Ash Williams is one of the most iconic horror movie characters of all time. He stands apart from the likes of Leatherface, Michael Myers, and Freddy Kreuger in that Ash is actually the hero of the Evil Dead series instead of the murderous mascot. Played by the beloved Bruce Campbell, Ash Williams has quipped his way through three Evil Dead movies (with a fourth on the way), three seasons of Ash vs. Evil Dead, and a plethora of video games (another of which is coming out next year).
Aside from the chainsaw hand and boomstick shotgun, the most memorable thing about Ash Williams is his mouth. Ash has delivered countless unforgettable lines across his appearances in the Evil Dead series, and each one is worth committing to memory in case you too get to whip out a groovy quote in real life.
Updated May 29th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: The recent release of the Evil Dead video game has reignited the cult following for the original trilogy, as well as fans, love and adoration for the iconic horror movie character, Ash Williams. Ash has a great character arc through the original films, transforming from smart-mouthed retail worked to loud, proud, heroic champion by the events of Army of Darkness. Throughout the main films, Ash always had biting commentary and witty one-liners to add Comedy to the truly horrific scenes found throughout his journey. To give better praise to his best quotes, the following list has been updated and includes even more of his best lines.
11 "Look, Maybe I Didn't Say Every Tiny Syllable"
One of the best things about Ash is how "down to Earth" he is as a character. Much of Evil Dead and Army of Darkness is shrouded in Comedy, which surely helps to sell the idea that Ash is the horror-movie Everyman, but Bruce Campbell really sells what it's like for a random retail worker to suddenly find themselves face-to-face with an ancient evil. This is really bullet pointed in Army of Darkness when Ash finds himself transported to medieval times.
One of the most "Ash" scenes is when he's told by a Wise Man that he must speak a series of words to safely obtain the Necronomicon. Ash, being himself, forgets exactly how the phrase goes and utters this biting remark when things go South as a product.
10 "Uh-huh, that's right. Who's laughing now? Who's laughing now?!"
The Evil Dead series is a wild ride from start to finish and the creators really amped up the crazy factor in Evil Dead 2. Ash Williams sees a bit of a character transformation in this film, turning into a stoic chainsaw-handed hero that eventually finds himself stuck in medieval times in Army of Darkness. Part of this character arc sees the iconic character cutting off his own hand, which has become possessed during the events of the film.
After a serious struggle against his own hand, Ash eventually stakes the appendage to the ground and then proceeds to cut it off with the chainsaw, but not before uttering this line.
9 "Yo, She-B**ch. Let's Go."
Army of Darkness is definitely the most comedic adventure in the Evil Dead trilogy, which definitely isn't a bad thing. After giving fans the gore and creepy elements they craved from the first two films, creators doubled-down on the funny in the third installment. The end result saw some great script-writing and some even better one-liners. This gem is easily one of the best in the entire film, which sees Ash going one-on-one with a Deadite.
His confidence is at its peak in this moment, which gives us this hilarious line.
8 "Hey Granny, I Hope You Took Your Geritol, 'Cause It's Time To Dance!"
This one comes from the first season of Showtime's comedy/horror show Ash vs. Evil Dead. In this series, Ash gets a pair of sidekicks of sorts in Pablo and Kelly. At one point, Kelly is cornered in Ash's mobile home with an older Deadite woman about to shove glass in her eye.
Thankfully, Ash kicks down the door with his chainsaw hand and is ready to boogie. He revs up the chainsaw and yells the above quote at the Deadite woman before diving into the fight.
7 "Good? Bad? I'm The Guy With The Gun."
During the third movie in the beloved horror series that is the Evil Dead franchise, Army of Darkness, Ash gets an evil doppelganger who becomes one of the main villains of the movie. During their initial showdown, the Evil Ash mocks the real Ash by calling him a "goody-two-shoes."
Ash then takes his shotgun and shoots Evil Ash in the face, delivering the famous line, "Good? Bad? I'm the guy with the gun." This line is uncharacteristic of Ash, as it shows a bit more nihilism instead of his usual belligerent bravado. After constant attacks by unspeakable evils from beyond the veil, one might just adopt a darker view of reality.
6 "Well, Hello Mister Fancy-Pants. I Got News For You, Pal, You Ain't Leading But Two Things Right Now, Jack And Sh*t, And Jack Just Left Town."
Earlier in Army of Darkness, Ash is taken prisoner in a fortress led by a "Lord Arthur." Ash is in chains with Henry the Red, Arthur's mortal enemy. Ash asks Henry who he is, and Henry gives a big speech about all the people he leads.
Ash fires back with the above quote. This is another perfect Ash quote, as it shows his irreverence for any authority and generally how frustrated he is by people who make a big deal about themselves. This is ironic, of course, as Ash has quite an ego himself.
5 "Don't You Get It? Everybody Dies Here. It's Just A Rule. Death, Taxes, And More Death, And I Don't Pay Taxes. So, All I Know Is Death."
This is another quote from Ash vs. Evil Dead, and it's a more dower note for Ashley J. Williams. He's spent his entire life fighting the Evil, and he's yet to win. He's watched countless people he cares about get slaughtered by the Evil, and Ash is often the one who is forced to put them out of their misery.
Ash explains all of this through the above quote in a moment that's actually a bit sad. For all the bluster and cockiness, Ash is aware that he is just a single man who stumbled into a war against unfathomable darkness, and he's gonna lose someday – and he'll probably be alone when he does.
4 "That's Right, Shop Smart, Shop S-Mart. You Got That?!"
Many of these quotes come from Army of Darkness, which makes sense, as that is when the Evil Dead series went full camp. This line comes shortly after another more-quoted line (which will be discussed later down the list).
In this scene, Ash is addressing Lord Arthur's people and is explaining the details of his shotgun to them. He then finishes it off with the slogan for his minimum-wage day job: S-Mart. This reminds us that, for as powerful as Ash Williams is, he is still just a working man.
3 "Hail To The King, Baby."
Here is another Army of Darkness line that shows how much of a womanizer Ash thinks he is. After returning to the present from Lord Arthur's kingdom, he explains to a coworker (played by Sam Raimi's brother, Ted) how he could have stayed behind and become a king. Audiences get a narration from Ash about he is still a king of sorts while he blasts a Deadite invading S-Mart.
The movie closes out with Ash kissing a woman after the iconic line, "Hail to the king, baby."
2 "Alright You Primitive Screw-Heads, You See This? This Is My Boomstick! It's A 12-Gauge Double-Barreled Remington."
Lord Arthur tries to duel Ash after the latter escapes from his chains. He then uses his shotgun to shoot Arthur's sword in half, embarrassing the man. He then addresses the crowd of onlookers with his shotgun.
This is when Ash takes control of the situation and intimidates Arthur's peasants into backing off. The line, "This is my boomstick!" is possibly the most memorable line from any Evil Dead fiction, and for good reason. That said, Ash addressing the crowd as "primitive screw-heads" is just as Ash Williams as the rest of the speech that follows.
1 "Groovy" Just Can't Be Beat
Having to cut off one hand after it's infected by the Evil just about drove Ash Williams mad. In fact, maybe it drove him completely mad, as one of the next things he does is attach a chainsaw to the stump. This is when Ash coins his famous catchphrase, "groovy."
Even for Evil Dead 2, "groovy" was a pretty antiquated term, but it just so perfectly encapsulates Ash's bull-headed, cocky, brash, and belligerent personality that it became his catchphrase. "Groovy" just can't be beaten, and it's too perfect to not be put at the top of this list.