Alright you primitive screwheads, listen up! Ash returns to fight the deadheads once again in the form of Bruce “The Chin” Campbell. Groovy baby, but where’s the director’s cut? It’s not here and the specials features on it are welcome but somewhat anemic. At least the movie is still grand… baby.
After the events of Evil Dead II, Ash (Bruce Campbell) finds himself transported back to medieval England. He’s captured by Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert), his shotgun and chainsaw confiscated, and thrown into a pit with a Deadite. After defeating the Deadite, Arthur’s Wise Man (Ian Abercrombie) returns his weapons to Ash and says that if he’s going to get back to his own time he’s going to have to retrieve the Necronomicon.
Ash bids farewell to Sheila (Embeth Davidtz), the sister of one of Arthur’s knights and his love interest, and sets off to find the fabled evil tome. In the haunted woods, Ash encounters many terrors including a life sized copy of himself, which he kills and buries. He finds the book but fudges on the spell.
This unleashes and army of the undead and his copy arises from the dead and leads the charge of the moldering marauders. So will Ash finally man up and defeat the hoards or just demand to be sent home? Guess you’ll have to watch to find out.
Army of Darkness was really the first time that the Dead tried to make it big. The first two films were low budget affairs and cult hits but this go round a major studio, Universal, was the one who was footing the bill.
Evil Dead II began the series movement towards horrific comedy and Army of Darkness continues the trend. Not that the filmmakers weren’t afraid to let the red stuff fly mind you.
Bruce Campbell just cements his cinematic presence as the incompetent hero thrown into heroics, but only bumbles through his derring-do to emerge less scathed on the other side. He’s the man, baby. The film is a zany adventure that rarely takes itself seriously – not unlike Campbell.
His over the top performance is what makes the Dead pictures such a joy (though that persona really came to be in the second film as the first was more a straight horror film – actually a pretty disturbing and horrifying film). He continues to make a career from this person and we love him for it. Hail to the king, baby!
What might disappoint some is that this new release features the 81 minute theatrical cut of the film and not the 96 minute director’s cut. I’d imagine that those rights might lie with another distributor since Anchor Bay put that edition out. It was a joy to see this madcap masterpiece again and just in time for Halloween.
I just wish some of the commentaries and documentaries produced for the other editions, as well as the director’s cut, would’ve made it onto the disc.
Army of Darkness is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include the 21 minute “Creating the Deadites” which interviews makeup men Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger and also offers some vintage footage.
You also get a 4 minute alternative ending that has Ash ending up in a ruined future. You also get the 2 minute theatrical trailer.
Army of Darkness does contain and army and the comedy certainly is of the dark variety. It’s all held together by a king of comedy and is a joy to behold. What might disappoint fans is that the special features feel a little light and this edition will not replace what has been released before. Those that don’t have the film in their collection will be pleased though. Hail to the king baby!
Army of Darkness: Screwhead Edition is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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