“What, you never seen a guy with a chainsaw hand before?”

By 2015, we had long since given up hope of an actual sequel to the beloved Evil Dead trilogy. Sure, we got some great comic books, a handful of acclaimed video games, and a remake that didn’t really go anywhere, but a real Evil Dead 4 never quite materialized. And considering that Army of Darkness was all the way back in 1992, it was probably time to give up the wait. Such is how fandom goes.

And then Sam Raimi, an aging Bruce Campbell, and the Starz channel up and brought the whole franchise back with a three-season run that was a definite follow-up to the series (in particular Evil Dead 2). So yeah, we never expected it to happen, but now that it did, we might as well grab our boomstick and check it out, yes?

Still a bit of a loser and in possession of the evil-unleashing necromonicon (the book of the dead), Ashley Williams puts the entire world in peril by reading from the book to impress a girl. Before you know it, Deadites are infecting people all of the place and Ash is reluctantly pulled back into the role of evil fighter and deadpan snarker. Dragging a couple of hardware store coworkers named Pedro and Kellyl along, Ash seeks to reverse the summoning all while fighting demons, running from the law, and grappling with a mysterious woman (Lucy Lawless) who has some connection with everything that’s going on.

So let’s get this straight right away: This is a 100% authentic Evil Dead sequel. It’s not just making noise in that direction; Raimi and company crafted a TV series that fully embraced the gonzo movie series that they made decades ago. There’s the Oldsmobile, the chainsaw/shotgun duo, the first-person evil camera, flashbacks to the movies, and even Ash’s disembodied hand that’s returning for some payback.

And it’s a good thing that they have the original team on board, because those movies are a weird balance of old school monster scares, Three Stooges physical comedy, and ridiculously creative camera setups. It’s not like any other horror franchise that’s been made, and that’s what made it a cult favorite. You tilt too much in any one direction, and it throws the balance off to create something that’s either completely stupid or completely off-putting.

It does seem like this is a good continuation of the films while letting Ash actually grow into a real character. He’s still a jerk filled with too much bravado, but there’s a keen fighting instinct that laughs in the face of terror that keeps us rooting for him even still. He’s the guy who’s running toward danger instead of away from it, all while spouting those great one-liners that we memorized back in the ’90s. Giving him a party to protect and train is a brilliant move, and both Pablo and Kelly earn their keep as excellent Deadite warriors in their own right.

The first season is very much a road trip, where each of the 10 half-hour episodes represents a stop on that trip. Generally, the same series of events keeps happening — nice place and nice people end up getting possessed so that Ash has another bunch of Deadites to fight — but there is some variation and clever little twists. And where does this road trip lead? Right back to the sinister cabin from the first two movies, which has been recreated in astounding detail. There’s so much fanservice going on here that it actually surprises me how Army of Darkness got completely left out of the discussion, especially since you’d expect Ash to comment on his time-traveling adventures. From what I can tell, there might’ve been some issues or reluctance getting the rights to mention that, so Evil Dead 2 is pretty much the source of inspiration for the events of the series.

I won’t lie: There are moments when even the slapstick gore is a little too much for my middle-aged sensibilities. There are some terrifically bloody deaths and nightmare-inducing demon designs that I probably didn’t need tucked away in my head. Yet it’s also got that trademark Raimi creativity that kind of leaves you in awe. The different ways he breaks the rules with his camera and works to make more of a comic book feel than a traditional TV series keeps you watching for the innovation you know is to come. You get the sense that this isn’t mean-spirited in the least, but rather it’s horror as made by geeks who are giggling at endless amusement at what they’re doing.