Ash - Evil Dead 1

   I like to do costumes or at least part of them. The more under stated the better. A chap asks me if I would consider tackling the harness for the boomstick [shotgun] for the hero, "Ash" from the zombie classic Evil Dead 1. We don't have a lot to go on. We have clips from the movie and a resin cast figurine. The resin cast model turns out not to be that faithful to the film. It is in the spirit of the hero, Ashley J. Williams, but he production constraints probably had a hand in the sculpting. Having viewed many YouTube clips, reviewed many screen shots together with measurements of the replica props, the shotgun in particular and measurement of the customer a pattern emerged.
  

  All I had to do was find suitable brightwork [Buckles and rings], suitable leather and manufactuer a chainsaw toggle hook. Making the harness was just a case of careful measurement and strap making, finishing and stitching. The boot for the shotgun [boomstick] took some careful pattern making as the replica shotgun, a 1830 Eyatt Earp side by side shotgun is heavy and only comes in one size. The challenge was to make the shotgun boot the right shape relative to the customer and the shotgun. I think I pulled it off.  






The belt was
was not part of the brief but I thought the overall look demanded the extra work. I managed to find a very good match for the buckle based on the screen shot. The next special element was the chainsaw toggle hook. Ash loses a hand in film and replaces it with a chainsaw....as you do. He has a hook on the harness to grab the toggle on the pull starter. I managed to find suitable materials and a morning in the workshop left me with a good version of the hook. It fixes to the harness with a pair of Chicago screws.

   I like everything to be multi-purpose where ever I can arrange it without compromising the piece. In this piece I made the shotgun boot detactable. It took a little imagination to design the clips but the effort well worth the effort. The customer put in as much effort to the other elements of the costume and it shows. Once the harness was worn, the heat of the body and the weight of the boomstick as well as a slight alternation to the boot closure thongs brought the boomstick into the correct position on the back.




 


Ashley "Ash" J. Willaims - Evil Dead 1