Though it arguably counts as a slasher franchise, Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead series was far more comedic and inventive than similar franchises in the '80s. It's most known for its sometimes subversive sense of humor, as well as iconic main character Ash Williams. Equally as iconic, however, is Ash Williams' hand -- or, rather, his lack thereof.
In Evil Dead II, franchise protagonist Ash would lose his right hand, though the severed member would soon be replaced with a more violent stand-in. Though Ash cut it off in the second movie, his right hand would show back up in the franchise afterward, cementing it as one of the most well-known elements of Evil Dead. Here's how Ash's chainsaw was initially caught right-handed.
How Ash Williams Lost His Hand in Evil Dead II
Evil Dead II begins with Ash (played by Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda trying to relax at a cabin on vacation. Playing a tape of a recitation of the Necronomicon, the audio summons a legion of demons. These unearthly creatures kill and possess Ash's girlfriend, and he's forced to kill her permanently with a nearby chainsaw. This isn't the end of the demons' influence on Ash, however.
Unable to escape from the area after being hounded by the demons, Ash is attacked by Linda's still animated corpse. Her decapitated head bites his hand, which becomes a conduit for demonic energy. Trying to possess Ash through his right hand, Ash cuts the demons off at the source by severing his hand with the aforementioned chainsaw. He would later modify the saw and learn how to attach it to the stump that used to be his hand, gaining his iconic appearance and weapon.
How Ash Williams' Hand Returned
After cutting it off, the possessed hand escaped from Ash, still having a demonic mind of its own. The iconography of a lost hand would return in the third movie, Army of Darkness. There, Ash fought an evil clone (called "Bad Ash" by fans), and before defeating this copy, he would similarly cut off its right hand to match his own severed one.
In the semi-sequel/reboot series Ash vs. Evil Dead, a new version of Bad Ash shows up. This clone is created from his severed right hand, showing how the long-absent limb still had a huge impact on both Ash's life and the franchise as a whole. Other appearances of the evil hand include the video game Evil Dead: Hail to the King, as well as another hand-derived clone made from the hand in the comic book series Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead By Dawn. Taking the over-the-top series into the level of cult classic, the missing limb and its chainsaw replacement definitely gave The Evil Dead a helping hand in popularity.