The Killer of Killers

The episode was written by Nate Crocker, and directed by Michael Hurst. It was Crocker's first writing credit, and Hurst's first directorial credit.[1]

In its original American broadcast, "The Killer of Killers" was seen by an estimated 0.402 million household viewers and gained a 0.19 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.19 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.430 million viewers with a 0.15 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

"The Killer of Killers" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "'The Killer of Killers' was a great return to Deadite form after three episodes dealing with that mind-demon. Which, admittedly, looked cool but also worked to sap some of the fun out of the series. Ash even seemed more somber during that arc. So now everything's sort of shifted back into place. Guts galore!"[4]

Michael Roffman of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "It's easy to forget the gory roots of Ash Vs. Evil Dead. Back in the '80s, Sam Raimi's little splatter-film-that-could initially received an X-rating and was considered a 'video nasty' or a 'number one nasty,' and for all the right reasons: blood, guts, and pus spray everywhere; body parts are smashed or lopped off with ease; and, well, a woman is raped by a tree. No, Ash didn't sell The Evil Dead, the violence did. So, following a handful of episodes that thrived from much-needed character development, it's a relief to stumble into a messy half hour like 'The Killer of Killers', where the series revisits its murderous alma mater at an unfortunate roadside diner."[5]

Gina McIntyre of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Could it be that Ash Vs. Evil Dead just crossed one name off its roster of characters? It certainly would appear that way, what with Ruby evidently perishing in a fiery blast just a few minutes into tonight’s episode."[6] Stephen Harber of Den of Geek wrote, "All in all, 'The Killer of Killers' is a much-needed breath of rotten air after the two-part sidequest to Brujo's house. The show reminds us that it's still got cojones, and it's not afraid to whip them out to make you say 'ewww' when it needs to."[7]

Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Speaking of how things 'really are', did we also learn on 'The Killer of Killers' that Ruby wasn't who she said she was all along? That's something I've been wondering ever since Lucy Lawless first appears on Ash vs Evil Dead, so three quarters into the season, things are starting to pop!"[8] Jasef Wisener of TV Overmind wrote, "'The Killer of the Killers' was just as comic book-y as I've come to expect with this series, and I mean that in the best possible way. Every scene on this show seems to be crazier than the last, and I'm excited that we just get the chance to watch it all unfold each week."[9] Blair Marnell of Nerdist wrote, "Ash vs. Evil Dead continues to fire on all cylinders. I still would have preferred an hour-long format for this series, but it's hard to argue with the effectiveness of the current format. The story is blazing along, and there's just four episodes left before everyone goes back to where it all started: the cabin in the woods from The Evil Dead."[10]