Hello there, my horror hounds! Got some interesting, non-hateful feedback with our last Necessary Evil, which wanted a well-done, respectful sequel to the original Let the Right One In. Today's idea was inspired by Batman Vs. Superman finally releasing in theaters! Despite many of the critics opinions, I had an absolute blast with it… and then I thought about applying its structure to our beloved horror genre. Two heroes somehow pitted against each other, forced to do battle, but then resolve to fight something much worse together.
IDEA: A horror-themed battle between two of the greatest heroes our genre has ever seen: Hellboy Vs. Ash! Let the smackdown begin!.
OUTLINE: My theory is this: Hellboy 3 is never going to happen, even though I know we all want it to. Either Guillermo Del Toro is too busy or the studios won't make it. However, there is still a way to bring our favorite horn-filed paranormal investigator back! Through Ash, who currently is kicking ass on his very popular new show Ash Vs. Evil Dead on Starz! I know AvED already got renewed for a second season. I say, make Hellboy the main story arc of the third season! Kind of like what the Daredevil show on Netflix is doing with adding The Punisher to the mix. Hell, if you even wanted, we could bring Liz, Abe, and the rest of the crew along for the ride as well through cameos!
Let's say on outbreak of a brand new and powerful band of deadites breaks out somewhere around Newark, New Jersey. Hence, Ash sets out in his classic Oldsmobile Delta 88 to put a stop to the fresh batch of Hell on Earth. What he doesn't know is that another fighter of things-that-go-bump-in-the-night has also been dispatched to down them deadites! The two both come upon one of the deadites and in classic comedic fashion, end of getting in each others' way.
Of course, Ash thinks that Hellboy is an evil demon and vows to destroy him. Similarly, Hellboy believes that Ash is some psycho with a chainsaw hand who wants to keep the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense from doing its job. For the first half of the season, the two clash several times and do battle in crazy set pieces. All the while, the new breed of deadites is growing stronger.
Liz joins Hellboy on one particular outing and is kidnapped by a deadite. Just as it is about to kill her, Ash appears and blasts the shit out of it and chainsaws its head off. Liz is saved. Just when Ash is about to ask her for some sugar, baby, Hellboy arrives and Liz runs into his arms. Ash then uses his own macho brand of thinking to rationalize that if a girl as hot as Liz is with Hellboy, then he must be a pretty cool demon. Grateful for Liz being safe, Hellboy agrees that he and Ash should work together to bring down the deadite outbreak. The second half of the season consists of the two kicking ass as a team! I could totally hear Ash delivering the line, "Yo, Big Red… let's do this."
WHY IT COULD WORK: Well, Ash Vs. Evil Dead is already a hit and the fans absolutely love it (and rightfully so)! Plus, genre fans are dying to see Hellboy come back. Hooking him up with Ash could be the best and only opportunity to continue the big red guy's storyline. Who knows? Perhaps Hellboy can earn his own spin-off series after joining Ash?! The whole idea sounds too fun to pass up!
CHARACTERS: Man, this sure is a tough one. I don't know. Let me see? Just speculating here, but… BRUCE CAMPBELL, RON PERLMAN, and SELMA BLAIR!!! Duh! Of course, all original cast members must be present! I don't think that would be too much of a stretch at all. I'm also cool with any other recurring characters showing up as cameos. I mean, could you imagine John Hurt (Hellboy's deceased father) showing up as a deadite to mess with Big Red?!
CONCLUSION: Ash Vs. Evil Dead is already a popular show. Could you imagine what adding a hot commodity like Hellboy could do for it?! If done properly, it could be a horror fans dream come true! Both of these heroes fight evil and both come equipped with a fun sense of humor. They're a perfect match! Plus, this seems like a viable way to bring Hellboy back to the masses. I really can picture this happening in my head and it just looks awesome!
I've gotta hear what you think of this! Are you ready to see Hellboy "Hail to the King, baby!" or do you think of this idea and just go "Aw, crap." Please aim your Boomstick or your Good Samaritan and fire them bullets below! And if you have any ideas that you think should be made into horror reality, let me know at mikecatalano@joblo.com.