Army of Darkness (1992)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Sam Raimi (written by) &
Ivan Raimi (written by)

Release Date:

19 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

Tagline:

Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas

Plot:

A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Necronomicon | Evil Dead | Sequel | 1300s

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Bruce Campbell	...	Ash
Embeth Davidtz	...	Sheila
Marcus Gilbert	...	Lord Arthur
Ian Abercrombie	...	Wiseman
Richard Grove	...	Duke Henry the Red
Timothy Patrick Quill	...	Blacksmith
Michael Earl Reid	...	Gold Tooth
Bridget Fonda	...	Linda
Patricia Tallman	...	Possessed Witch
Ted Raimi	...	Cowardly Warrior / Second Supportive Villager / S-Mart Clerk (as Theodore Raimi)
Deke Anderson	...	Mini-Ash #2
Bruce Thomas	...	Mini-Ash #3
Sara Shearer	...	Old Woman
Shiva Gordon	...	Pit Deadite #1
Billy Bryan	...	Pit Bitch

Also Known As:

Army of Darkness: The Medieval Dead (UK) (video title)
Army of Darkness: The Ultimate Experience in Medieval Horror (USA) (closing credits title)
Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness (USA) (closing credits title)
Evil Dead 3 (USA) (working title)
The Army of Darkness (USA) (original script title)
The Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness (UK) (DVD box title)
The Medieval Dead (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and horror.

Runtime:

81 min | 96 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Italy:T | Germany:18 (Special Edition DVD) | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

That beat-up Oldsmobile that goes through time with Ash belongs to director Sam Raimi. He included it in most of his early movies, each time more banged up than the last. The items in the trunk of the Olds are not product placements; they're what Raimi actually had in his trunk.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the beginning of the movie when Ash is being sucked into the portal, the cable that he is suspended from while spinning is visible.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[opening monologue]
Ash: My name is Ash and I am a slave. As far as I can figure, the year is thirteen hundred A.D and I'm being dragged to my death. It wasn't always like this, I had a real life, once. A job.
Ash: [now Ash is in a flashback] Umm... Hardware aisle twelve, shop smart, shop S-Mart!
Ash: [back to monologue] I had a wonderful girlfriend Linda. Together we drove to a small cabin in the mountains. It seems an archeologist had come to this remote place to translate and study his latest find: Necronomiconexmortis. The Book of the Dead. Bound in human flesh and inked in blood, this ancient Samarian text contained bizarre burial rights, funeral incantations, and demon resurrection passages, it was never meant for the world of the living. The book awoke something dark in the woods, something evil.
[something crashes through the window of the cabin and Linda screams]
Ash: It took Linda. Then it came after me, it got into my hand and it went bad, so I lopped it off at the wrist.
[Ash is seen cutting off his hand]
Ash: But that didn't stop it, it came back big time.
Ash: [Ash gets pulled into the vortex holding onto the doorway] For God's sake how do you stop it?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Supermarket (2009)

Soundtrack:

March Of The Dead

"Well hello Mr. Fancy Pants."

Picking up where "Evil Dead II" left off in a somewhat altered opening, Bruce Campbell, now a full blown Han Solo smart ass, is trapped in the dark ages and is eventually found to be the one fated to the Deadites after he retrieves the Book of the Dead, which can also help send him back to his own time. But Bruce, being as stupid as he is, screws up the magic words that are meant to keep the Army of Darkness away and he ends up unleashing an army of undead skeletons by accident who are led by his evil alter ego. Now he must use his 20th century know how to save the day or else evil will forever rule the Earth.

Bruce is back and funnier than ever. No real horror here, more of a parody of a big budget fantasy adventure film. Sadly, a number of great gags were left on the cutting room floor that are generally only seen on extended DVD's and TV showings.

Hail to the King, baby.