FINAL FANBOY of the week! Hail to the King, Baby: Interview with Adam "Ash" King

Conventions are bliss for we horror fans. It is a time for us to mingle with those of "our kind" and bond over the genre we love, taking a step out of reality and into film. This sense of being a part of film is heightened by the presence of costumers stalking, crawling, and striding down the halls. Whether we know the characters or not, we can not help but want to steal a photo or two. If we do recognize a character, we want a photo all the more, especially if the costume is extremely accurate and well-done. One of the most spectacular and shocking costumers to see at conventions is Adam King who costumes as "Ash Williams" from the Evil Dead and Army of Darkness films. Adam is a charming fellow with a personality fitting of Ash and incredible costumes to boot! If that isn't enough, he actually looks strikingly similar to Bruce. Female fans, including myself, can't help but fangirl! Can you blame us? His incredible knack for emulating the character's appearance and personality to perfection has gained him a place in the DAYS OF THE DEAD convention's official hero and heroine costuming group, Heroes Within Us. I had the fantastic opportunity of interviewing Adam recently about his costuming and his love for all things horror and Evil Dead/Army of Darkness. Prepare to "hail to the King", the ADAM KING!

1) Have you been a horror fan from a young age?

Absolutely. When I was between the ages of 6 to 8, it was the mid-eighties and slasher horror was more popular than ever. Freddy and Jason were household names and everybody's older teenage siblings were excitedly riding the waves of fear adrenaline that their movies offered. That's how I was introduced to it all – word of mouth and quick glances at the television as they played in the dark. My oldest friend and I grew up together, daring ourselves as children to sit through the movies we weren't supposed to see while no one was around! It didn't take long for he and I to become hooked and crave more, scouring the nearby Mom & Pop movie rental store for new scares based solely on the incomparable cover art on the VHS sleeves. We would ask his older brother to rent them for us (which he found to be hysterical), and we would devour them with just a hint of fear still in our wide eyes. After the birth of our obsession, any hang-out time, sleepovers and camping trips were filled with hypothetical conversations about who would win in a fight: Jason or Freddy? Lol! You know... the important stuff.

2) When did you first become a fan of Ash, Evil Dead and Army of Darkness? What about the movies attracted you to them?

I honestly didn't see any of them until I was about 15 or 16, and that fact alone (given my childhood pinballing from one horror film to the next) still astounds me! Lol! What's even funnier is that I was given the nickname “Ash” by others, who said it was due to my likeness to Bruce Campbell, a few years before I even saw any of the films. It was a nickname that stuck all the way through the last two years of high school and into college, and I still get it from old friends from time to time.

The first film out of the series I ever saw was Evil Dead 2, followed by Army Of Darkness a few days later. I was immediately a fan. There was something so original about them... the camera angles, the excessive amounts of over-the-top blood and splatter, and the perfect balance of laughs mixed in with the horror! To me, the series stands out as a pillar in the horror genre and is a perfect example to all future horror writers and directors that this is how it's done. I sincerely hope that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell still have at least one more movie left in them to add to the series.

3) Out of Evil Dead, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, which is your favorite?

Definitely Evil Dead 2, followed closely by Army Of Darkness. Don't get me wrong... I love the first one, and I admire what the first film brought to the table! The original definitely stands alone in my mind. There is a bit of levity to the original film, but that is obviously unintentional. Like I stated above, I adored the hell out of the mix of laughs and horror that part 2 offered, and the slapstick humor and one-liners that has come to define the character of Ash that we all know from Army Of Darkness. 

4) Why and when did you decide to first costume as Ash?

Originally, I had made the Hero Ash costume from part 2 for a Halloween costume contest at a casino back in NY. The prize for first place was $5,000 and I had always wanted to try and make the chainsaw as a prop, so I figured this was the perfect time to give it a shot. I had finished everything and entered the contest, walking out on stage and giving the crowd my best. The whole place went nuts! Lol! But sadly, the judges had no idea who I was and I didn't place at all. After losing, I went home and tossed the whole outfit in the corner except for the chainsaw. That found a home on top of my bookcase.

Not long after, I had been introduced to the world of horror conventions by one of my best friends, Janine. She went on and on about how much fun they were and how I'd fall in love with them as much as she and the rest of my circle of close friends had. Needless to say, I was instantly game for this! But she had one condition: I had to wear the Ash costume. Lol! I was so incredibly reluctant. I reeeally felt like it would be awkward, having never been to a con and not realizing that there would be others in costume as well. Lol!

Much to my surprise, I was extremely popular and had an amazing time! I was asked to return to the con in character next time, and invited by a few others to attend their future cons. I made quite a few new friends on that first trip, one that would be most noteworthy would be Jeff “Wickedbeard” Cochran who has become like a brother to me since.

5) Which is your favorite Ash costume?

It's kinda hard to choose one, but I'd say the Hero Ash outfit because of its iconic look. If I'm going for comfort to decide a favorite, I'd have to go with S-Mart Ash. The Farewell To Arms Ash costume is a lot of fun for me because the severed hand that's perched on my shoulder is sound-activated and its fingers move on their own. Lol! It usually catches people off-guard when they pose for a picture with me and it randomly starts doing its creepy-crawly thing!

                                          

6) What are some of your favorite moments from the times you have been in costume?

Now THIS one is a tough answer. There is an insane amount of memories to sift through. I ended up making friends with the guys from Boondock Saints because they loved my outfit. I've met Danny Hicks from Evil Dead 2 and have become close friends with him... he is such an awesome guy, and I feel very fortunate to have him as a friend! He says I look more like Bruce than Bruce does! Lol!

I've met Kassie DePaiva from part 2 as well, and she was such a sweetheart of a lady! She had laughed over how I was giving her flashbacks of being in the film and had thanked me for the memories. For a short while, there was a picture of her and I on her official fan page, which was an honor.

I met Ted Raimi in Jersey and had a blast talking with him! Lol! He's a riot! All weekend long, he kept giving me shout-outs from across the con! At one point, he said to me “Oh, man... I just have to get your picture, dude. I have some people I need to send this to.” Turns out that he had Tweeted it to Bruce on his page and said something about having found his double! Bruce liked it. I have yet to actually meet Bruce (which is insane) but he was shown my pictures by my friend, Janine, and she quoted him as saying “Holy s#!t... Not only is this the best Ash costume I've ever seen, but what really floors me is... this kid f*%king looks like me.” LOL!

But my absolute favorite moment goes to a little girl that had to be no older than 9... I was at the Days Of The Dead in Indy and was stopped by a Mom and Dad who had a shy little daughter by the hand. As she was peeking at me from behind her Father's legs, her Mom asks me “Can she have a picture with you? You have no idea... Ash is her all-time favorite character (then whispers) and she thinks you're really him!” Naturally I thought that that was the most adorable thing ever and went straight into my Ash act, donning the voice and playing out the part for this little girl. I bent down to one knee and posed for a picture with her, and just as I was about to stand back up the little girl meekly squeaked out “Ash... Can you pick me up? I wanna sit on your shoulder and take a picture.” After my heart melted, I hoisted her up on my shoulder with one arm and held her legs while she hugged my neck and revealed the biggest smile ever! Lol! Before we parted ways, I gave the little girl a loose page from my Necronomicon prop and told her to protect it for me. She pressed it against her chest and nodded fiercely.

The next day, I ran into them on the elevator and the little girl still had the page! Her Mom looked to me and said “Thank you so much for yesterday! You have no idea how much it meant to her, and us! She hasn't stopped talking about it since! She hasn't let go of that page for a second, and she even wanted her Dad to play pretend with her last night that he was Ash!”

That has to be, without a doubt, my favorite memory! That's what it's all about for people who do what we do.

7) Do you have a favorite piece of Evil Dead and/or Ash memorabilia?

There are signed glossies I have that I wouldn't trade for anything, and a prop single-bit axe I have that's dripping with green gore made by propmaster Tim Miller. But my favorite piece of legit memorbilia is something given to me as a gift by James Howard. It's a piece of the roof from the cabin from part 2, and also a stone from the chimney.

                                                   

8) I have to ask, knowing how much you love the films, what are your thoughts on the remake? Especially without Ash.

Honestly, I'm glad that they respectively left out the Ash character. It's not that I'm one of “those fans” who would've automatically hated it, it's just that I think the character wouldn't have been properly utilized with the way the script played out. So... how do I feel about the remake...

I think that it's an incredible horror movie that works best as a stand-alone flick. It should not be considered as a story that fits in canon with the earlier films, in my opinion. Hats off to them for using more makeup fx than CGI, which was a major nod to how they did it in the originals and one of the best parts to me! In short, I loved it for what it was and I always trust in Sam and Bruce. Definitely a horse to always bet on.

9) What can we anticipate from you in the near future?

I'm actually working on new outfits for future cons at the moment. The first one up will be Medieval Ash from Army Of Darkness, complete with a molded chestplate, cape and brand new gauntlet hand – made out of real materials. Possibly a spear, as well! Lol! The second one is Deadite Ash from part 2, which I am very excited about but may take a little while. I want to get everything just right with that one, from the sculpt of the makeup to the white-out contacts.

Outside of Days Of The Dead and being a part of Heroes Within Us, I'm hoping to get back into acting again. I did a few small parts in indie shorts, but would like to pursue bigger roles. Preferrably in horror movies, of course. As far as anything else goes (if you're reading this, Sam), I'm ready for your relaunch if you decide to use Ash in Evil Dead 2. Lol!

10) Other than the Evil Dead films and Army of Darkness, what are some of your other favorite horror movies?

I have always loved the Friday the 13th series, no matter what. And for the record, Kane was the best. The Nightmare series will always have a place in my heart for sure, too. There are tons of others, mainstream or otherwise, like Shaun Of The Dead, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, the Phantasm series, Return Of The Living Dead, In The Mouth Of Madness... anything from Sam Raimi, a slew of different zombie flicks, and faaar too many others to mention here. 

11) Please tell us your favorite Ash line!

It's kind of a tie between the classic “Groovy” and “Gimmie some sugar, baby.” 

12) Last, but not least, what would Ash do for a Klondike bar?

Learn to say the words right this time.