Cheryl Williams is Ash´s sister and the first of their group to become a Deadite.
Prior to the introduction of their father, Cheryl was Ash's only known immediate-family. She was a Michigan State student and was into art and drawing. She was also the odd-one-out of the group. Despite her brother, Ash, being "the chosen one," Cheryl seems to receive the most torment from the "Kandarian Demon" within the first ten minutes of the film-- Her hand gets posessed for a few minutes, she is the first to hear the woods say "join us," the first to hear anything from the cellar, the first to get attacked by the trees, and the first to become a Deadite.
As a Deadite, Cheryl is considered the main antagonist; the opposite of her brother. She resumes this role briefly in the sixth episode of season two.
Biography
The Evil Dead
Cheryl is in her 20s, and the first to notice something isn't right at the cabin. She tries to tell the others with no avail. She goes outside at night investigating noises, leading to her getting raped by the trees in the forest. She manages to break free and runs back to the cabin. She demands that Ash drive her back into town, but when they make it to the bridge it has been mangled into the shape of a skeletal hand; forcing them to return to the cabin. Shortly afterwards, she becomes possessed and attacks the group, managing to incapacitate Linda with her drawing pencil. She is locked in the cellar by Scotty, and remains there for some time, where her condition worsens.
After a possessed Linda is killed, Cheryl finally breaks out of the cellar. Ash shoots her with his shotgun, but it doesn't kill her. After Ash gets back from the cellar, she attacks him through the door and he shoots her in the face. She attacks Ash with a fireplace poker while the newly possessed Scotty holds him down. When Ash throws the book of the dead into the fireplace, her possessed body decomposes at a rapid rate and she is finally killed.
Ash vs. Evil Dead
Ash returns to his original home to find his father still alive, after exploring his house he comes across Cheryl's room where he remembers the events of the cabin. Ash later gets into an argument with his father Brock Williams, who blames his son for the loss of his daughter.
Cheryl is reborn after the Kandarian demon strikes a photo of her, causing it to bleed and create a manifestation of her. After manifestng, Cheryl calls out to Ash and approaches both him and Chet Kaminski, the latter of whom had been caught by Ash in Cheryl's room. Cheryl claims to not know what happened, even commenting on Ash's weight but she soon reveals her true nature as a Deadite and attacks Ash, sending him flying while throwing Chet into her room. Cheryl locks them both in and turns to him, revealing her Deadite appearance from thirty years ago, complete with stitches on her forehead. She roughly flirts and plays with Chet who makes comments about how it doesn't feel as good as he remembers, implying history between the two. Ash then begins to break into her room, annoying Cheryl who then attacks him before disappearing, she then attempts to lure her brother to her by playing hide and seek.
Ash looks for her throughout the house but is unable to find her, instead he sees the walls bleed and a model train set start on its own, distracting him and allowing Cheryl to attack him through the wall. After throwing her off him, she again disappears and he almosts shoots Chet who had come from upstairs. Cheryl sneaks up behind Chet and holds him hostage, after exchanging words with her brother, she brutally kills Chet by ripping his heart out through his chest. Ash, upset at the loss of his friend, shoots Cheryl but she gets back and attempts to kill Linda but is once again shot and goes flying out of the house and into the street where a lynch mob for Ash awaits. After arguing with the townsfolk, Cheryl arises yet again and Ash shoots and reveals her Deadite nature to the town, finally proven his innocence. The townfolk shoot at Cheryl but its ineffective. Ash asks Cheryl if she remembers playing hide and seek with Ash and locking him in the trunk of a car to which Cheryl grins and laughs to before being sent flying into a car trunk by Ash's boomstick. Ash then stands on the lid, pinning Cheryl in with her head sticking out. Ash then decapitates his deadite sister, killing her for the second time and this time directly. Before dying Cheryl humorously states "not again".
Cheryl reappears as a Ghost after Ash returns from the 80s, her soul apparently free.
Personality
Before her possession, Cheryl is Fun, sometimes she is prone to worry -- even when evil isn't present. In the original screenplay, Cheryl has a line in which she expresses concern to Ash that their parents wouldn't ever allow the two of them to go to a place like the cabin they're heading to, but that line -- much like many of Cheryl's non-deadite lines -- didn't make it into the film. Cheryl is the only character who doesn't have a romantic partner in the duration of the story, and it seems that Cheryl was created with the "shrinking violet" stock character in mind. She is also the only character who declines alcohol when it is offered to her, and is the most nervous and observant of all the other characters.
Ash vs. Evil Dead reveals more about her personality, her bedroom decor suggests that despite her introverted and demure personality, she was heavily into bands. Comments by both Chet and Cheryl revealed a history between the two, possibly romantic if not sexual, showing that Cheryl was possibly in a relationship during the events of the cabin incident.
Deadite
Cheryl's personality as a Deadite is far removed from her original self, being aggressive and merciless in her torment of Ash, relentlessly taunting him about Linda.
In Ash vs. Evil Dead, Cheryl's demonic personality is essentially the same but is more playful, and even flirty towards Chet and is even humorously annoyed when Ash interrupts her sexual assault on Chet. Cheryl's behavior towards her brother comes across as more vicious version of a sibling rivalry, as she immaturely calls Ash a bad dancer and a loser, as well laughing at the original Cheryl's memory of locking her brother in a car trunk during a game of hide and seek.
Alternate Versions
The Evil Dead (2008 Comic)
Cheryl appears in The Evil Dead comic published by Dark Horse Comics in 2008. In this story, she is not related to Ash, but just a friend of Linda who tags along. Like her film counterpart, she is the first person in the group to become possessed.
Army of Darkness Comics
Cheryl is mentioned in the one-shot comic: Tales of Army of Darkness.
Gallery
Notes
- During an interview with IGN at San Diego Comic-Con 2016, Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert announced that Ellen Sandweiss would reprise her role as Cheryl for a brief appearance in Season 2 of Ash vs. Evil Dead.
Trivia
- Cheryl makes a voice cameo in Evil Dead.
- Cheryl's character is referenced heavily in Evil Dead by Mia.
- Cheryl is NOT dangerous in The Evil Dead.
- She remains one of the deadliest Deadites after having killed Chet (a recurring character) whereas other Deadites in the series have only killed guest stars.
- Cheryl is confirmed in-universe to be Ash's sister in season two of Ash vs Evil Dead.
- Cheryl's Deadite form is unique in Ash vs. Evil Dead, as all other deadites merely have white eyes and deformed eyebrows and cheekbones. Cheryl however, retains her original deadite form, such as the grey skin, black around the eyes and possesses a wound on her forehead.
- Why Cheryl remains dead and now a ghost after Ash altered the timeline is unknown, now why Brock and Chet remain dead as by changing the original cabin incident, Ash would have gone to the middle ages, or have had the book of dead in his possession to cause the events of the tv series.
Appearances
- The Evil Dead (1981)
- Evil Dead (2013) (Voice Only)
- Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 2 (2016)