[Originally, the film was intended to be directed by Jean-Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut, who opted out and madeFahrenheit 451 (1966)instead.In a startling, hallucinatory Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde-like sequence, Ash stood in front of a mirror where his reflection suddenly reached out with his infected right hand, grabbed him, and maniacally said: "We just cut up our girlfriend with a chainsaw.Slade: I think I""ll have to buy an option on his curiosity.(Two shots are heard from upstairs)Frenchy: I think you""ll have to buy yourself a whole new sheriff - if you can find one.W.C.Fields"" last starring role in a feature-length film consists mainly of a series of flashbacks (the script""s action is read by a film producer played by Franklin Pangborn) - a number of disjointed, funny and bizarre scenes spoofing his own cinematic career, Hollywood and the filmmaking industry.The self-conscious movie, filmed in black and white - and Cinemascope, received a total of nine Academy Award nominations (with only two wins).