Army of Darkness

I guess Jeffrey Anderson is right when he says that, “Some movies just get the fuzzy end of the lollipop.” “Army of Darkness,” released in 1993, was Sam Raimi’s hilarious third chapter in his memorable “Evil Dead” trilogy, one of the best trilogies, hands down. It was done for Universal Pictures (one of the largest studios) and for producer Dino de Laurentiis. However, thanks to lawsuits completely isolated to Raimi and his movie, and to nervous studio execs, the film was shortened from 96 minutes to 81 minutes and given a pretentious happy ending. Anderson mentioned that, “The original cut has long been a Holy Grail for cult movie fans.”

Thanks to Anchor Bay Entertainment, now the official “Army of Darkness” cut has arrived, and the world feels whole again.

The new DVD has the full 96 minute cut and includes additional outtakes as well as commentary by Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and co-writer Ivan Raimi. Anderson says, “The only thing that's missing is the original happy ending, which I saw in the theater in 1993 but can't really remember now.”

The movie is a jaw-dropper. Anderson mentions, “It was one of the first U.S. pictures to be influenced by the new wave of Hong Kong movies like A Chinese Ghost Story (1987).” Raimi’s camerawork and cutting capture the loose flexibility and rapid movement of those now – classic elements. Anderson goes on to say, “I continually harp on movies that are careless in their photography and cutting, going for a jagged and hard-to-see style instead of clarity.” “Army of Darkness” is an example of how action movies should be shot.

The story picks up where “Evil Dead 2” left off with Ash, reprised by Bruce Campell, being sent through a portal of some kind and landing in the 12^th Century. (Bridget Fonda – a fan of the “Evil Dead” franchise – appears briefly in the flashback, even though she wasn’t in “Evil Dead 2.”) Ash must now get the Book of the Dead so that he can go back to his time period. However, he accidentally awakens an army of dead (portrayed as Ray Harryhausen-like animate skeletons), which he now must fight and kill. He must also save the beautiful girl he’s in love with, played by the lovely Embeth Davidtz, later to appear in Spielberg’s classic, “Schindler’s List.”

This was Campbell’s one big starting role and he should have become one of the most recognizable actors. He has personality to show. He can be tough and mean, or soft and comical. Anderson describes Ash as, “His Ash is a Homer Simpson-like loser with a good heart but a short attention span. He talks in cowboy and detective movie talk ("Gimme some sugar, Baby") and indulges in Three Stooges-like routines.”

However, Campbell’s career and the movie were brutally dumped by Universal. They most likely didn’t know how to market it, falling into a kind of parody comedy/action movie/horror movie. Not to mention that horror films at the time were on the slides, well before the “Scream” recovery.

I understand that many people didn’t really like this movie because they turned the series into some sort of a joke, but I think that the entertainment in this movie is quite suitable. Ash has fully grown into the goofball that we all now recognize and love. This movie has some of the best one-liners that you can quote endlessly. Just make sure that your timing is right when you quote them. Another one of my favorite horror comedies. Definitely check this movie out if you are in the mood for something entertaining, and you loved the previous two movies in the series. Also, make sure to check out the original ending as well because that one is hilarious.

If you can actually believe it, they remade the “Evil Dead” not too long ago. How is it compared to the original? Is it horrible and you should not even bother with it, like a lot of remakes? Only one way to find out: wait until tomorrow when I review it in my conclusion to “Evil Dead-a-thon.”