Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise has taken many different forms over the years, but the first time that it truly pivoted outside its cabin-in-the-woods aesthetic was in 1992's Army of Darkness. This series would honestly have been fine by continuing to take gory, nasty trips back to the cabin; but here, Raimi and company proved that their Deadite-centric stories showed endless potential. After two very similar horror films, with Evil Dead II basically just being a goofier retelling of its predecessor, this third entry cuts out most of the horror entirely. Army is an action comedy through and through. It's the perfect flip side to the first two films' on-screen visceral and gory physicality, favoring a slapstick, Three Stooge-like nature. With Bruce Campbell's career-best performance as Ash being the cherry on top, Army of Darkness has proven itself to be the integral piece that reshaped the Evil Dead series forever.
If you've never had the chance to dive into Raimi's gloriously bonkers medieval epic, there's never been a better time. Army recently blasted through a time rift and landed straight on Prime Video, where it will wait for you to join in on its kick-ass sights. For those unaccustomed to the magic of early '90s, high-genre, low-budget B-movies, leave any and all pretensions at the door. This movie is meant to be nothing but a great time... the best time! If a blue-collar, chainsaw-wielding, demon-slaying fantasy ride doesn't sound like an absolute blast, then I don't want to know what your idea of fun is.
The Road to 'Army of Darkness' Was a Bumpy-Yet-Necessary Journey For Sam Raimi
For a long time, the road for the Evil Dead franchise was one of desperation and circ*mstance. Raimi, Campbell, and their friends made the original 1981 classic out of a desire to break into the film industry. They weren't even necessarily big fans of horror; the genre had just repeatedly shown itself over the years to be a prime means for young, independent filmmakers to get noticed and begin professional careers in making movies. Their effort proved to be successful, but after their follow-up, 1985's Crimewave, was a commercial and critical disaster, the band decided it was time to go back to what they already knew would work. This resulted in 1987's Evil Dead II, a more comedic take on the first film's premise, for sure, but still chock-full of terrifying moments for audiences to get rocked by. The sequel was a hit and officially paved the way for Raimi as an established Hollywood filmmaker.
The idea for a medieval-themed Evil Dead film had been around for years. Initially titled Medieval Dead, the gang originally hoped to make this film after the first. Once Evil Dead II proved to be a success, producer Dino De Laurentiis officially jumped on board to finance Army of Darkness with the help of Universal. After Raimi made them a hit with 1990's Darkman, the studio couldn't help but throw him a few million bucks for his big-budget Evil Dead flick. Raimi officially had the power to go all out on his vision, something he never had the means to do prior.
'Army of Darkness' Took the Evil Dead Series in a New Direction
It's debatable whether Army of Darkness is the best Evil Dead movie or not. What is indisputable is that the film blew the doors open wide as to where this series could go. The original classic might play for most like a schlocky cornball of a horror ride, but if we're going by Raimi and co.'s intentions, The Evil Dead was anything but a joke. For some, its homemade quality can make it a bit hard to take seriously. And while that's understandable, the first entry is chock-full of some of the grisliest and most foul horror set pieces that you'll ever come across. The climactic claymation meltdown (if you know, you know), Shelly's (Theresa Tilly) guttural scream from Hell, and Ash's graveside battle with Linda (Betsy Baker) stand as some of the most disturbing sights in scary movie history. Raimi's original is a full-blown nightmare. As for its sequel, Evil Dead II waltzed into some absurdist comedic territory, but it's still a pretty terrifying experience through and through. Elements like the cabin's low bellowing of "Join us," the constant howl of a cold, eerie wind, and the film's use of an inhuman-yet-charming stop-motion animation style keep this sequel deeply chilling, no matter how often it makes us laugh.
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Evil Dead II's promise of a sequel that goes medieval must have felt like a fun-but-empty promise upon release. The idea of what the sequel would even be seems so far-fetched that it's hard to imagine the movie actually being made, let alone working as well as it does. Simply put, Army of Darkness is a straight-up gag fest. If you're looking for a slapstick action fantasy rollercoaster then this is the movie for you. Campbell delivers a career-best performance as Ash. This time around, he's absolutely ripped, turning Ash from the first film's everyday Mid-westerner into a complete and total badass. He spouts off one-liners at every turn, dropkicks hoards of wimpy skeletons, and fires off his boom stick with a comedically effortless swagger.
Besides Ash, almost everyone but the Wise Man (Ian Abercrombie) and Sheila (Embeth Davidtz) are complete morons. It's a cast made entirely of boneheaded (literally and figuratively) scene-stealers. You've got an absolute schmuck loser of a knight in Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert), a bombastic buffoon in Richard Grove's Duke Henry the Red, and, of course, anyone and everyone that Ted Raimi plays. Seriously, he's credited with three specific characters, as well as a multitude of skeleton voices, all of which he delivers with aplomb. With an ensemble that's this goofy, it's hard to believe that Army is a followup to two of horror's most gonzo pictures.
'Army of Darkness' Is the Funniest Evil Dead Movie Yet
Army's full, unashamed jump to humor can feel like a bit of tonal whiplash in comparison to the darkly funny Evil Dead II, but you'd be lucky to find another movie that turns the goof up as high as this. Raimi and Campbell were never as big of horror fans as they were big on slapstick comedies, so this was an absolute dream project. A large part of Army of Darkness' success and longevity is its sense of humor. Campbell's performance as Ash is so hilariously arrogant and brash that it would become the template for the character moving forward.
The movie also takes on a slapstick nature that had been present in the series before, but never to this degree. The film is laced with action sequences, but rather than being of the Terminator or Die Hard variety, Army's action scenes play out like the most explosive and bombastic Three Stooges skits ever conceived. Cartoon-y sound effects fill the film's soundscape, as opposed to the bone-crunching and flesh-tearing of the other Evil Dead projects. The only scene in this film that feels like it's going for some semblance of horror is towards the beginning when Ash is thrown into the pit, forced to face off against a Deadite unarmed. This scene almost acts as a tone-setter to differentiate this film from its predecessors. The series started out with terrifying horror films, but as soon as the Wise Man throws Ash his chainsaw, the scene goes straight for over-the-top, goofy badassery. And the same could be said for the trajectory of the series to come.
In 'Army of Darkness,' Ash Actually Becomes a Fully Fleshed-Out Character
The cast size is much greater than the first two Evil Dead films, but there are still large swaths where it's just the viewer and Campbell going on this journey together. Campbell's Ash is no longer looking over his shoulder at every corner, terrified of Deadites jumping out at him. This time around, he's pissed and annoyed. You'd think that he'd be frightened by the fact that he time-traveled all the way back to medieval times, but instead, it's just another one of this franchise's many inconveniences towards him. He had to kill his girlfriend, his friends were possessed and mutilated by monsters, a weekend cabin getaway has been ruined, and now he's hundreds of years in the past. Campbell plays the part like a guy who's already had a terrible day, only to get a flat tire on the way home.
This is all amplified by Ash being a total fish out of water in Army of Darkness. He doesn't care about saving these people from Deadites or any sort of savior prophecy made about him; all he wants to do is get back to his own time period. His selfish behavior is a huge change of pace from the Ash who previously worried about his friends' safety. Here, for the large majority of the runtime, Ash looks out for himself only. It's only in the third act of the film that we really see Ash become a three-dimensional character. For the first time in any of these movies, he has an arc. His return to save the kingdom from Evil Ash's army will never make audiences cry, but it's interesting to watch him go through some character growth. It's not that Army of Darkness is Shakespearean or anything, but it is a movie that does more than provide a fun and visceral ride for 80 minutes. Twenty years later, Ash vs Evil Dead would take notes and go on to flesh out its titular character more than ever.
'Army of Darkness' Was the First to Shake Up the Evil Dead Franchise
The film's portrayal of medieval times is a blast. It doesn't have a Lord of the Rings-level fantasy budget, but breaking away from the cabin setting for some castle-raiding action set pieces makes for a real breath of fresh air. This embrace of taking Deadite madness into fresh, new locales is a ripple effect that has been felt ever since. The 2013 remake was a welcome visit back to the cabin, but the releases that followed would go on to shake things up in the same vein as Army. Ash vs Evil Dead took the series to small towns, suburbia, bars, racetracks, and more. Last year's Evil Dead Rise took the Deadites and the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis to a Los Angeles apartment complex in the current day.
Army of Darkness rocks. It's a film with a sense of humor that might be a bit too goofy for everyone, but if this movie is your bag, you'll likely be obsessed with it like the rest of its rabid fans. Thankfully, the Evil Dead franchise has continued to live on into this decade. Last year's Evil Dead Rise felt like a pretty drastic change from what has come before, taking place in an apartment building in a busy city, but it still didn't shake up the franchise like going medieval did. Future entries that take place in cabins or bring back Ash are never unwelcome, but if eventual filmmakers ever feel like doing something different, fans should stop themselves from worrying too much —Army of Darkness flipped the script first.
Army of Darkness
R
- Release Date
- February 19, 1993
- Director
- Sam Raimi
- Cast
- Bruce Campbell , ian abercrombie , Embeth Davidtz , Marcus Gilbert , Richard Grove
- Runtime
- 81 minutes
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
Army of Darkness is available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.
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