Sam Raimi's horror franchise has been iconic for decades and a huge reason is all the great Evil Dead quotes. The original was released in 1981 and is notorious for its excess gore, all done with practical effects. Being friends with Sam and Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell was chosen for the role of Ash Williams, which has since become the most famous role of his career. Ash returned in 1987 for Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, the sequel Army of Darkness in 1992, as well as the TV show Ash vs. Evil Dead in 2015. Throughout Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy, Ash became more humorous and arrogant, resulting in some memorable Evil Dead quotes.
While Ash appeared in the TV show, Ash vs. Evil Dead, he only had cameo roles in the next two movies in the franchise. In Evil Dead, he had a cameo in the post-credits, and he only voiced the character reading the Necronomicon in Evil Dead Rise. However, those two movies also did something different with the horror franchise by removing almost all the comedy and making it all about gore and terror-filled situations. This meant fewer one-liners for the characters, but for old-school fans, the original trilogy had all the one-liners any Bruce Campbell Evil Dead quotes fan could dream of.
"Soon All Of You Will Be Like Me... And Then Who Will Lock You Up In A Cellar?"
Cheryl, The Evil Dead
Once Cheryl was possessed by a Deadite in The Evil Dead, Ash and his friends were able to lock her in the cellar. However, in one of the movie's creepiest moments, Cheryl poked her head through the chained cellar door and taunted them. What she said was terrifying and brilliant as she foretold the fate of all of them, except for Ash. As she was chained in the cellar, she said all of them would end up possessed, and then who will be left to lock someone up in the cellar? It made for one of the best Evil Dead quotes in the entire trilogy.
"For God's Sake, What Happened To Her Eyes?"
Shelly, The Evil Dead
The cast of The Evil Dead was not a group of highly-trained actors. Instead, this was mostly a college movie shot by Sam Raimi with his film school friends. While their acting wasn't as good as it would be in later movies, there was still a charm to their often stilted and awkward line readings. One of these remains memorable as Ash and his friends faced off with the possessed Cheryl in the cabin and Shelly exclaimed, "For God's sake, what happened to her eyes?" It was the first look they got at a Deadite, and Shelly's Evil Dead quotes were priceless.
"I May Be Bad... But I Feel Good."
Sheila, Army Of Darkness
The Deadites in Army of Darkness possessed Ash's love interest, Sheila after a flying Deadite abducted and transformed her into one known as Evil Sheila. This led Ash to attack the Deadites with a human army and then figure out a way to beat the evil demonic creatures once and for all. However, first, he had to face off with Evil Shiela, who then hilariously mocked him in the iconic '90s horror comedy by talking about how fun it was to be bad. Luckily, this was one rare time when Ash didn't kill his loved one, and he was able to save her by destroying the Evil Ash.
"Let's Head Down Into That Cellar And Carve Ourselves A Witch."
Ash, Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn
Ash Williams realized in Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn that there was a lot more to be afraid of than the Deadites outside the cabin. While his friends had died and become possessed by the evil demonic entities, Ash realized there was a great danger in the basement itself. While in the first movie, Ash was mostly scared and on the run, he gained a lot of courage in the second movie, and he chose to go down and take on the possessed Henrietta in the cellar head-on. Ash knew Henrietta was a witch now and was beyond saving, so he was ready to finish her off once and for all, which led to these Evil Dead quotes and their fantastic showdown.
"We Can't Bury Shelly. She's A Friend Of Ours."
Ash, The Evil Dead
No one ever really accused Ash of being the smartest person in the Evil Dead trilogy. In the first movie, he was even more clueless than his friends. After they had to kill Scotty's girlfriend Shelly after her Deadite possession, no one knew what to do. Scotty was freaked out and no one wanted to stay there anymore. When they asked what to do with Shelly, a burial was offered up and Ash exclaimed that they can't bury her because she was their friend, obviously not knowing how ridiculous those Evil Dead quotes actually sounded.
“Someone's In My Fruit Cellar."
Henrietta, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
There are a handful of Deadites that appear in Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, but Ted Raimi’s Henrietta is by far one of the most memorable. After Ash gets locked in the fruit cellar, Henrietta emerges to attack Ash, with a great Evil Dead quote. Henrietta says, "Someone's in my fruit cellar. Someone with a fresh soul!" which may or may not be a reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho since the climax of his film also famously took place in a fruit cellar. Whether that was Sam Raimi’s intention or not is unknown, but it is still one of the more memorable Evil Dead quotes.
"Who's Laughing Now?"
Ash, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
Sam Raimi infused a lot more comedy into Evil Dead 2 than he did with the original 1981 film. One of the most iconic scenes of the sequel is when Ash’s hand becomes infected, and he goes mad trying to fight it. Bruce Campbell’s fight scene with himself allowed the actor to show off his acting ability while also filling the movie with hilarious slapstick comedy. After his hand knocks him out and drags his body across the floor, Ash stabs his hand, temporarily wounding it while he grabs his chainsaw. As Ash cuts off his hand and blood splatters across his face, the character yells, “Who’s laughing now!?” It stands among the classic Evil Dead quotes.
"Look, Maybe I Didn't Say Every Tiny Syllable."
Ash, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
Five years after Sam Raimi released Evil Dead 2, he returned with his third film in his Evil Dead trilogy: Army of Darkness. While some people think the film may have included a bit too much comedy, it's one of the best horror/comedies of the ‘90s. To return home, Ash has to find the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. The Wise Man gives him a phrase he must say to safely collect the Book of the Dead, “Klaatu barada nikto” but Ash being Ash forgets the last word. When confronted about his mistake, Ash delivers the hilarious Evil Dead quote, “Look, maybe I didn't say every tiny syllable, no. But basically, I said them, yeah.”
"Good, Bad, I'm The Guy With A Gun."
Ash, Army of Darkness
Ash has an uphill battle in Army of Darkness, and at one point, he has to defend himself against miniature versions of himself. After trying to burn them in his stomach by drinking hot water, another Ash starts growing on the side of his body, leading to a war of words with some of the best Evil Dead quotes. Eventually, the clone splits off from Ash saying, “I'm BAD Ash... and you're GOOD Ash! You're a goody little two-shoes!” Bad Ash continues to say, “Goody little two shoes” as he takes shots at Good Ash, but the real Ash gets the upper hand with his boomstick. Ash shoots the evil clone in the face and says, “Good, bad, I’m the guy with a gun.”
