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 (18 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

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 [3 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]