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Necronomic-on demand: Australia gets 'Ash vs. Evil Dead' world first

Australian streaming service Stan is set to air the highly-anticipated TV series "Ash vs. Evil Dead" hours before the rest of the world this Halloween. And just as we hoped, it looks real ugly...

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Bruce Campbell dusts off the chainsaw for "Ash vs. Evil Dead."
Starz

Horror fans down under will be the first to get a fist full of boomstick when " Ash vs. Evil Dead" hits screens this Halloween, with the TV show airing on Australian streaming service Stan hours before anywhere else in the world.

After the original "Evil Dead" trilogy lit up screens in the '80s and early '90s with a bloodbath of deadites, possessed girlfriends and Sam Raimi snap-zooming, the popular franchise is back, this time on the small screen.

US network Starz first announced the 10-episode series as a network original in November 2014, confirming original director Sam Raimi and producer Robert Tapert were on board for the project.

Cult hero and author of "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor," Bruce Campbell will also reprise his lead role as Ash Williams, the unwitting exorcist and occasional time traveller charged with ridding the world of evil.

While anticipation has been building ahead of the launch, Australian streaming service Stan confirmed on Wednesday that it would be the first network in the world to air "Ash vs. Evil Dead" on October 31, thanks to its early time-zone. While Stan is the only network in Australia to land the series, the premiere episode will be available hours later at its home on Starz in time for Halloween in the US.

It's a fitting antipodean launch for a series that was filmed during the southern hemisphere winter in the back woods and rugged countryside of New Zealand's north island.

When the series splatters on to screens, "Evil Dead" fans will be treated to plenty of blood, demons and schlock horror, with special appearances from Raimi alum Lucy Lawless and Ash's famous chainsaw thrown in for good measure.

If the trailer is anything to go by, we can't wait until Ash and the crew let the boomstick do the talking.