Lucy Lawless on a Quest in Splatterfest

New Zealand native Lucy Lawless didn’t appear in the original Evil Dead movies, but she brings her own cult following to the television revival of that classic horror franchise.

Lawless stars as the mysterious and ruthless Ruby in the upcoming series Ash vs. Evil Dead, which reunites her with a trio of VIPs from her breakout hit, Xena: Warrior Princess.

That would be executive producers Bruce Campbell, who returns as the titular chain saw-wielding hero Ash, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. The series, which was filmed in New Zealand, launches 31 October on Starz.

Lawless has described Ash vs. Evil Dead as “a jolly splatterfest.”

“It’s more gore than you can shake a stick at, so it’s not for the squeamish,” Lawless says. “It’s going to play in frat houses on endless loops. People have done spoof horror like Scary Movie, and then pure horror. This is both together.”

In 2015, Lawless had a recurring role as Countess Palatine Ingrid von Marburg in the series Salem.

Original article by T.L. Stanley, Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2015.

Photo by Starz.