Army of Darkness (1992)

December 15, 2021 12:54 PM

The third film in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy finds Ash (Bruce Campbell) transported back to medieval days, a Michigan Yankee in Lord Arthur's Court, if you will. He must quest for the Necronomicon, a book of evil which can return him to his time, or unleash an undead army called the "Deadites." It should go pretty smoothly as long as Ash displays a modicum of competency...

Currently streaming in the US on HBO Max.

posted by DirtyOldTown (19 comments total)

For my 500th post on FF, I wanted a legit banger. Somehow we've never gotten around to posting this.

If, somehow, some way, you have never seen this, please believe me when I say it is one of the funniest horror-comedies of all time.

BONUS: Here's the alternate ending.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:55 PM on December 15, 2021 [9 favorites]

I'm sorry to say this was always a really confusing movie for me and I really wish Ash was more direct and clear about what was his boom-stick and what wasn't his boom stick.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:28 PM on December 15, 2021 [17 favorites]

It's so subtle, it's easy to miss.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:29 PM on December 15, 2021

I haven't seen this movie in almost a quarter century and I still find myself reminding people that Jack left town on the regular
posted by phooky at 2:28 PM on December 15, 2021 [4 favorites]

The first time I saw this was on VHS. I finished it, walked around the room laughing and quoting it while it rewound, then immediately watched it again.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:30 PM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

I have a DVD of this, the "Official Bootleg Edition", which for reasons I don't know has all the classic catchphrases redubbed with other, lesser lines. Bizarre edition.
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:34 PM on December 15, 2021 [4 favorites]

It's not the best Evil Dead film but it's my favourite and I watched it over and over again as a teenager and, to this day, will think of "Klaatu! Berada! Nik-*coughcough*! There, I said it!" whenever I'm asked to basically remember anything.

This movie absolutely rules.
posted by slimepuppy at 2:52 PM on December 15, 2021 [5 favorites]

Ah, so many fond memories of this one. For years after, I kept an old chemistry book inside my trunk as a tribute and... you know... just in case.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 4:47 PM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

Good? Bad? ... I'm the guy with the gun.
posted by wabbittwax at 5:17 PM on December 15, 2021 [6 favorites]

Maybe. Just maybe my boys can protect the book. Yeah, and maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:27 PM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

I love this movie, and it was definitely my gateway to Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2, Bruce Campbell, and Sam Raimi.

A notably different line from the OBE was after Good Ash shoots Bad Ash in the face.

"I'm not that good."

(original: "Good, bad. I'm the guy with the gun.")
posted by porpoise at 6:57 PM on December 15, 2021 [4 favorites]

First you wanna kill me, then you wanna kiss me. Blow.
posted by dragstroke at 9:24 PM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

...Yeah, and maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot.

♫wheeee wooo who we who ... dundundun dunduntun!♫

The score is amazing, and I love that they used physical effects for the evil dead. It's still a gorgeous movie.

Ash vs Evil Dead [fanfare] the minseries acknowledges and tries to atone for the prejudice and misogyny of the movies.
posted by porpoise at 10:13 PM on December 15, 2021 [3 favorites]

I'll stand by ye! *amazing eye acting*
posted by h00py at 2:59 AM on December 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

I'll stand by ye! *amazing eye acting*

Yeah I have always been partial to the physical comedy of the mini Ash scene. He peels his face off the stove using a spatula and then chugs boiling water. I can't stop laughing just thinking about it.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:10 AM on December 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

Huh. I had the OBE back in college and am pretty sure it's the version I watched most often. I thought the main deal with it was that it had the extended scenes from the directors cut, but with the theatrical S-Mart ending instead of the future ending. I don't remember having non-quippy lines subbed in, but I could have been mistaken (and also, well, I was not usually in the most sober state while watching Army of Darkness in college).

This movie is great, and I love how unhinged Ash is throughout the whole thing. I only watched Evil Dead 2 for the first time a couple of years ago, and I was really surprised that Ash, as I knew him, only really came together in the third act. But then again I guess you have to have an origin story for your chainsaw- and shotgun-wielding maniac at some point, huh?
posted by thecaddy at 10:30 AM on December 16, 2021

But then again I guess you have to have an origin story for your chainsaw- and shotgun-wielding maniac at some point, huh?

It really makes sense. At some point you are going to either become a quivering mess on the floor or end up going all in, and Ash goes all in.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:22 PM on December 16, 2021

Vaguely related but Bruce Campbell's autobio is fun, but inexplicably set in sans serif font, which bugged me immeasurably.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:29 PM on December 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

I watched the director's cut with audio commentary this weekend and am glad to report that this movie never gets less funny and if you've seen it many times, can be freshened up with Sam, Bruce, and Ivan making fun of each other added in.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:58 AM on March 18 [1 favorite]