Review of Army of Darkness (1992) by Chad H — 10 Apr 2011

Army of Darkness is often considered the red-headed step-child of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy. If you were even unaware that it was the third Evil Dead film, I wouldn't blame you. It lacks all of the things that defined Raimi's first two films as horror movies and disappointed a few fans. But surprisingly, despite these things, Army of Darkness ended up being a very fun B movie, and perhaps the most fun film of the trilogy.

*SPOILERS FROM EVIL DEAD 2*.

At the end of Evil Dead 2, Ash is teleported back to medieval times, where the demons spawned from the Book of the Dead are raising all kinds of hell for the people there. After proving his worth by escaping capture, Ash is sent on a quest to find the Book of the Dead in return for getting him back home. However, he finds himself doing more harm than good, as he accidentally raises the Army of Darkness from their slumber.

To say that Army of Darkness is different from the first two Evil Dead films would be like saying that Taco Bell is the opposite of caviar. I don't think you could even call it a horror movie at all, and they share very few genre staples and elements aside from basic plot elements. But while the the quality of AoD may not be up to par with the others, it's still awesome (that goes for T-Bell, too).

The film doesn't even attempt to be scary, and it's a good thing. The plot is so silly, it might be possible to even take it seriously at all. And as such, the film packs in more humor than the previous films combined. One-liners, quips, slapstick, and gags galore permeate the film as a whole, and yet where they wouldn't normally work in other films, they are each hilarious here. Make no mistake: Army of Darkness is a comedy.

And delivering this comedy so well, as with the other films, is none other than Bruce Campbell. He was badass in the first two, and though he's also more of an asshole here, he's still badass here. He knows he's in a B movie and takes advantage of it, delivering some of the funniest lines in the film ("This is my BOOMSTICK!," "Honey, you got real ugly."). Come on, he's got a fucking chainsaw as a hand! How much more badass can one person get? Campbell was awesome, and may now be one of my favorite character actors ever.

Aside from a few continuity issues and the stylistic differences, there's really not much wrong with Army of Darkness. It's not scary, and it doesn't take itself seriously in any way whatsoever. But it's a B-movie and it knows it, and it's clear the people involved had a lot of fun making this film. AoD is a hell of a lot of fun, and may be the funniest and most fun of the three films.

Now, hail to the king, and gimme some sugar, baby.