'” says Campbell. “It was a fun revelation. We were wearing the same goddamned clothes, you know! But it’s okay. [Casting] Ted, that’s a little nod to the fans to make sure they get what they need. We’re trying to be very fan-aware and very fan-friendly. And we like that crap too and we like Ted. It’s fun to do that at our end too.”

Much less fun? The injury Campbell sustained two weeks before the end of the season 2 shoot.

“I blew my hamstring,” he says. “If you’ve ever blown a hamstring, you know they call it hamstrung for a reason. You can’t walk. So, to do fight scenes for two weeks when you can’t walk — now you’re living the dream!”

But that hasn’t slowed down the 58-year-old one bit. Starz recently ordered a third season of Ash vs Evil Dead and he’ll be hosting Bruce Campbell’s Bloody Good Show for Syfy, he revealed to EW. “It’s a new, fun competition-elimination show, with a horror setting, in a haunted house-type scenario. So, I’m looking forward to doing that later this year.”

Campbell also has a new book arriving Aug. 15, Hail to the Chin: The Further Confessions of a B-Movie Actor, and is hitting the road for a 35-city tour. “It’s going to be a busy year.”

Ash vs Evil Dead also stars Lucy Lawless and Dana DeLorenzo. The season 2 finale airs Sunday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz. You can see the finale’s trailer, below.